Hiku was alright at fullback. Solid. Good back up option.

There have been a few constant narratives throughout the first 11 rounds of the Warriors 2018 NRL season. One of those is that we are seeing the Warriors thrown into different scenarios, different types of games every week and from that, I've taken an immense amount of joy in watching how the Warriors perform in such different situations.

Start with the absence of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Shaun Johnson, then recognise the ever-changing forward pack of the Warriors this season and then slide into the flow of this game vs Parramatta Eels; it was a bloody fun game to watch, with so much nuance, so many wrinkles to the funk.

I thought the Warriors played well, really well.

They controlled the opening exchanges, defended stoutly in the first half and with limited ball down Parramatta's end, they scored points. Seeing the Warriors defend and give up 2 points, then score rather easily down the right edge set the tone for the game and while the flow of the game swung back around in favour of the Eels, it never felt as though the Warriors were going to lose.

Mid-way through the second half, when the Warriors were down a few points and things started to go their way (flow of the game), they easily scored two tries. The Warriors rampaged home, as the better team should have.

New Zealand Warriors beat Parramatta Eels 24-14 in round 11, in a weird, tough game of footy. Here's some immediate reaction... PATREON: www.patreon.com/elnichecache

Even the tries the Warriors conceded weren't all that concerning.

I am walking a fine line of not trying to over-celebrate the Warriors defence as I really don't think Parramatta challenged the defence that much. Their attack just isn't very good and Clint Gutherson scored a try when Isaiah Papalii was in the sin bin, then as the best marker of Parramatta's mediocre attack; Peni Terepo's ball-playing set up the Manu Ma'u try.

Parramatta's play-makers didn't ask any tough questions of the Warriors defence, nor did their structures. But when Terepo (Mangere East junior) turns on the funk, then they score. And let's keep it real; this possession for Parramatta only came because Peta Hiku ran towards the touchline for whatever reason, like inexplicably.

The Warriors got back to doing their defensive standards though, after last week and that is important. They also came from behind and being in this scenario, when they shouldn't really be down on the scoreboard but they are and there is no panic, only understanding to stick with the grind of the game, complete sets, kick and kick-chase well to ensure that Parramatta work hard coming out of their 20m and then settle into the attacking groove.

Confidence. It was on display in abundance for the Warriors in this win and while we've seen confidence throughout the first 11 rounds, the composed confidence when behind on the scoreboard is the seasoning to this dish. Not only that, but composed confidence without Tuivasa-Sheck and Johnson.

Everything kinda felt underwhelming. In my observations below, I do highlights stats and nice performances, yet the overall vibe is one of everyone putting in a solid shift and the Warriors taking the W.

Everyone putting in a 7/10 performance, relative to their own abilities and ultimately coming away with an easy win. The type of win that feels super important as this group was solid, did their jobs and snatched a win ... away from home, another away win. Super important because everyone the Warriors added another block of confidence, even Tuivasa-Sheck and Johnson as they know what their team is capable of, without them.

Also super important because it came in underwhelming fashion. No crazy headlines, no conversations about the Warriors re-establishing themselves as Premiership contenders, no hype and all of that sort of stuff. Just solid, job-doing footy that for us and the club, signals that the Warriors are genuinely in the NRL's top-tier.

They showed that they can win under adversity, in Australia, without going above and beyond.

Job done.

Here's some of my observations...

Alright so we are back with the weird Warriors headshots, but seeing this made me buzz out a wee bit because Isaiah Papalii, Solomone Kata and Ken Maumalo are all three young lads playing solid NRL footy. That's the whole left edge and while all the new recruits are great, these three have leveled up along with the entire team, chur to them:

Please, never talk to me about Adam Blair's stats. This is one aspect of Blair's value as he shifts the footy to Papalii on the left edge in the Warriors first set of the game:

Oh and look, Blair is back at it in the very next play shifting the footy the footy back to the middle with James Gavet. First of all peep the shape around Gavet, signalling that the Warriors always have options and I then need to reinforce why this shifting is important as move the ruck across the full width of the field, thus forcing the defence to consistently move, thus building greater fatigue:

Blair gets an inside pass from Blake Green, with shape outside Green, testing and prodding the Eels inside defence. The shape outside Green forces the Eels outside men to push up, more work for them:

People were insane for thinking that Shaun Johnson could lead the Warriors to success as the dominant half and when Johnson didn't live up to their expectations, people cried about Johnson. Now, we have Green who, guess what? He's second in forced drop outs, meaning that we've got the combination right and Johnson (or Mason Lino) can focus solely on their job, their strengths:

Such a simple play for David Fusitua's try with Gerard Beale running a strong decoy line, Lino wrapping to lure in the winger and Fusitua scoring. Simple, but only possible because Tohu Harris is a freak and can execute as the main play-maker:

16runs/168m for Ken Maumalo and every run he had gave the Warriors a nice boost to their set. Other teams wouldn't consider using their winger in this play (3rd tackle hit up) and Maumalo's speed gets him in behind the ruck, then his size gives him big metres:

Other teams can't do this either as the Warriors often use Maumalo running from a scrum and usually as a second-man play. Look to Maumalo's left and you'll see Harris has gone through as a decoy and Lino has passed out the back to Maumalo, who is running at Corey Norman and that folks, again means big metres, quick play-the-ball:

How awesome was Gerard Beale in his Warriors debut? 1 line break, 6 tackle busts, 2 offloads and excellent defence. Beale slots in seamlessly to the Warriors jamming defence on the edge and Beale's aggression, then strength in defence was impressive:

Hiku's try was kinda lucky, but it was not luck to have six players, almost half the team on that side of the field, chasing the kick. This and Jazz Tevaga's try later in the game are examples of putting yourself there and once you're there, you never know what will happen, you'll only find out though if your there:

Same scheme as the Fusitua try, this time Harris hits Beale with the short ball instead of Lino and Brad Takairangi has taken a little nibble on Lino after the first time, opening a hole for Beale. Again, Harris is a freak and executes both passes, also an example of the creativity and paly-design of the Warriors:

Just before half-time, the Warriors were under pressure and the following snaps are of great defensive efforts. The first is before the sin bin, then during the sin bin and check the time/tackle for context - some are back to back plays. Warriors defensive pleasure:

(Lino 1 vs 1 tackle on Tepai Moeroa!!):

(two excellent Maumalo jams in those shots above)

After the Warriors defended their tryline, Bully put in this kick to complete a set. Bully was great, a nice 7/10 from Bully (he only had 3 dummy half runs for 30m, no offloads, a match-winning try and a few kicks - that's a 7/10, solid shift for him) but I love Bully when he's kicking and this kick was a thing of beauty. The understanding of the game and knowing that they need to just put the Eels deep in their territory, force them to graft their way off their own tryline and then the execution, a low kick, perfectly weighted:

A kick is only as good as its chase though my bro and the chase pegs the Eels on their tryline. Plus, Green and Lino feature in the chase and there is nothing in the Warriors culture that would suggest that Green or Lino would sit back, have a sulk that Luke kicked the footy or even just switch off for a jiffy. They are there, alongside Luke, fuck, I love that:

Then Lino is leading the chase after a Green kick:

Now for some Jazz Tevaga appreciation. Tevaga only got 33mins, well done on the 50-odd he was getting before and this came in the second half, which was perfect as Tevaga's injection came against fatigued Eels and this was when the Warriors settled into their style of footy, which won them the game.

Here is Tevaga turning Agnatius Paasi under, not a half, but Tevaga:

Tevaga's speed, footwork and mobility gets him across the field:

And again, almost the exact same shot, Tevaga gets across the field to where Parramatta defenders thought that they might have the play off. This is signature 2018 Warriors as the middle defence pushes up on Tevaga, putting in work and then Tevaga forces other defenders to put in work as well. The Warriors do this through Tevaga, or passing and/or offloads:

First, look at Luke going for a scoot. Then peep the Warriors forwards and you'll see that Mannering has moved to left edge after playing through the middle, with Papalii off, giving the Warriors Harris on the right and Mannering on the left. I still reckon that's the best edge combo and coach Kearney has rolled it out a few times, this time it's when the game is in the balance, requiring your best rotation, maybe slowly giving it life while ensuring that Papalii gets his minutes.

You'll also see Tevaga, Gavet and Blair as the middle forwards. Get away from thinking that the Warriors can't play with Tevaga and Blair because there is not enough grunt. There's more than enough grunt in the backline, but even those backs (Tuivasa-Sheck included) have speed and footwork. Let's not pretend like Bunty Afoa is massive, or Agnatius Paasi is huge either, the Warriors are a very good NRL team because they are nimble, fast, powerful, aggressive and skillful:

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Peace and love 27.