Post Match NRL 2017 - Round 2 - Warriors vs Storm Post Match Discussion

[NZWarriors.com]

NRL 2017 - Round 2 - Warriors vs Storm Post Match Discussion
New Zealand Warriors 10 vs 26 Melbourne Storm
Mt Smart, Auckland


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Thread to share your thoughts on the Round 2 game between the New Zealand Warriors and Melbourne Storm after the match. Name your Man of the Match, discuss the coach, captain, starting team, bench, opposition, game tactics, substitutions, errors (or lack thereof), penalties (or lack thereof) highs, lows, refs etc.

Dont forget to rate the players... https://www.nzwarriors.com/matches/nrl-2017-r2.78/​

 

[kurgal]

Solid performance in the first half, MUCH improved defence - simply lost concentration and staying-power in the second-half and were overwhelmed by the Storm attack. Also Warriors attack was a bit pedestrian.

 

[facefacts]

Bunty was awesome...everything else looked like a 2016 re-run.

 

[ryno]

Top tier team vs a fringe team.

 

[Afakasi247]

The overreactive takes on the game are just that - over the top. We know It's tough but if you've already given up don't rub it in our faces.

Tough game and a lot of familiarity tonight.

Unfortunately the only sign of progress might be that we kept the scoreline respectable.

We looked disjointed on attack because we lost the link man out the back in RTS. SJ was dissapointing and lacked creativity. Again, he had no platform although Ata did ok under pressure.

Second week we've lost key components and the machine stopped churning.

Defensively we had periods of brilliance. Then we had fatal
Lapses. That's what seperate teams like the Storm and teams like us.

Storm controlled the ruck and their linespeed we couldn't contain. They got away with Murder and we were pinged with no leniency.

But again we lack the mental fortitude to overcome that.

Losing RTS then falling behind in the 1st half. That's when the battle was lost.

What will separate Kearneys tenure with the fallen before him will be how he responds to this. There was some poor efforts out there which were unacceptable.

To give SK the benefit of the doubt he hasn't been able to see his game plan come to fruition with a bad run of injuries both games. Really disrupted the use of the bench but that's how the game goes.

End of the day the storm are a hell of a team. We are rebuilding and tonight was part of the process. Can take this loss but expected a strong response against an ailing Bulldogs team next week.

 

[Defence]

Wet weather footy= best kicking game wins

 

[Billy Teets James]

Props are softer than my scrotum. Lisone still thinks hes a halfback. Plus his discipline needs addressing. Gubb & Lillyman boring as fuck. Although gubb at least gives us energy.
Lillyman is just goes through the motions, Not much use at all.
Lolohea? He doesn't need glue on his hands. He needs balls in his empty sacks. To scared to put his body on the line.

Our backrowers are awesome! Work horses. Wish he had someone coming off the bench that can bend the line, With foot work and a bit of size & speed ala Taumalolo.

Its all good having all these star players. But if we lose one, Just one! We fall apart.
Doesn't help when your props make 10 metres a game too. Plus we're to small.

Oh well, Onto the next!

 

[Mr Frank White]

I'm calling it. Bring back Manu! Lolo is rubbish, we are lacking any forward impact whatsoever.
We are still getting errors, so let Manu make them, at least he'll be hitting it up at full pace!

 

[Jordan G]

Bored.

Not angry, not frustrated, just bored.

Same old same old. It's just gotten so boring.

 

[ryno]

What about Manu to the forwards?

 

[Sledge]

Lolohea should of gone to centre and Fusitua to fullback

 

[Trugoy]

Could say a lot but busy watching the Broncs and Cowboys.
But i will say..
Tui - SMH
Ata - Exciting to watch him growing into a champion.
Ken played a lot better tonight but people saying he is Manu Mark II must be kidding.
He runs hard but has nowhere near the power, speed and aggression that Manu had coming up. I'd still prefer Manu out there.
Cheers, till next week.

 

[Mr Frank White]

What about Manu to the forwards?

Because that still leaves Tui on the field

 

[jonno]

There was some good stuff in that game for sure. Some of the rushing defense was great to watch. And the globe trotters try in the first half will make the highlights reel (and keep a few guys off welfare in a couple of years time lol).

But our pack is way too small to get our backline quality ball playing the structure they are using. We need to be passing at the line, running decoys, darting out of dummy half. All the stuff a small pack is good for.

As for Lolohea, he's the guy who hates defense that always seems to plague our squad. Smash em bro. It feels good.

 

[Brother Faisal]

The forward pack is not NRL standard, its too old and too young and too many backrowers in it, we need some top quality props desperately.

I kind of dont blame kearney, its not his team and he cant really axe dudes because of some of the poor contracts he inherited. But it might be worth just getting rid of guys like lolohea, maumalo, anyone else who can tackle would be better, i dont see what tui offers.

 

[Coops]

from the NZHerald: And the Storm are always formidable opponents; not just for the vast experience of Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, but also for their unique ability to play to the edges of the law around the ruck. The officials tonight were again guilty of some curious decisions, generally giving Melbourne much greater latitude.
Pretty hard to get on the front foot when the opposition have twice the time.

 

[Wellington Warrior]

The biggest difference was our one out running at the storms set and coming forward defensive line.
The flip side was the storm one out running was at a warriors defensive line that was only just getting back and then waiting. Easy metres for them. Storm winning the ruck too easily and slowing the play the balls down.

Our attack was garbage. When Johnson runs it we look good. When he doesn't run it... we offer nothing at all.

We need some big forwards that bend the line. Gubb runs hard but he gets smashed!!

Think I'd rather see Vatuvei on the wing than Lolohea. Think I counted 4 skip steps on one kick return! Maumalo at least runs it back hard!!!

 

[jonno]

from the NZHerald: And the Storm are always formidable opponents; not just for the vast experience of Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, but also for their unique ability to play to the edges of the law around the ruck. The officials tonight were again guilty of some curious decisions, generally giving Melbourne much greater latitude.
Pretty hard to get on the front foot when the opposition have twice the time.

I think you have to give the storm credit for being the team that sets the law (as it's enforced as opposed to how it's written) around the ruck.

They don't write the rules obviously, but because they are so consistent, and so clever, they have become the team that the refs use as the bench mark for where the line is. It's got to be a nice place to be.

 

[enterthewarrior]

They need big props that can bend the line and make metres. Our current props are just not able to do that.

 

[bruce]

Bunty was awesome...everything else looked like a 2016 re-run.

Topped the tackle count but missed four. All the regulars did, missed tackles cost us the game. Defence wins games and theirs was better but I am sure SK is working bloody hard on it.

Lolohea should of gone to centre and Fusitua to fullback

What about Manu to the forwards?

Good question, he is being paid enough after all. We were down on run metres again but Ken still got 149 this week.

from the NZHerald: And the Storm are always formidable opponents; not just for the vast experience of Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, but also for their unique ability to play to the edges of the law around the ruck. The officials tonight were again guilty of some curious decisions, generally giving Melbourne much greater latitude.
Pretty hard to get on the front foot when the opposition have twice the time.

Fair comment. I was watching it on TV where is is hard to see but their line speed seemed very quick. Also Cheyse Blair obstructed a play the ball and got nothing, poor old Ata Hingano got milked by that Fijian winger and was penalised. The penalties were even in the end but I suspect the Storm got away with a lot. Somebody please tell me why anybody would like Cameron Smith? he is just a bloody cheat.