NRL: Moon to shed light on attacking options

Joel Moon's presence further out offers more options. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Warriors have 10 days in Queensland in which to rebuild their confidence and their game, one which has so far lacked attacking threat.

They lag behind most teams in terms of off-loads, line-breaks and kicking metres and are yet to produce a single 40/20 kick.

While they have often forced their share of goal-line drop-outs or repeat sets from penalties, they have too often been unable to score despite that advantage.

The kick to Manu Vatuvei's wing often seems to be the only offensive option.

The rotation in the halves has not helped team cohesion so it is to be hoped that the retention of Stacey Jones and Lance Hohaia (who were the halves pairing in 2003) following the 13-0 win over Newcastle affords some stability that the other backs can feed off.

Joel Moon's return to centre after missing a week is the only major change to the squad, Moon was ruled out with concussion suffered against the Knights but then cleared late in the week and playing for the Auckland Vulcans feeder side.

"I think I was a bit low in confidence and wasn't up to scratch," he freely admitted this week.

So are the rest, the try-scorers of last year and 2007, quiet so far.

In the 24 regular season games in 2007 the Warriors crossed the chalk 100 times while conceding 78 tries; in 2008 they scored 88 and conceded 103 in the regular season. This year they have scored just 37 tries while conceding 46.

Unusually, the Storm and Dragons who have scored fewer tries are well ahead of the Warriors on the competition ladder. Coach Ivan Cleary is concerned to lift the attacking presence and threat without adding to an error rate that has too often produced a poor completion rate and therefore forced them to defence too much.

"It's a bit of a concern and something we're not really used to. I think we've fallen into a trap where if we get good metres we think this or that'll happen. We've probably been guilty of sitting back, relying too much on processes and eventually points will come."

Hohaia and Jones have to use the good turf conditions of the Titans' and Broncos' Queensland stadiums and produce threat by taking on the line. Moon's presence further out offers another option in the kicking game - his left boot gathers the most metres of all the field kickers and will hopefully create chances on the right side of the field where Moon's 2008 Broncos teammate Denan Kemp got 19 tries last year, one so far in 2009 before being dropped.

The Titans' attack will start with their halves pairing of Scott Prince and Mat Rogers, but they also have the option of using their lock Ashley Harrison, who is in doubt with a rib injury, as a ball distributor as he has often played in the six jersey.

Rogers returns after missing two games with rib cartilage damage and Hohaia knows he will be in for targeting by the bigger Titans runners that will have to be handled, without taking sting from his offence. "From here on we have to be playing close to our best football," the five-eighth said.

The home team's pack is down on firepower in the front row with co-skipper Luke Bailey ruled out after aggravating an old stress fracture in his arm and Mark Minichiello sidelined with an ankle problem.

Bailey's replacement Michael Henderson is relishing the challenge: "It's given guys more responsibility, it's given them a chance to show what they can do. You've got to do your best with him not there."

Titans coach John Cartwright is sure his side will make it hard for the Warriors to score on Saturday evening and is also looking for some spark on attack. "We haven't produced an 80-minute performance with the ball. Defensively, we have. I think our defence has been a major improvement for us this year."

These two teams were in similar positions on the ladder at this stage of the 2008 season, the Warriors then lifting into a winning run that took them to the finals and the Titans stumbling out of the top-eight for the second consecutive season.

Prince is wary. "We seem to start well in the game but we can't finish teams off. It is frustrating but I would rather be able to win ugly than play well and not have a win."

In the Warriors' case playing well, getting their strike weapons including Wade McKinnon on to the scoreboard, could be just what they need - regardless of who gets the two competition points.