The Warriors have proved they can take the hits – now they have to learn to land some punches.
As they take stock from Saturday’s 20-12 loss to the Roosters, that will be the overriding theme.
It was a match played in oppressive conditions in Sydney, with a drinks breakin each half as the mercury hovered above 30 degrees Celsius.
The Warriors were also starved of decent possession and territory for much of the match and spent long periods hanging on grimly near their own goal line.
They also suffered significant casualties, losing Jackson Ford and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to head knocks and Josh Curran to a hip injury.
Despite that, they competed well, somehow restricting to the Roosters to one first half try, then coming back strongly in the final quarter, despite a 12 point deficit.
But they lacked the finesse to make the most of their opportunities, with the timing, rhythm and decision making not quite there.
“When you get that much ball at the end of the game, you want to be swinging punches with good execution,” lamented coach Andrew Webster. “We were trying so hard but couldn’t nail it.”
Webster admitted there was a “fatigue factor”, with all the energy expended earlier in the match, but said the team lacked composure.
“There was a long time on the clock,” said Webster. “If we were clinical we could have put them under pressure, drain them and then win the game.”
Given the overall circumstances, Webster was mostly positive. Considering where the team has come from, it was another step in the right direction and the flat displays of last season are currently a distant memory.
Shaun Johnson of the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
But there are several ingredients to NRL success and the current mix isn’t quite right, as the Warriors – just like round one – kept ceding momentum to the opposition with errors, repeat sets and cheap turnovers.
“I’m super proud, how hard we are competing for how long and when things aren’t going our way we are not throwing the towel in,” said Webster. “[But] we just keep making it really hard, putting ourselves under pressure, the possession count is getting out of control.”
“In the NRL being tough and working hard for each other is not going to be enough, got to get the details and the execution. But it’s a great place to start.”
“We just can’t lose confidence, we will sort it out and if we combine that with the resilience we are going to win enough.”
Captain Tohu Harris set an amazing standard, with another 80 minute performance in the middle. He reeled off almost 60 tackles, ran for 144 metres and carried a ball playing threat, involved in both tries.
Webster was also full of praise for hooker Wayde Egan, who backed up his man of the match performance against the Knight with another compelling display on both sides of the ball.
It was hard to find a poor performer in the pack, with Addin Fonua-Blake, Mitch Barnett and Marata Niukore among others offering big contributions.
Shaun Johnson was another standout – in perhaps his best Warriors display since his return – with strong defence, plenty of energy, some neat attacking touches and a heavy kicking load.
The back five defended stoutly, with Marcelo Montoya managing his trademark thunderous hits and Brayden Wiliame and Adam Pompey mostly containing star opposites Joseph Manu and Joseph Suaalii.
However, the team will need to find more ways of engineering strike power out wide, with a heavy reliance on Johnson and Egan to make things happen at the moment.
