Dallin Watene-Zelezniak celebrates his try with Marcelo Montoya during a preseason game against the Storm. Photosport
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak celebrates his try with Marcelo Montoya during a preseason game against the Storm. Photosport
After a positive – and prolonged – pre-season, the Warriors face their first litmus test tonight against the Newcastle Knights. Michael Burgess outlines the key factors to watch for.
Take a load off Tohu
The involvement of Tohu Harris will be a good early season barometer for this Warriors team.Since 2019 Harris has often carried a ridiculous match day burden – similar to Simon Mannering in several previous campaigns – which can’t continue. Instead of having to do the jobs of two or three of his teammates, the captain needs to be able to focus on his core role, while everyone else pitches in with theirs.
Tohu Harris s tackled during a warmup game against the Storm. Photosport
This has been the major theme from coach Andrew Webster. It’s not just about winning games; it’s about becoming much harder to beat. Last season the Warriors rarely strung two solid halves together. There would be periods of impressive defence, before the levee broke and they conceded tries in bunches. That pattern wasn’t unique to the Auckland club, as the new rules have made it easier for dominant teams to maintain momentum. But the team needs much stronger defensive foundations, as well as being able to complete the tough yardage sets out of trouble.
Variation
The Warriors aren’t going to instantly transform into a freewheeling offensive team, but more variation on attack is imperative. Too often last season the plays were predictable and easy to read, which doesn’t cut it among highly drilled modern defences. It will be a slow burn – as Webster’s initial focus is on defence, as it should be – but the Warriors need to have more options in their playbook in 2023.
The Warriors finished the 2022 NRL season 15th on the ladder. Photo / Photosport
Defend errors
Mistakes are part of the game, but it’s what happens next that counts. And it’s not just errors, as the (random) six-again interpretations, along with the stripping rule, mean that transitions between attack and defence are much more fluid and unpredictable.
Fifth-tackle options
If there has been an enduring frustration over the past few seasons, it has been the last-tackle plays in the opposition half. It’s not an exact science but too often there have been wrong options taken, or poor execution, with ambitious kicks into heavy traffic a particular bugbear. And the load can’t fall solely on Shaun Johnson; it needs to be distributed across the spine, with Te Maire Martin and Wayde Egan also being outlets at times.
Cohesion and edge defence
With seven new recruits in action on Friday, there might be times when wires are crossed and plans don’t work. But hopefully not too many. Clearer patterns, better communication and a more unified approach with and without the ball are imperative in the early part of this season.
Dylan Walker in action for the Sea Eagles. Photo / Photosport
Bench impact
Changing the flow of a match through interchange players is a vital aspect of the NRL. It rarely happened for the Warriors last season. Instead, many times it was the opposition who got a boost from the bench. Former South Sydney and Manly utility Dylan Walker has been recruited for that purpose.
Though he can play in numerous positions – and is the most accomplished centre at the club, with 110 matches there and a Dally M positional award in 2017 – Walker will initially be used as a lone ranger in the middle of the ruck against tiring forwards. Tom Ale has impressed in pre-season, while Josh Curran and Bunty Afoa have to reprise their best form, ahead of Jazz Tevaga’s return.
