NRL 2019
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I thought the Canes v Chiefs was dire at times. This game was 2 all for ages, or at least it felt like ages. Not a particularly great game by SJ.
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Great to see the roosters and the sharks lose on the same night
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Good to see some things never change. Kata fucks up his first touch and the Warriors so far not getting the rub of the green from the refs.
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We look sharp. Good decision making, strong ball carrying and low error rate.
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Half time. Wow, not spectacular, but the warriors look great. The forward pack are clicking, and Roach(?) the new look 9 looks like a guy who will ably replace Luke in the future and be highly capable sharing time in 2019. Both wingers have been active, with Maumolo scoring off a pinpoint Blake Green kick and Fusitua batting a bomb down for a Kata score. Very pleasing that the new boys are playing well. I can't believe the new 6 is playing his first NRL game. He has the look of another Aussie underdog taking his chance and running with it. Blake Green has stepped out of Johnson's shadow and his kicking game has been outstanding
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Let in a try off lost possession, but there was some good scrambling D till the last play. Even Kata looks willing on D!! And I hear he was passing in the first half? Hallelujah!!
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@raznomore said in NRL 2019:
Playing Kata on the other side is potentially the best bit of coaching of Kearney’s warrior stint.
Apparently it was Stacey's idea. Kata used to play on the right as a junior but hadn't been able to secure the right side spot until now
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The league equivalent of zoolander not being able to turn left! Go stacey you genius!
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What the hell was that?
I think teams like the Melbourne Storm call it a "complete performance".
Perfect win on what was a strange day with the Warriors deciding to go ahead with their game but with extra police around the venue.
The Warriors had to hastily change the programme with a lot of the 25th anniversary celebrations replaced by a minute of silence (could hear a pin drop so kudos to the crowd) and the national anthem. However people didn't know if they were meant to sit or stand for the moment of silence because the announcer forgot to tell people (everyone did in the end).
Onto the game and a number of things noticed from the league-leading Warriors:
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The Warriors are good and a lot fitter than last season. They maintained a high tempo over the 80 minutes.
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The Bulldogs are not that good. They completed their sets but just couldn't break the Warriors defensive line except for one try which was helped by a forward pass several plays prior. Halfback Lachlan Lewis was struggling to hold onto the ball against the rushing defence.
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The big wonder was how Adam Keighran would adapt to the NRL and he will be fine. Took him about 20 minutes to get into the game but his overall kicking game is already better than that of Shaun Johnson (6/7 in field goal plus excellent tactical kicking) and that alone (with his low salary cap hit) makes him a better player for the Warriors going forward.
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The Warriors made good investments in Leeson Ah Mau and Lachlan Burr. Both provide a lot more grit and size to the forward pack which allowed "smaller" forwards like Bunty Afoa to make a bigger impact over the course of the game. That will help against bigger packs like South Sydney and Sydney City.
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Nathaniel Roache still has wheels but he needs to control the play a bit better. Will make a great impact player off the bench once Issac Luke returns.
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Didn't understand Blake Ayshford's inclusion on the bench and no doubt he will be replaced by Isaiah Papali'i next week.
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Kieran Foran has a shit haircut.
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