jonno
Another perfectly timed mystery injury to one of our star players. The footy gods are playing games with us me thinks.
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AlexM
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/league/news/article.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=12070994
Rolled ankle guys , thank fuck
Rolled ankle guys , thank fuck
Defence
3rdstriker
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Christchurch Born n bred white bait fed.
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The Warriors have been dealt another blow with an ankle injury ruling in-form wing David Fusitua out of Friday night's NRL clash against North Queensland in Townsville.
The 23-year-old rolled his ankle after leaping to contest a high ball during the side's captain's run today and will watch from the grandstand as his teammates take on the Cowboys at 1300Smiles Stadium.
Reserve back Gerard Beale will replace Fusitu'a on the right flank as the Warriors look to build on last week's impressive 34-14 win over Manly in Christchurch.
"He landed on another one of the boys' foot and rolled his ankle so he won't be playing tomorrow," said Warriors coach Stephen Kearney.
"But I'm very comfortable with Gerard coming into the side."
The injury is set to ruin Fusitu'a's hopes of turning out for Tonga in the mid-season Pacific Test against Samoa in Sydney next Saturday, with Kearney saying it was "very unlikely" he'd recover in time for the match at Campbelltown Stadium.
Fusitu'a has been in top form throughout the first half of the season, with his hat-trick of tries against the Sea Eagles putting him three clear at the top of the NRL's top tryscorers list with 15 four-pointers so far this year.
Kearney hopes Fusitu'a will be back on deck for the Warriors' next home game against Cronulla on June 29, following next week's stand-alone representative weekend.
"I anticipate that but it's hard to say," he said.
Fusitu'a's absence comes just as the Warriors welcome back captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck from an ankle injury that kept him out of last week's game at AMI Stadium.
Tuivasa-Sheck came through today's session unscathed and is in line to play his first game since departing play late in the round 12 loss to South Sydney at Mt Smart Stadium.
The Kiwi international's comeback allows backline utility Peta Hiku to return to centre after switching between fullback and five-eighth in the Warriors last three matches.
Back-up halfback Mason Lino was the other player scratched from the Warriors extended 21-man squad named on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, reserve centre Justin O'Neill and second-rower Mitchell Dunn are the two players trimmed from the Cowboys extended bench.
Warriors suffer another injury blow
Check out this story from the NZ Herald Android App
https://nzh.tw/12070994
The 23-year-old rolled his ankle after leaping to contest a high ball during the side's captain's run today and will watch from the grandstand as his teammates take on the Cowboys at 1300Smiles Stadium.
Reserve back Gerard Beale will replace Fusitu'a on the right flank as the Warriors look to build on last week's impressive 34-14 win over Manly in Christchurch.
"He landed on another one of the boys' foot and rolled his ankle so he won't be playing tomorrow," said Warriors coach Stephen Kearney.
"But I'm very comfortable with Gerard coming into the side."
The injury is set to ruin Fusitu'a's hopes of turning out for Tonga in the mid-season Pacific Test against Samoa in Sydney next Saturday, with Kearney saying it was "very unlikely" he'd recover in time for the match at Campbelltown Stadium.
Fusitu'a has been in top form throughout the first half of the season, with his hat-trick of tries against the Sea Eagles putting him three clear at the top of the NRL's top tryscorers list with 15 four-pointers so far this year.
Kearney hopes Fusitu'a will be back on deck for the Warriors' next home game against Cronulla on June 29, following next week's stand-alone representative weekend.
"I anticipate that but it's hard to say," he said.
Fusitu'a's absence comes just as the Warriors welcome back captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck from an ankle injury that kept him out of last week's game at AMI Stadium.
Tuivasa-Sheck came through today's session unscathed and is in line to play his first game since departing play late in the round 12 loss to South Sydney at Mt Smart Stadium.
The Kiwi international's comeback allows backline utility Peta Hiku to return to centre after switching between fullback and five-eighth in the Warriors last three matches.
Back-up halfback Mason Lino was the other player scratched from the Warriors extended 21-man squad named on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, reserve centre Justin O'Neill and second-rower Mitchell Dunn are the two players trimmed from the Cowboys extended bench.
Warriors suffer another injury blow
Check out this story from the NZ Herald Android App
https://nzh.tw/12070994
Tonbridge (Swanley)
Well at least it's not season ending....
Run_it_str8
Look for Shaun Johnson to inject himself more given Fusitu'a's absence
bunnyglory
eudebrito
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Contributor
Beale played more wing than centre for the sharks - he'll be fine.
Makasene
Beale has proven to be a very astute signing.
An experienced outside back, capable of covering multiple positions and providing just a little bit more than the likes of Ayshford & Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
An experienced outside back, capable of covering multiple positions and providing just a little bit more than the likes of Ayshford & Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Not even in question. Id personally play him on the wing as I see him being a stronger tackle break and being able to avoid being bundled than Hiku. Just keep it simple and fill the spot missing.
This will be the telling of how much we rely on that right edge too much and Kearney should have had Kata replaced with a centre who would feed Ken, who has some of the best offensive stats in the club, aside from catching and putting it over the try line.
Also we only just started showing players in motion and players running back at reverse angles last week, need 20x that much.
The Fusitua flank and Fusitua bomb and the green to Harris under the sticks isnt going to get us passed 8th position.
Time for us to start looking like a first grade club and throw some well coached, planned and executed offense at teams.
And the Cowboys at home are not to be taken likely (although if we win thats 6-1 away, wt....)
Merrin saying the Panthers can get better, well so can our flappn warriors, a lot better. Spread the load offensively. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is not engaged enough creating broken field play like Johnson. Need to be backing up our top offloaders every run and run onto the offloads at pace.
I respect what Kearney has done so far, but I feel he might be leaving our timing a bit late if he doesnt unleash his Cracken soon. pffffffffffffffffffft, there it is.
Is there any reason Ken couldnt play right edge? Just another option. Beale and Kata, darn strong defensive side but not much doing otherwise.
Our run for the finals has to start here, a relatively easier game, gather 2 game winning momentum and really chalk up the points. Do all of the above and leave nothing on the field and we can win by 40.
This is definitely key for getting it wide, its always come about from the 6 creating the overlap and nobody does that better ball in 2 hands than Johnson, along with the ability to crack the line should the defense extend too much. He creates uncertainty on what is our 8/10 play.
Hiku will do his usual good job of catch n pass and draw if needed. Beale is as good a winger as we have.
I only through Ken out there as an option, but I personally think stick with what we know. But some how this week get Ken breaking tackles and setting up players running off him. If Kata isnt going to pass to him on the wing then Ken should cut back inside just to settle Kata's nerves. Really frustrates me such a high level tackle breaking and post contact metres player is not getting the ball outside hitting it up.
SK really needs to start thinking offense now and that means more than 80% being focussed on Fusitua. He needs Fusitua option down to 40% and other options making up the remainder. Or teams will just shut down the right edge.
I like how Shaun Johnson gives it some uncertainty but even thats not enough, there needs to be other go to options outside going right. Putting our lethal backs as players in motion. Becoming a real offensive football team that doesnt rely on a couple of plays and natural skill.
The offensive playbook was the last thing Bennett said he would teach a team until they had got Completions, then defense right. Well I think we have got them right. The more time we spend in the opposition 20 the less we are defending which takes huge pressure off. This comes down to Green a lot and game management.
But even so, SK needs to be drilling them on players in motion (without Hiku running into defenders) so the opposition has no clue who is going through the gap, they will be thinking Shaun Johnson or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, but when its Ken steaming onto a gap 10 metres out, its try time.
Fazz
Obviously pretty bloody rubbish, but we're not crippled by this imo. After last week you'd think Shaun Johnson's confidence will be sky high and everybody will be sniffing around him for an offload. I expect to see Hiku and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck pick up the slack in that regard.
Also, seconding Beale as a very handy signing in terms of 'plugging the gap'. I think our team has been built with the idea that everybody can each cover multiple positions. If you look at the team, outside of Shaun Johnson, Green and Luke, everybody can shuffle around with minimal fuss. Hell, even Luke (lock) / Green (hooker) could probably move about if need be.
Also, seconding Beale as a very handy signing in terms of 'plugging the gap'. I think our team has been built with the idea that everybody can each cover multiple positions. If you look at the team, outside of Shaun Johnson, Green and Luke, everybody can shuffle around with minimal fuss. Hell, even Luke (lock) / Green (hooker) could probably move about if need be.
Run_it_str8
eudebrito
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Contributor
Be the first time warriors have seen a dry track in a while, while it wasn't raining in chch, it was a bit of a paddock, still slippery, hasn't rained in townsville in weeks.
We likey some dry weather footy.
We likey some dry weather footy.
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Stalefish540
Warriors Recruitment Manager
Contributor
Hoping this plays in our favour aswell, last dry track we played on was Roosters round 4. Seems like an age ago.
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