Post Match NRL 2019 - Round 8 - Warriors vs Knights Post Match Discussion

[jonno]

It will be a very hard slog from here to catch the top 8 but as with any season, I will keep watching the team and keep trying to solve the riddle that is the Warriors.

It's not a riddle. Ali Lauitiiti explained it perfectly when he told Anderson, or whoever it was, that he was more interested in going to church and spending time with his family than putting in extras to win footy games.

This guy.


Ali lauititi decided he wanted to spend more time with his family and less time with the Warriors, and then walked out or was fired. We'll never know exactly what happened. But this event set a precedent where by you can't put players under pressure or else you'll risk wrecking the clubs season.

Bellyach can punish his players any way he wants, can dis them in the media, can make them do extras, what ever he thinks will get him victory next weekend. But not here at the Warriors. No, we have to put the kid gloves on or else they'll all turn in an effort like what we saw yesterday.

Then we bring Kearney in, give him a 3 year extension, and straight away the team goes 2 from 8 to celebrate.

No, it's not a riddle. It's just too painful to acknowledge.

 

[Fearmuss]

From what I have heard they had a big rev up, Ali was being straight up - the most important thing in his life was family and church then the team (fair enough), Mick Watson had a meltdown at him about it, lost the dressing room pissed off the team, Anderson scape-goated.

 

[Mr Brownstone]

It's not a riddle. Ali Lauitiiti explained it perfectly when he told Anderson, or whoever it was, that he was more interested in going to church and spending time with his family than putting in extras to win footy games.

This guy.


Ali lauititi decided he wanted to spend more time with his family and less time with the Warriors, and then walked out or was fired. We'll never know exactly what happened. But this event set a precedent where by you can't put players under pressure or else you'll risk wrecking the clubs season.

Bellyach can punish his players any way he wants, can dis them in the media, can make them do extras, what every he thinks will get him victory next weekend. But not here at the Warriors. No, we have to put the kid gloves on or else they'll all turn in an effort like what we saw yesterday.

Then we bring Kearney in, give him a 3 year extension, and straight away the team goes 2 from 8 to celebrate.

No, it's not a riddle. It's just too painful to acknowledge.

Or alternatively our players just aren't that good.

 

[jonno]

From what I have heard they had a big rev up session, Ali was being straight up - the most important thing in his life was family and church then the team (fair enough), Mick Watson had a meltdown at him about it, lost the dressing room pissed off the team, Anderson scape-goated.

It's not fair enough actually.

He should have been straight up about his intentions right from the get go as a junior. Just suddenly changing his mind about his footy career, right in the middle of a contract, expecting to carry on getting paid, while buttoning off on his effort. No sane CEO is going to put up with that.

How is a club supposed to plan with guys doing this to them? The fans would be baying for blood if he wasn't getting selected, and he's just going to kick back and relax while the shit hits the fan? That's no way to run a business. If you want to be a stay at home dad, don't sign a pro footy contract. It's very dishonest.

How many of our current guys are playing this exact same scam. Pulu isn't getting selected, possibly because he's not interested in getting selected. He's just happy to hold up a spot and wait for his next contract to get another payday. Ligi. Nobody can figure out why he's not in the top team. Maybe he just wants to spend more time with the kids?

Inu. Mateo. Matulino. How many other players have just buttoned off because they've made enough money and want to spend more time with their kids?

How is any foot ball team supposed to compete with this kind of shit going on.

 

[bruce]

Reading the opinions so far I can say with certainty that this side is athletic, fit and skilful. Probably a match for most sides in the NRL on their day. The game against Melbourne, and the Bulldogs have shown us that.

What is missing is teamwork and leadership especially in the forwards. When the team lifts intensity it shows in the stats, so they can do it all right. Why don't they? I don't think it is just the players.

They just DO NOT REALLY WANT TO WIN. Got it people? They have their contracts, they have got fit, which with their physique and talent is relatively easy. They just don't think about WINNING against a team of hard bastards that wants to win as well.

In the Christchurch game they were all over Manly in the early stages, there was only one team in it.
Then Manly started asking questions, like DO YOU REALLY WANT TO WIN?. The answer is so obvious, they don't. Deep down they couldn't care less. I say that as a team, because with the likes of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck it is obvious he does, too obvious.

Winning is not important to this group and I question whether it is really important to the coach.

I think about that bastard Bennett, and that prick Cameron Smith. Do they want to win? Ask a stupid question, they live to win and are really shitty when they don't. Just look at Bellamy on the weekend.

Back in 1992 St George had a great season coming second to Brisbane on the ladder. They both made it to the grand final, but I ask the question just who wanted to win?

Bennett made up a tip sheet on a St George letterhead supposedly from Brian Smith to his team. Typical Bennett it picked key weaknesses in each Broncos player. He then slipped it under their doors the night before. To a man they were furious, came out the next day and rolled St George like they weren't there.

What did Brian Smith do? Sniveled about Bennett's dirty tricks.

SOO back last century. Queensland got Alfie back from England. Bennett was coaching. Things were going tough in the game. Alfie was getting old and wasn't having the same impact. Bennett took his young son up to the back of the grandstand, crouched down in the aisle and started chanting Alfie, Alfie. The crowd picked it up, and went nuts. Alfie came to life and shafted the Blues.

Nick Politis wants to win, the cheating bastard. Now I am not saying we should cheat, and I still think SK is the best option we have right now with our girls, but unless something changes very soon at this club we are going down the gurgler. SK is not thinking like a winner.

What is different to last season? He has changed assistant coaches from Cappy. Why? Has it worked? Of course not. How are Canbera going with Cappy? Better than us.

Who is his right hand man, Tony Iro? Why? An amazing player in his day, one of the best. He was also intelligent and quite intelligently outspoken. When he was playing for the rorters he used to terrorise the Warriors team as a forward. He was smart, could pick weak defenders and take advantage of that with ease.

So Mr. Iro when it was obvious in the first few minutes on Sunday that they were shafting us up front, why didn't you suggest something to SK? Or, are you there because you are his mate and he trusts you not to stab him in the back?

Did Iro and SK just sit on their arses and watch the game go without at least trying something? If they did they are the wrong people for this club. Somebody disagree with me on that.

I remind the ladies and jellybeans that at 18 all we had this game. We had no right to be at 18 all the way our forwards had been rogered. We just had to stop them making metres. Nah, too hard, give the game away and front up to another press conference. I don't want to win that much.

Bennett had some problems with the Broncos a while back. He responded by replacing a lot of his support staff. It worked.

I have been loathe to criticise SK this season, and still am. However when I saw the performance by Solomone Kata in ISP I just couldn't believe SK has persisted with him over Patrick Herbert for so long. Also for those who only read posts and don't watch, there was a standout performer in the ISP team, a true professional Blake Ayshford.

So we have talent at this club. We don't have leadership, and the will to win. Time to front up SK.

Rant over.

 

[bruce]

Or alternatively our players just aren't that good.

They have the talent in spades, they don't have the mentality...big time. Deep down they don't care. Call it church, call it family, call it what you like, they just don't care about winning. It isn't all of them, just a few, so it can be sorted with the boot.

 

[defensivebomb]

They just DO NOT REALLY WANT TO WIN

I’d have to agree with you regarding their losing attitude. Watching the team yesterday was like watching the 2015 warriors after Shaun Johnson’s injury. They were there to play the game, but actually winning? Nah, they could take it or leave it. No big deal, it’s just a job

It is pretty strong evidence of what we have known deep down about the warriors’ brand as a footy club over the Tasman for a long time. You don’t come here to win the premiership, the other players’ hearts aren’t in it, so why bother trying. The aussies want to go back home eventually and the kiwis have reluctantly come home for some quiet time after the bright lights in Aus. With the exception of a notable few, we aren’t getting players that are motivated to leave it all on the field.

Another thing I noticed is that we have a quiet team. Not much motivational or organisational chat going on

 

[bruce]

Another thing I noticed is that we have a quiet team. Not much motivational or organisational chat going on

Lack of leadership

 

[Mr Frank White]

Its the psychological roadblock of uplifting your family to another country which has always made Auckland the least desirable landing spot, not Auckland city itself. Canberra geographically would be the least desirable as its miles from anywhere - 3 hour drive to Sydney or 7 hour drive to Melbourne, 2 hour drive just to get to the coastline. What doesn't help Auckland is the dire stadium situation. Coming to a decaying ground in the middle of an industrial zone does not help with the perception of the city one bit. Even Townsville is getting a decent stadium upgrade with state of the art facilities in a great location.

Incorrect. Most people who have actually lived in Canberra really like it. It's a great family city.

Kiwis just are really defensive, but in my living and traveling experience most NZ cities are shit and the cost of living is ridiculous, and the infrastructure is nearly third world.
It has nothing to do a stadium

 

[Mr Brownstone]

They have the talent in spades, they don't have the mentality...big time. Deep down they don't care. Call it church, call it family, call it what you like, they just don't care about winning. It isn't all of them, just a few, so it can be sorted with the boot.

Really? Who from our team would walk into or even challenge for a place in a legitimate top 4 team's starting 13? Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Fusitua, Harris... anyone else? In contrast we have plenty of players that do nothing more than fill a position - they hopefully make most of their tackles, don't drop the ball too frequentlly and have almost zero attacking creativity. I'm not denying that there is a lack of belief in the team however that's an outcome of our players simply not being that good.

 

[kurgal]

I agree with Bruce, they don't have a winning mentality, let alone a killer instinct to win games at all costs.

 

[jonesy101]

Incorrect. Most people who have actually lived in Canberra really like it. It's a great family city.

Kiwis just are really defensive, but in my living and traveling experience most NZ cities are shit and the cost of living is ridiculous, and the infrastructure is nearly third world.
It has nothing to do a stadium

 

[Tragic]

Did anyone watch the press conference??? I started to but got pissed off and turned it off.

Lol, I played it at work and asked a non-warriors supporter to watch and count the ya knows, SK cracked the ton without breaking a sweat. Knew he wouldnt let me down.

 

[Donal]

For a team in 11th playing the team in 12th, that was not a good enough effort. And now we have a mountain to climb.

Can't help feeling that it was more down to a roster that's a few key positions short than to lack of effort. We have only one dangerously incisive attack runner, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, and if he hasn't sparked on the day (and apparently he was carrying a niggle) then we've got trouble. Say what you like about Shaun, but we lost our other key strike weapon when he left and we haven't replaced it. Blake and CTS are okay, but they're not major threats carrying the ball. Maybe Kodi Nikorima will give us some more attack in the halves, right now we're short.

We also need at least one brute of a line-busting forward. You look at the size of Faifiti and Klemmer for the Knights today, and we're again short. We have some good forwards - Paasi, Burr, Harris, Afoa, Papali'i would be my picks for the best of them -

 

[JaggedJ]

Or alternatively our players just aren't that good.

Green gets referred to as a star/key player all too often. That says a lot about our current talent level IMO.

Damn right we're not that good, or at the very least there's something that stops the individuals functioning cohesively on a week to week basis.

 

[Donal]

- and here I have to say I posted a reply by mistake half way through.

But finishing off, it appears that we had salary cap to spare and didn't spend it, by design or because the right opportunity to get someone never came along. And if that's the case, then it's bitten us on the bum. We have an underpowered roster.

Kearney in the presser said that the Knights came with more intention, and that's obviously right, but that's a bit of a worry if we can't get our heads ready for an 11 plays 12 match: they're ones you absolutely don't want to lose and that you should be up for.

The big picture is we're under-strength. The little stuff - the Knights persistently lying all over the tackled player, Edrick Lee clearly fumbling the play the ball and never picked up, Lachlan Burr's spear tackle at a bad time, our mysterious bench selections - didn't help either. But that's by the by. As things stand we need a stronger line-up.

I'm ever hopeful, as are all the rest of us diehard Warriors fans, but as things stand we have our best opportunity in ages to end up with the other trophy we've avoided up till now...

 

[Tim burgess]

It's not fair enough actually.

He should have been straight up about his intentions right from the get go as a junior. Just suddenly changing his mind about his footy career, right in the middle of a contract, expecting to carry on getting paid, while buttoning off on his effort. No sane CEO is going to put up with that.

How is a club supposed to plan with guys doing this to them? The fans would be baying for blood if he wasn't getting selected, and he's just going to kick back and relax while the shit hits the fan? That's no way to run a business. If you want to be a stay at home dad, don't sign a pro footy contract. It's very dishonest.

How many of our current guys are playing this exact same scam. Pulu isn't getting selected, possibly because he's not interested in getting selected. He's just happy to hold up a spot and wait for his next contract to get another payday. Ligi. Nobody can figure out why he's not in the top team. Maybe he just wants to spend more time with the kids?

Inu. Mateo. Matulino. How many other players have just buttoned off because they've made enough money and want to spend more time with their kids?

How is any foot ball team supposed to compete with this kind of shit going on.

That is why those players careers were or all mediocre and will not be remembered as stars.

It's a case of Mateo who? We all remember the names Price, Wiki and Luck.

 

[Sledge]

- and here I have to say I posted a reply by mistake half way through.

But finishing off, it appears that we had salary cap to spare and didn't spend it, by design or because the right opportunity to get someone never came along. And if that's the case, then it's bitten us on the bum. We have an underpowered roster.

Kearney in the presser said that the Knights came with more intention, and that's obviously right, but that's a bit of a worry if we can't get our heads ready for an 11 plays 12 match: they're ones you absolutely don't want to lose and that you should be up for.

The big picture is we're under-strength. The little stuff - the Knights persistently lying all over the tackled player, Edrick Lee clearly fumbling the play the ball and never picked up, Lachlan Burr's spear tackle at a bad time, our mysterious bench selections - didn't help either. But that's by the by. As things stand we need a stronger line-up.

I'm ever hopeful, as are all the rest of us diehard Warriors fans, but as things stand we have our best opportunity in ages to end up with the other trophy we've avoided up till now...

If we get the spoon this year Kearney has to go, end of.

 

[Tim burgess]

- and here I have to say I posted a reply by mistake half way through.

But finishing off, it appears that we had salary cap to spare and didn't spend it, by design or because the right opportunity to get someone never came along. And if that's the case, then it's bitten us on the bum. We have an underpowered roster.

Kearney in the presser said that the Knights came with more intention, and that's obviously right, but that's a bit of a worry if we can't get our heads ready for an 11 plays 12 match: they're ones you absolutely don't want to lose and that you should be up for.

The big picture is we're under-strength. The little stuff - the Knights persistently lying all over the tackled player, Edrick Lee clearly fumbling the play the ball and never picked up, Lachlan Burr's spear tackle at a bad time, our mysterious bench selections - didn't help either. But that's by the by. As things stand we need a stronger line-up.

I'm ever hopeful, as are all the rest of us diehard Warriors fans, but as things stand we have our best opportunity in ages to end up with the other trophy we've avoided up till now...

Hearing comments like that from SK it makes me question do the players respect the jersey and coach. The knights players have demonstrated in recent weeks what Brown means to them and the Knights jersey.

 

[bruce]

Really? Who from our team would walk into or even challenge for a place in a legitimate top 4 team's starting 13? Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Fusitua, Harris... anyone else? In contrast we have plenty of players that do nothing more than fill a position - they hopefully make most of their tackles, don't drop the ball too frequentlly and have almost zero attacking creativity. I'm not denying that there is a lack of belief in the team however that's an outcome of our players simply not being that good.

You go to the matches. Just look at the size, speed and skill of our players, how do you think they got signed in the first place? Look at what they can do when they are in the mood. The following would make a top 4 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Fusitua, Harris, Au Mau and Afoa. Top eight Maumolo, Hiku, bottom eight Green, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Herbert, Papaili, Paasi and Jazz.

Blair wouldn't make it anywhere. Based on the above we should be further up the ladder.