The Warrors have their identity back this season. Photo / Photosport
The Warrors have their identity back this season. Photo / Photosport
Expectations about the Warriors for the rest of the 2023 NRL season need to be recalibrated.
The question is no longer whether they will make the top eight – it’s about how high can they finish.
That is the obvious verdict from Sunday’s 44-12 demolition of the CronullaSharks, one of their best performances of the season.
The Sharks can be hot and cold at times but they are still a genuine NRL force, just behind the top tier of Penrith, Brisbane, Melbourne and South Sydney.
But they were blown away, as the Warriors combined powerful yardage work and slick attack with effective defence.
It was quite something, especially as the Sharks edged the opening quarter and the Warriors’ three-try first-half burst featured some of their best attacking sequences of the season.
Nothing is guaranteed in the NRL but, with six rounds to go, the Warriors look headed for the playoffs, for only the third time since 2011.
Their 11-7 record is a great platform and after facing the Canberra Raiders this Friday they don’t face another current top-eight team and have only two more trips across the Tasman (round 23 v Gold Coast, round 27 v Redcliffe) for the remainder of the regular season.
But the most encouraging sign is their ongoing improvement. Individually and collectively they are getting better and who knows what gains might be possible from here?
The spine is settled and cohesive, the backline has evolved significantly since March and the forward pack is nicely balanced.
There is also cavalry to come back, with Marata Niukore, Jazz Tevaga and Te Maire Martin among the potential reinforcements. Injuries can change things in an instant, especially if any of Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris, Addin Fonua-Blake or Wayde Egan are out for an extended period. But they have depth, along with confidence in the system that Andrew Webster and his coaching staff have developed.
Webster was understandably thrilled with Sunday’s performance, agreeing it was “right up there” with other benchmark wins.
“Everyone is saying we are not knocking over heavyweight teams,” said Webster. “And we’ve done it [on Sunday]. But regardless of who we play each week, we just want to win. So where they are ranked it doesn’t matter.
“But I feel like we’ve beaten some really good sides that we just probably haven’t been given enough credit for. Because everyone’s so obsessed with where everyone sits on the ladder, as opposed to where they’re going to be at the end of it or where they’ve been before.”
Luke Metcalf and Rocco Berry enjoy victory over the Sharks. Photo / photosport.nz
As an example, the Cowboys belong in that category. They finished third last season and reached the preliminary final, before a shaky start to this season.
But they have won five on the trot – including wins over the Panthers, Storm and Rabbitohs – which puts a different spin on the Warriors’ double over the North Queensland team this season.
Webster agreed that Sunday was a coming-of-age performance for centre Rocco Berry – who managed a storming try and crucial interventions in two others – while utility Dylan Walker continues to be prominent off the bench.
”I thought [he] changed the game when he came on,” said Webster.
The coach was also impressed with Johnson, who had three try assists, a leading hand in two more and some important defensive work, after an eventful week with the arrival of daughter Sachi on Friday and a contract extension with the club.
”Emotionally, he’s been on a roller coaster and he’s so mature,” said Webster. “He’s in the best part of his career where he handles those situations so well.”
Webster also paid tribute to Harris, who took the field despite heavy flu symptoms all week.
”We’ve had a lot of sickness through the place,” said Webster. “Tohu came into the game pretty questionable but you know what Tohu’s like, he’s tough, he’s brave, he does whatever he can for the team.”
Wing Marcelo Montoya was another understood to have played through illness.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns, along with countless Warriors’ seasons. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
