Post Match NRL 2022 - Warriors vs Dragons Post Match Discussion [Round 1, 2022]

[mt.wellington]

NRL 2022 - Round 1 - Warriors vs Dragons Post Match Discussion
New Zealand Warriors vs Dragons
Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast

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Thread to share your thoughts on the Round 1 game between the New Zealand Warriors and Dragons 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...

Match: NRL 2022 R01

nzwarriors.com

 

[Diesel]

So, this was our 2nd trial match?

 

[drunk_monk]

Shit team lost to a shit team.

Gonna be a long year boys.

 

[Coops]

strong 'same shit different year' vibes from that effort

 

[Diesel]

It’s only game 1 during 27 seasons but I feel like this club is destined to be Cronulla 2.0

 

[mt.wellington]

Could have fallen asleep watching that. Dragons made a match of it towards the end. Unfotunately.

Got let down by some pretty poor defence especially on our left edge. We let them march up the field which in turn meant we lost the ruck.

All made worse by some galling brain farts early in sets. There was no need whatsoever to play panic footy at that stage. Was painfully frustrating to witness.

Our attack is just as frustrating to watch. Most times it was one dimensional just passing through the hands with no backdoor plays, decoys etc. Also seemed to play very flat which is all well and good but you have to be hitting the ball at pace.

Lacked a lot of direction from either halves who were invisible for the majority of the game.

Great to have footy back but its back to that familiar feeling. Good thing Ive set my expectations really low this season...

 

[Stalefish540]

I said I would be positive win, lose, or draw.

All i've got is I think we had no injuries?

Yawn.

 

[AusWarriorsFan]

Oh Kodi is out there on the field ! didnt notice him until that forward pass, what a great effort he put in (sarcasm).

Johnson needs walsh. Chanel Harris-Tavita looked pretty damn good at the back, all most rolled the big fiijian over the wing by himself. I say put Walsh in the halves and just remove we need the forwards to hold the ball when more than one player on them as well as Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

That was an easy win, thrown away.

 

[RiceOwl]

I’ll preface my post by saying this…I am generally a glass half full kind of guy, especially so when looking at the Warriors. I had all the positives lined up for the team and why they’d finish in the 8 this year.

Yes it’s only our first game of what is always a long season of ups and downs, but that felt very seriously like same shit, different year. We were the better side but that was truly atrocious.

How many needless passes were pushed forcing errors? How many mistakes from the dragons went meekly unpunished? Needless, high risk trick plays turning the ball over? Very worrying in my eyes.

Shaun Johnson had some fantastic touches but that kick on the 2nd was just an arrogant play that turned the game over to StGeorge imo. Also was Kodi playing today?

Ugh so pissed off with that performance. Worrying signs indeed

 

[Sup42]

Overall I'm happy with that game.

It sucks losing but I expected it.

We looked under done in defence. Our line was ragged and the Dragons were folding it at will.

We really missed Lodge in the middle, his off the ball work and boss man at the line 2nd phase is better than even Addin Fonua-Blake.

The ragged defensive line is on the coaching staff, an epic fail by them.

Shaun Johnson was phenomenal, everything you would hope for in an organising half.

He had the best boot on the feild and one of the best organising displays of the NRL round to date.

We can win this comp off that boot, with a few tweaks.

Clearly the defense needs sorting. I hate seeing the Dragons folding our forwards in the tackle and pinning them on zero advantage....that is where Addin Fonua-Blake and Pene need Lodge.

Lodge makes this side a different team, we rarely lose the center when he plays.
So imagine this loss had We won the middle and had SJs boot plus Walsh putting on a step or a cut out pass.

Like I say, all in all I think this is a good year If Shaun Johnson stays fit and our team has more game time to sort the D line.

 

[jsmooove]

the warriors looked poorly coached and under prepared.

 

[Horriors2013]

It’s only game 1 during 27 seasons but I feel like this club is destined to be Cronulla 2.0

We wish.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

A poor loss no doubt. I always prefer to get one of the bigger teams Round 1 - you can either catch them on the hop or lose without too big a consequence to this season.

I saw enough to be glad to finally have a halfback again. The extra playmaker in Walsh and a bit of a tighter approach and we'll be okay I hope.

I just hope Brown doesn't go full Kearney and revoke positive play - that would be the wrong approach, and I reckon it would be terminal to our season.

Let's hope Addin Fonua-Blake is not sitting out next week. I don't feel as much animosity towards Chanel Harris-Tavita as others, he tried his guts out and wasn't getting much help from the braindead outside back next to him. Rocco Berry was very good.

 

[Horriors2013]

the warriors looked poorly coached and under prepared.

This. Sums it up perfectly.

 

[The Falcon]

Def could have done with that extra pre season game…
I’ll reserve judgement until after next week when Walsh and Lodge come back into the team.
That was a coulda, woulda, shoulda game..

 

[Kestrel84]

Agree that Chanel Harris-Tavita tried hard and did OK given the difficult circumstances. Would much rather see him partner Shaun Johnson in the halves and Kodi can go do..... Anything else but play footy.

 

[eudebrito]

Shaun Johnson had some great plays, but then still tried a bunch of dumb and risky stuff, which filtered down to the rest of the team. Definitely promise, but if you can't ice a game like that when leading, as limited as st george are, not going to be a good year. Might have some high rolling weeks, but you'll lose more than win with that sort of erratic play.

We really overate our wingers, they might be quick and tidy enough, but they'd be some of the least dangerous going around and we trying to get them involved like they Sailor and Tuqiri.

 

[VictorRadleysScrotum]

Those errors boys...my God the errors just absolutely killed us. Some of these guys just don't have the footy smarts expected of first grade footballers which is...concerning.

 

[Billyspleen75]

Vailea will/might be a future star but he's nowhere near ready for first grade. That game was no better than Ed Kosi's poor games last season

 

[DavidMcKay1974]

I noticed Shaun Johnson more than I did Kodi so to say Shaun Johnson was missing in action what were you guys watching?

Welcome back Shaun Johnson. We missed you.

So what if we lost the first game. Still plenty more to go.