Diary of a Warriors Fan
The Cake Tin, home of Wellington sport, the Yellow Fever and yellow seats. Thank you windy Wellywood for putting it on for the Warriors and their supporters over the weekend.
Our lads didn't disappoint. Led by Nathan Friend who was once again at his battlin' best, the Warriors showed what a potent attacking force they are (and have been for yonks) but importantly they showed some determination of defence. Me likey.
The best defenders are seldom the big blokes, but big blokes with the right attitude are the secret. When you have Friend and Thomas Leuluai on the field together, you have two of our best defenders both defending in the middle. They are they best in terms of technique, desire, attitude and smarts. The benefits are plenty, not only do we become a bit smarter, more mobile and have two top defensive minds working the middle, but we also have an extra ball player (baller).
I was pretty critical of the Warriors attack before, not much direction or threat. This week they were patient, they waited for the right chance instead of trying to generate the chance. With many teams having big forward packs, patience will be the key.
The Warriors attack changed when Leuluai came on, now there are 4/5 ballers to watch for. Leuluai and Sam Tomkins already have a bromance so they're on the same page, Chad Townsend offers the basics (which the Warriors desperately need) and Shaun Johnson, well he played very well.
Johnson's an important point. We didn't see much of the flashy stuff but we saw him get repeat sets. Not many kicks going dead or bombs getting caught in the in goal, just classy options that built pressure. Good from youz. The less 'Johnson stars in Warriors win' headlines we see the better.
The rest? Well the forwards continue to improve, many people question the size of the pack - Sam Rapira and Jacob Lillyman aren't exactly human giants (Rapira - 184cm, Lillyman - 183cm). They are rather mobile and this season have a sense of determination. Lillyman runs the ball as if he's knocking on Mal Meninga's door and Rapira is back to his best. Our bigguns like Ben Matulino and Sione Lousi are then able to do a little bit less work, with a greater effect.
Poor Jerome Ropati huh? Let's hope he can return this season because with him and Dane Nielsen in the centres we're solid. Nielsen was at his defensive best and looks to be finding his feet in attack - he shifts to wing sometimes to let Manu get a bit closer to the action, especially for kicks.
Obviously J-Ro's injury opened the door for Konrad Hurrell which was a shame because it would have been awesome to see him in the forwards again. We all know how good Koni is and can be. The Aussies? Well they will find out pretty darn quickly.
We get the Sharkies this week, good. Get em while they're stranded halfway up the Waikato river.