Diary of a Warriors Fan
"We're finding a way to win at the moment, which is pleasing."
Again, Mr McFadden, Coach Cappy you're impressing myself and the the Warriors faithful. Enjoy a Lion Red mate.
I don't know what is better - the fact that the Warriors are winning games while not quite doing everything 100% or that they're getting better each week. Either way it's all looking pretty good, but while 'there's always things to improve on' is a generic cliche in sports, it's 100% true for this Warriors side.
It's clear that the fresh perspective and a bit of an attitude shift has worked wonders for the Warriors so far, but there's still the middle period of the game still brings the "aaah typical Warriors" type of jokers out of the wood work. They always find a way to let the other team back in with a mistake or something similar and they aren't quite executing the game plan on a consistent basis throughout the game.
The Penny Panthers were a great test for all that because they are extremely solid in doing what Ivan Cleary wants. There aren't many highs and lows, they play at a consistent level throughout the game and are definitely one of the form sides in the NRL. The Warriors managed to defend well enough and use their strike weapons wisely to get a win, again ... get the W, lock in the 2 points, however you wanna put it WE WON ANOTHER GAME!
It's exciting to see three playmakers who can do something funky every time they get the ball. Sam Tomkins comes in to the line and his distribution is up their with Billy Slater and much like Slater, he's an equal threat with his passing and running game. (I also love watching Matt Moylan play, the kid is bloody awesome). We all know what Shaun Johnson can do and we're seeing him continue to eagerly run with the ball in two hands, which I always remember Andrew Johns saying is the key. Both Johnson and Tomkins attack the line with options whether it's running + some footwork or a crisp pass or a kick, defenders have a process to go through when these two are coming at them which makes them freakin' hard to defend against.
Chad Townsend is also chiming in when needed and just does his job. He's a quality half who is wise enough to not over play his hand but is good enough to deliver when needed.
Again, we saw the go to option of giving it to Koni close to the line. Besides getting a heap of numbers in the tackle, I'm not sure how teams are going to stop him. The work comes the tackle before, with a shift to the left/centre to ensure that out on the right it's all 1 v 1 'cos know one is stopping Hurrell by themselves.
I've been loving the work of Simon Mannering in the middle, but when you see the energy, enthusiasm and intensity that Sebastine Ikahihifo plays with, it's ok, it's all ok. Ikahihifo throws himself in to everything and is a pretty solid unit which ensures that anything through the middle is going to be effective. The only thing is that he we need the consistent energy on defence through the middle.
If Ben Henry isn't your favourite player, something's wrong. The guy does everything, absolutely everything and he does it well. He doesn't look like he's gonna have any real impact, but he does, no matter what position he plays (he plays them all pretty well). The perfect guy to come off the bench and the perfect squad member.
I'll see you at the Bye.