Post Match NRL 2021 - Round 8 - Warriors vs Cowboys Post Match Discussion

[Louim8]

Finally managed to catch a replay.

Looked like Cowgirls lifted 2nd half and we came out thinking things we're going to roll along like the first.

However if you had told me before the match we would win 24-20 id take that everyday of the week, no questions asked....thanks for the 2 points!

Berry's growing on me. I like that he's he light on his feet, was able to recover a few times and make a number of important tackles.....his defensive reads a re getting better too.

New winger got burned a few times, tbh expected....he's our 5th or 6th choice for gods sake. Big lump of a lad isnt he, seems a willing runner...think we're got enough of those tho....need more speedy types.

Seeing Evans get a bit of stick......dont know why....was probably our best prop that game.

Walsh a bit of a mixture, mostly brilliant, 2nd guessed himself a few times i think.....class is obvious tho....FFS get some long sprigs!

Happy enough sitting 7th atm.

Yes i dont understand the evans criticism either.

For me, he is a solid backup front rower, he wouldnt make the team if everybody is healthy but provides good depth and a veteren presence.

He was solid, ran hard, tackled well and made no errors and thats more than enough at this point, unfortunately some people on here are obviously disapointed he is not on Addin Fonua-Blake or or payne haas level and want him immediately dropped from first grade or better yet sacked from the club.

 

[Louim8]

That is a brand new combo with a first time half on that edge.

To me it looks like Curran will be a weapon when they click. I might be glass half fulling everything in the year of the rebuild....but hell this is a total cluster fk of a side if we were hoping for settled combinations by round nine, it just never happened.

No one knows the bloke playing next to them in this team, it is crazy.

I think if you could accuse Curran of anything it is working too hard, and I see us banking that between him and Walsh in games to come.

Curran will probably end up our top try scoring forward the way he follows the play.

I really like the guy, he is an animal.

Yeah you are spot on with curran, he is only going the get better and i really like the way he finishes off plays, constantly see him coming in at a 100 miles an hour to finish tackles. Tbh that was his worst game so far this year but he was still good.

Guys only 21 years old to, so he has alot of improvement ahead. Hoping they lock him down long term.

 

[Rick O'Shay]

Another thing I noticed was that all of a sudden we seem to be backing up the guy with the ball. When the break was made people were making an effort to get there.

A new experience

 

[Mr Dragon]

I really like the guy, he is an animal.

You would like my ex wife.

 

[Louim8]

Another thing I noticed was that all of a sudden we seem to be backing up the guy with the ball. When the break was made people were making an effort to get there.

A new experience

Yeah Berry was there on 3 occasions and could have bagged a hat trick if the ball was passed to him. He got the try off Roger Tuivasa-Sheck break but was also there on the nikorima break and try, and he was just behind Ben Murdoch-Masila when walsh offloaded for his try.
That would have been cool if he did get the hat trick but ah well poor guy will have to settle for a boring old 1 try in his 2nd every game of nrl at 19 years old. Boo.

 

[BeastMode]

Personally dont think there's been enough criticism aimed at our Coach.

Leaving the boys to talk to them selves at half time rather than peaching discipline and focus.

Rather than mentoring the newbies on what to expect in the second half

Rookie mistake. No way a Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett leaves such an experienced team by themselves at half time to "figure it out"

Also, there was no change in strategy on our right edge when it was clear Kosi was struggling. The cows were clearly targeting Kosi. Leaving the kid out there to get exposed. He handled the heat well, but negligence on Browns part.

Seriously we were lucky to come away with the biscuits. I thought I was seeing a repeat of the Cows v Raiders game last week.

Had we lost, deadset I would be going Grim Reaper on Brown right now....

But we won..... so I gotta keep telling myself - positive vibes we're in the TOP 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sup42]

Another thing I noticed was that all of a sudden we seem to be backing up the guy with the ball. When the break was made people were making an effort to get there.

A new experience

Amazing how adding one Superstar to your spine will tip the balance in the way the game is played.

It all starts with Walsh.

He gives our team so much confidence on the ball, where we were completely without faith on attack, now all things are possible.

It starts with the intelligent boot. Everyone can build from that positive end to sets and see a purpose to running a template.

Our guys have more energy off that kicking game, you know when you bust your arse getting up the field and your half does a bs kick that undoes all your work, that you have probably signed to play for the wrong NRL club.

It is like having a basketball team with no three point shooter, you are less than your opposition because fundamentally you cannot even play the basic lay down some territory game that the opposition are throwing at you.

That is the foundation from where everything positive this team is growing into stems from. Guys with more gas in the tank are more likely to back each other up in attack.

Kodi is running, and that's because he has someone running on the other side of the field. No more lone ranger.

It would have been a try had our guys backed up Walsh better on occaision, but that stuff takes a while to develop and it all starts with knowing your best player, is as good as theirs.

The same is true of the pack, you put Addin Fonua-Blake in there, and our guys know our leader is stronger than theirs....and we saw a huge dip in confidence when we lost Addin Fonua-Blake.

If we can somehow have Walsh Aitken Addin Fonua-Blake rolling into the finals we have something that could win a competition. A different previously unseen Warriors.

I will be interested to see if Aitken hangs around Walsh, I hope so, he is a finisher with gas and knows how to support a break to score.

 

[Swanny]

Don't think Evans' were any worse than what the cowboys pulled after the Curran quick tap where they were allowed to lie all over him until the defensive line was set again tbh.

I also think the first one was deliberate as it was early in the tackle count and they had us back pedalling. I thought he pushed it to the limit every time which gave us a bit more control, especially early on

 

[Swanny]

Personally dont think there's been enough criticism aimed at our Coach.

Leaving the boys to talk to them selves at half time rather than peaching discipline and focus.

Rather than mentoring the newbies on what to expect in the second half

Rookie mistake. No way a Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett leaves such an experienced team by themselves at half time to "figure it out"

Also, there was no change in strategy on our right edge when it was clear Kosi was struggling. The cows were clearly targeting Kosi. Leaving the kid out there to get exposed. He handled the heat well, but negligence on Browns part.

Seriously we were lucky to come away with the biscuits. I thought I was seeing a repeat of the Cows v Raiders game last week.

Had we lost, deadset I would be going Grim Reaper on Brown right now....

But we won..... so I gotta keep telling myself - positive vibes we're in the TOP 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I knew a lot would be made about the coach leaving them to it at half time but I look at it the other way. The senior players are there to set the standards and guide the younger players, so if the message is that tactically you are happy with what they are doing then the leaders need to take over from there. Apparently at the Storm if you stuff up then the coach doesn’t even need to get involved as the senior players will take care of it. I like that we are trying to build towards something rather than just being completely focussed on the short term.

 

[Mr Dragon]

Personally dont think there's been enough criticism aimed at our Coach.

Leaving the boys to talk to them selves at half time rather than peaching discipline and focus.

Rather than mentoring the newbies on what to expect in the second half

Rookie mistake. No way a Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett leaves such an experienced team by themselves at half time to "figure it out"

Also, there was no change in strategy on our right edge when it was clear Kosi was struggling. The cows were clearly targeting Kosi. Leaving the kid out there to get exposed. He handled the heat well, but negligence on Browns part.

Seriously we were lucky to come away with the biscuits. I thought I was seeing a repeat of the Cows v Raiders game last week.

Had we lost, deadset I would be going Grim Reaper on Brown right now....

But we won..... so I gotta keep telling myself - positive vibes we're in the TOP 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only did we win and get 2 points, all the other teams around us lost. A very big week for us in the scheme of the season.

 

[Lance155]

Another thing I noticed was that all of a sudden we seem to be backing up the guy with the ball. When the break was made people were making an effort to get there.

A new experience

A few people have put their 2 cents on this post already but here is my take.
We have more pace in the team with Walsh and Berry and not to forgot a not so tired Roger makes a world of difference. It was sad on pretty much all our line breaks our wingers were too far off for a pass or a kick

 

[BeastMode]

I knew a lot would be made about the coach leaving them to it at half time but I look at it the other way. The senior players are there to set the standards and guide the younger players, so if the message is that tactically you are happy with what they are doing then the leaders need to take over from there. Apparently at the Storm if you stuff up then the coach doesn’t even need to get involved as the senior players will take care of it. I like that we are trying to build towards something rather than just being completely focussed on the short term.

What a sweet job he's got if he's not responsible for the half time talk and expect the senior players to do his job for him...

A senior group who themselves are weak at leadership....

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Tohu Harris, Jazz... surely the're all too buggered at half time to be giving speeches and motivating the team on what to expect in the second half?...

I think its vital the coach is there at half time to guide the ship to its destination...

 

[pompower]

That is a brand new combo with a first time half on that edge.

To me it looks like Curran will be a weapon when they click. I might be glass half fulling everything in the year of the rebuild....but hell this is a total cluster fk of a side if we were hoping for settled combinations by round nine, it just never happened.

No one knows the bloke playing next to them in this team, it is crazy.

I think if you could accuse Curran of anything it is working too hard, and I see us banking that between him and Walsh in games to come.

Curran will probably end up our top try scoring forward the way he follows the play.

I really like the guy, he is an animal.

I'm not saying it won't improve and I would probably also put it down to time in the side/forging new combinations. We've been very unlucky with injuries. I'm probably coming across as more harsh than I feel; I'm happy to give him some time in the side to work on that.

That said, given the choice between him and Katoa long-term, I'm probably still picking Katoa tbh.

 

[Swanny]

What a sweet job he's got if he's not responsible for the half time talk and expect the senior players to do his job for him...

A senior group who themselves are weak at leadership....

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Tohu Harris, Jazz... surely the're all too buggered at half time to be giving speeches and motivating the team on what to expect in the second half?...

I think its vital the coach is there at half time to guide the ship to its destination...

Yeah it definitely is an interesting one. Apparently in the most recent St George grand final win all Wayne Bennett said at half time was “when are we going to start playing like the Dragons”, turned on his heels and left. There is a feeling that all of the coaching is done by the start of the game so why overload the players? And also the opposite of they need a rev up.
An interesting one was that when Steve Rixon took over as coach of NZ cricket he lead all the team meetings despite Stephen Flemings insistence that he was ready to. He made him wait about 18 months and made sure that the senior players were displaying all the necessary leadership before turning it over to them

 

[gREVUS]

Personally dont think there's been enough criticism aimed at our Coach.

Leaving the boys to talk to them selves at half time rather than peaching discipline and focus.

Rather than mentoring the newbies on what to expect in the second half

Rookie mistake. No way a Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett leaves such an experienced team by themselves at half time to "figure it out"

Also, there was no change in strategy on our right edge when it was clear Kosi was struggling. The cows were clearly targeting Kosi. Leaving the kid out there to get exposed. He handled the heat well, but negligence on Browns part.

Seriously we were lucky to come away with the biscuits. I thought I was seeing a repeat of the Cows v Raiders game last week.

Had we lost, deadset I would be going Grim Reaper on Brown right now....

But we won..... so I gotta keep telling myself - positive vibes we're in the TOP 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pity hes not a rookie, but an experienced coach with a wealth of experience and unparalleled success (pretty sure there isnt another practising head coach with 2 wooden spoons).

 

[gREVUS]

Amazing how adding one Superstar to your spine will tip the balance in the way the game is played.

It all starts with Walsh.

He gives our team so much confidence on the ball, where we were completely without faith on attack, now all things are possible.

It starts with the intelligent boot. Everyone can build from that positive end to sets and see a purpose to running a template.

Our guys have more energy off that kicking game, you know when you bust your arse getting up the field and your half does a bs kick that undoes all your work, that you have probably signed to play for the wrong NRL club.

It is like having a basketball team with no three point shooter, you are less than your opposition because fundamentally you cannot even play the basic lay down some territory game that the opposition are throwing at you.

That is the foundation from where everything positive this team is growing into stems from. Guys with more gas in the tank are more likely to back each other up in attack.

Kodi is running, and that's because he has someone running on the other side of the field. No more lone ranger.

It would have been a try had our guys backed up Walsh better on occaision, but that stuff takes a while to develop and it all starts with knowing your best player, is as good as theirs.

The same is true of the pack, you put Addin Fonua-Blake in there, and our guys know our leader is stronger than theirs....and we saw a huge dip in confidence when we lost Addin Fonua-Blake.

If we can somehow have Walsh Aitken Addin Fonua-Blake rolling into the finals we have something that could win a competition. A different previously unseen Warriors.

I will be interested to see if Aitken hangs around Walsh, I hope so, he is a finisher with gas and knows how to support a break to score.

i enjoyed watching him hoist kicks 60m up the pitch just like everyone else. But a big part of the game from the cowboys was trying to work out what to do with all the warriors unknowns.

In future the coaches will come prepared for his pace and elusiveness, just like they adapted to Shaun Johnson and Chanel Harris-Tavita and everyone between them.

For maybe 4 weeks we have the advantage of being under estimated, but it wont last long. And then we will find out how the young fella can really perform.

 

[BeastMode]

i enjoyed watching him hoist kicks 60m up the pitch just like everyone else. But a big part of the game from the cowboys was trying to work out what to do with all the warriors unknowns.

In future the coaches will come prepared for his pace and elusiveness, just like they adapted to Shaun Johnson and Chanel Harris-Tavita and everyone between them.

For maybe 4 weeks we have the advantage of being under estimated, but it wont last long. And then we will find out how the young fella can really perform.

Totally on point.

The more games Reece plays, the more video tapes teams will have on him. His job becomes exponentially more difficult over time.

If Brown rolls out the Berry - Kosi combo against this week, Manly will be licking their lips....

 

[gREVUS]

I knew a lot would be made about the coach leaving them to it at half time but I look at it the other way. The senior players are there to set the standards and guide the younger players, so if the message is that tactically you are happy with what they are doing then the leaders need to take over from there. Apparently at the Storm if you stuff up then the coach doesn’t even need to get involved as the senior players will take care of it. I like that we are trying to build towards something rather than just being completely focussed on the short term.

i disagree, i felt it was maddness to walk out early and leave it to someone else to set your team up for success. Lets be honest, just like the players the coaches whole world revolves around that 80 mins on the pitch. His one job is to get the win and keep his team in the hunt.

Forget conjecture look at what happened. You mention the storm but you would never hear of Bellamy abandoning a team of rookies like that.

Also you say how great it would be for the players to police the team, and i like the idea of a god on high who only comes down from the mountain to impart good or bad news to the team as a whole. But that is an established set up with strong leadership structures in place, and were talking the warriors.

 

[Sup42]

i enjoyed watching him hoist kicks 60m up the pitch just like everyone else. But a big part of the game from the cowboys was trying to work out what to do with all the warriors unknowns.

In future the coaches will come prepared for his pace and elusiveness, just like they adapted to Shaun Johnson and Chanel Harris-Tavita and everyone between them.

For maybe 4 weeks we have the advantage of being under estimated, but it wont last long. And then we will find out how the young fella can really perform.

Walsh is looking like the best young player to ever pull on the Jumper for the Warriors.

That full deck of cards he has to play with will not be counter coached right out of the game.

He has vision, and while I agree they will try to shut him down, provided the Warriors do not leave him to do everything, like they did with Shaun Johnson and Shaun Johnson then Walsh will thrive year on year.

He has the speed to create, the passing game to surpass the SJs, the boot to give him options, a lot of shit was thrown at him that game and he got the ball away off the boot anyway.

He ran between two defenders and committed both of them then offloaded like a seasoned forward. He did that from a support playing position chasing Kodi, that is League porn in this side, a player that chased Kodi then instead of trying to beat the defenders he took them out of it to create a Try, that is next level smarts and an obscene amount of cockyness for an eighteen year old.

Walsh will dominate in the NRL provided he stays fit in the vast majority of games he plays in, because he is a very rare all rounder and a complete freak of a player.

He reminds me of Thurston, can do anything. but more importantly he looks a lot brighter in the thinking department than our previous instinctive players and that is really where he will be a great footballer.

You have to remember Walsh is going to play off the back of one of the best prop rotations the Warriors have ever employed and one of the best forward packs in the NRL.

It is al coming together, Walsh will not become average or just a good player, provided he learns to defend, he is the most complete player this club has ever run out on the park.

POS is getting guys who will ensure we have a roster to use the new wonder mite.

I know it is un popular to nominate the next Carlos Daley around here, but with Walsh it is so obvious that he is the real thing, and I am going to love watching him become increasingly dangerous for the Warriors as he works out what he can do. More importantly it will be amazing when he works out what the others around him can do, he has that level of confidence and influence to get the most out of our players.

 

[Louim8]

Walsh is looking like the best young player to ever pull on the Jumper for the Warriors.

That full deck of cards he has to play with will not be counter coached right out of the game.

He has vision, and while I agree they will try to shut him down, provided the Warriors do not leave him to do everything, like they did with Shaun Johnson and Shaun Johnson then Walsh will thrive year on year.

He has the speed to create, the passing game to surpass the SJs, the boot to give him options, a lot of shit was thrown at him that game and he got the ball away off the boot anyway.

He ran between two defenders and committed both of them then offloaded like a seasoned forward. He did that from a support playing position chasing Kodi, that is League porn in this side, a player that chased Kodi then instead of trying to beat the defenders he took them out of it to create a Try, that is next level smarts and an obscene amount of cockyness for an eighteen year old.

Walsh will dominate in the NRL provided he stays fit in the vast majority of games he plays in, because he is a very rare all rounder and a complete freak of a player.

He reminds me of Thurston, can do anything. but more importantly he looks a lot brighter in the thinking department than our previous instinctive players and that is really where he will be a great footballer.

You have to remember Walsh is going to play off the back of one of the best prop rotations the Warriors have ever employed and one of the best forward packs in the NRL.

It is al coming together, Walsh will not become average or just a good player, provided he learns to defend, he is the most complete player this club has ever run out on the park.

POS is getting guys who will ensure we have a roster to use the new wonder mite.

I know it is un popular to nominate the next Carlos Daley around here, but with Walsh it is so obvious that he is the real thing, and I am going to love watching him become increasingly dangerous for the Warriors as he works out what he can do. More importantly it will be amazing when he works out what the others around him can do, he has that level of confidence and influence to get the most out of our players.

Like you i am very optimistic for the future regarding walsh. Like alot of people here i can already see he is going to be a very very good player. Like Brown said he is going to in large part just leave him and let him play how he feels, within the structure obviously.
Now we need to be building around him, a real shame roger is leaving now because this team will be the best hes ever played with at the warriors, when fully healthy.

Need to be looking for a better hooker and some better outside backs. Also if Chanel Harris-Tavita does not look to be a long term fit, then we need another half.

With it being a need position and the apparent leadership qualities he would bring, I wonder why the warriors were unwilling to take a chance on tj perenara? Im not too sure of the current cap situation but he was apparantly only asking 140k for the rest of this season and that seems a cheap deal for someone of his calibre, even considering his lack of league experience. Could have seen how he played out and worked out a extension if he was any good, hopefully they have something still in the works.