Kieran Foran is really good at rugby league, we all noticed that rather early on in his career as he established himself as an NRL half far too easily for Manly Sea Eagles. When he was on the park for Parramatta Eels last season, Foran influenced games and alongside Corey Norman the two looked as though they could take the Eels somewhere slightly special. 

His brilliance has never been questioned - even through tough times - and while it's a case of apples and oranges, many of y'all would agree with me when I say that Foran is simply a better player than Shaun Johnson and together they are bloody fantastic. The sight of Foran raiding a short-side as Andrew Johns would have was testament to this; Foran counted numbers, noted a few big bodies with heavy feet and as only Foran can, he ran direct. 

First glance suggests that this is all Foran, Foran at his very best, however it's Issac Luke who engages Kirisome Auva'a who is the second marker. Luke engages Auva'a and this enables Foran to skip past Auva'a before a Foran can glide past a tired Tepai Moeroa. If Luke simply passes the ball to Foran, then Auva'a can slide over and cover than hole, instead Auva'a moving backwards with a focus on Luke and once Luke throws the pass, Foran already has a step on Auva'a.

Many kiwi media folk seem to have this belief that Foran is leading the Warriors to glory and I fully understand how important Foran is in this puzzle, but as was the case last week; focus too much on Foran and you'll skip over a very strong Warriors team who are all doing their respective jobs at a high level.

Keep in mind that this strong Warriors team beat up a depleted Gold Coast Titans side last week and the Eels are not only knee-deep in a loosing streak, they were also missing a few troops. The next few weeks will tell us a lot more about the Warriors, however the gradual improvements of minor details should have us all rather encouraged about this string of tough fixtures coming up.

Foran might have had a try-assist for Simon Mannering's try, but Foran isn't the reason why Mannering had 19 carries for 167m with a tackle bust and 52 tackles. Last season we saw Mannering restricted to a tackling-machine role and although that suits the perception of Mannering, an NRL team is going to struggle to win a Premiership if their No.13 is a defensive specialist. 

Mannering threw 9 passes in this game and was a focal point in the Warriors attack as a link-man between Issac Luke and either Johnson or Foran. I don't expect Mannering to take over 15 carries too often this season as he did in this game, but it just felt like Mannering's mana was back. There was a buzz around Mannering and he had his hands in a lot of attacking play that many wouldn't associate with him, he's a great passer though and the play from which he scored looked to have been specifically designed for his involvement. 

Foran's got some level of influence on Mannering but he's not responsible for the high involvement of Mannering. That's the same for Luke who churned through 8 carries for 88m and also chipped in with a couple kicks as well - one he hooked from the right side of the ruck back to the left to pin the Eels deep in a corner. 

Luke can scoot out of dummy half because Mannering, James Gavet, Jacob Lillyman (Origin version of Jacob Lillyman), Sam Lisone and Charlie Gubb are making metres. The other marker for a strong Warriors performance is the level of involvement from the outside backs who are as powerful as any other outside back group in the NRL.

Foran's not responsible for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck taking his standard 20 carries/200m which he does consistently and we know the Warriors are looking good when all the outside backs have over 10 carries in a game. David Fusitua had 12 carries for 102m, Solomone Kata had 12 carries for 136m and Ken Maumalo had 17 carries for 133m. Blake Ayshford was his usual solid self, but I've got no dramas with Ayshford taking the least carries for the least metres (10/95m) in this outside back group as that's how it should be. 

The speed that I view as crucial to the identity of this Warriors team was evident against Parramatta; whether it was Luke's speed around the ruck, or Tuivasa-Sheck's speed around the ruck or Fusitua and Kata bursting on to a short pass from Luke and using their speed to get in-behind the ruck, or Foran's speed to scamper down a short-side. 

Getting Fusitua and Kata cutting back in-behind the ruck is a nod to Stephen Kearney and the coaching staff, as was the play-design for Mannering's try. What is the most impressive aspect of the Warriors play however is their intensity and desire in minor details, often know as one-percenters and that credit goes straight to Kearney and his staff. Over the past few weeks we have seen Kearney re-shuffle his forward pack, then last week we really started to see a minor detail like always having two Warriors running at the defensive line, one with the footy and one in support.

Once again, we saw plenty of bodies in motion, options left, right and out the back as well slick execution. The presence of a strong kick-chase and a some wrestle also stood out though and it's these improvements under Kearney that has raised the level of the foundation from which the Warriors play their footy. These improvements will make this next stretch of games very interesting as it's one thing to show defensive intensity when you're scoring points against weakened opposition, it's another to do so when you're battling for a slight advantage against a top-tier team. 

If you like our thoughts then donate (only costs a second of your time) to the cause by hitting one of the ads yo.