Diary Of A Warriors Fan - One For The Rollercoaster
That's the win.
That's the win that gets a few fans on the bandwagon. Not the best performance, not the best game but highlights that will be shown throughout the lands.
It was quite symbolic that it was Shaun Johnson who ultimately won the game for the Warriors on Saturday night. Against the Cronulla Sharks, the Warriors put in a weird performance and Johnson himself wasn't exactly at his best in terms of controlling the game with his boot and passing. But he won the game for the Warriors.
If you were confused about the Warriors, maybe you're an alien from another planet, that win against the Sharks probably sums the club up. The highs, spectacularly beautiful football. But the lows could also been seen.
We shall not be too negative, but Shaun Johnson definitely pulled one out of the bag. Would you rather have these moments of brilliance to win a football game or a polished performance throughout the game to dominate the full 80 minutes? That's why Jonathan Thurston is so damn good, because he can do both. That's where we have to let Johnson figure things out, which will come with time.
Sam Lisone and Albert Vete continue to add some beautifully physical play off the bench, which makes you wonder why others can't do the same. Whether it's winning a battle, getting an offload out, getting a quick play the ball of shoveling the ball on, these two do their jobs pretty damn well.
So does Tui Lolohea. We continue to see some growth in his passing game and while his performance was far from perfect, we are seeing him show improvement on a weekly basis.
I think now is the perfect time to give Siliva Havili a run. Nathan Friend continues to be brought off the bench and as expected, it's not really the go for him as he's not a player who oozes impact. Just give Havili a run and see how things go.
Both Lolohea and Havili will be impacted by the arrivals of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Isaac Luke. Boy oh boy, what a signing that is.
Jim Doyle is clearly quite comfy with the Kiwis players after his time in charge with the national body and it's hard to imagine that either of these two signings would have been secured without him.
Luke is hands down one of the three best hookers in the NRL. Cameron Smith is still the best and I'd put Luke ahead of Robbie Farah, but some Aussie will probably argue that. Luke is hands down the best dummy half runner there is though, which is precisely what the Warriors need.
Each week I've scratched my head at how little running Thomas Leuluai does and he did slightly better this week with four runs for 30 metres. Luke will change everything and probably make everything better. His running will give Johnson a bit more space, while RTS will always be around the play the ball waiting for Luke to scoot.
Allow me to drift into the abyss of the future here; the way Lolohea is developing, I reckon he could be a decent half alongside Johnson who takes care of the majority of the long kicks (this week Johnson had 12 kicks for 291 metres, compared to Chad Townsend's four kicks for 87 metres). If the word on the street that Townsend is out the door back to the Sharks is correct, I'd love to see Lolohea be given time to establish himself in the halves.
Especially as you have so much play making there around him. With Luke, Johnson and RTS forming the spine, Lolohea won't have as much to do. Alternatively, Leuluai could play in the halves for a more experience, solid option. Either way, there's immense quality on the way.
It's clear that players want to be involved with Doyle though. That's the biggest thing that we can takeway from the signing of Luke. Yes, he wants to be closer to his family, but how would that equation stack up without Doyle in the picture. It really is a fabulous signing, but 2016 seems like a long way away.
Overall, this week kind of showed that the Warriors are still very much a mid/lower-mid table team right at this point. They are 4-5 and sit in 8th spot on the ladder which I'm happy with it being a fair reflection of the team ... their 4-5 record that is, not the 8th spot. They are joined by a host of teams including the Rabbitohs, Roosters, Tigers, Bulldogs and Panthers on 8 points but right now, I wouldn't say that the Warriors are better or equal to these teams.
At this stage of the season though, all that matters is grabbing the points and departing the scene of the crime asap.