Diary Of An Aotearoa Warriors Fan: Major Absences/Inclusions vs Wests Tigers
Gavet x Taupau.
As sexy as it is to see Tohu Harris, Simon Mannering and Adam Blair named as a back-row trio for the Warriors, my intrigue swiftly shifted elsewhere in the Warriors team list for their encounter vs Wests Tigers. Seeing those three names or the return of Shaun Johnson was like pleasure, pleasing to my eyes just like mouth pleasure; when you drink that can of coke, you're only doing so because for a brief moment of mouth pleasure and there are not many other benefits.
There is far more substance to the eye pleasure of that back-row, or Johnson's return than there is in a can of coke. These inclusions didn't really get my mind ticking over though, these selections didn't simmer away in my teeny weeny brain for hours or days and merely gave me a splash of 'wow, that's cool'.
1,255 Likes, 25 Comments - Karl Lawton (@karl_loss_lawton) on Instagram: ""Why so serious" 🤡"
Jazz Tevaga's absence and the promotion of Karl Lawton, plus the return of James Gavet definitely had my brain working. These selections were the meat, vegetables or fruit to that can of coke that the mainstream media concern themselves with.
Solomone Kata's return features in that headline category, although I'm full with intrigue as to how the Kata vs Gelling battle plays out over the next few weeks. I'm not convinced that Kata is the 2nd best centre at the Warriors (Peta Hiku's 1st) and Gelling was solid in his opportunity, now it's Kata's chance to bounce back and showcase his development.
But again, the meat, veges and fruit are elsewhere.
We don't know what is going to happen with Issac Luke and that will in-turn impact the usage of Karl Lawton. With that in mind, I don't want to get too deep into predicting how Lawton will be used by coach Stephen Kearney as there is just too much uncertainty. Lawton is on the bench though, because of Tevaga's absence and I can definitely get deep into the hole left by Tevaga.
You'd be a fool to believe that Tevaga has spent his minutes this season filling in at hooker and in the old way of thinking, Tevaga has effectively been playing as a prop. The modern way of thinking has Tevaga playing simply as a middle forward, however this has often come with Tevaga playing alongside Adam Blair, with those two joined by Simon Mannering in stages this season.
That's right; Kearney has rolled out a middle trio of Tevaga, Blair and Mannering. Neither of whom are 'props', yet they fit the mould of the skillful, mobile middle forward that has had a major influence on the success of the Warriors this season.
Tevaga had no starts in his 6 games before his injury, he's 11th in minutes for the Warriors. Harris, Blair and Luke are the only forwards who have played more minutes than Tevaga and they have all started their 7 or 8 games.
Tevaga has played more minutes than Bunty Afoa, Sam Lisone and Agnatius Paasi. Lisone has come off the bench in 6 of his 7 games and Tevaga has played 141 more minutes than Lisone, while Paasi has started all 6 of his games and Tevaga has played 149 more minutes than Paasi; Tevaga averages 57.2 minutes/game.
The Warriors won't have Tevaga's 1.2 offloads/game, or his 33.2 tackles/game. We don't quite know what Lawton genuinely offers as an NRL bench utility, let alone how he will be used in this game by Kearney, I am however fairly certain that Lawton won't be playing the same minutes that Tevaga played, nor will do as much in those minutes as Tevaga has done.
This could mean more minutes for Sam Lisone and I'll be keeping a close eye on how Isaiah Papalii is used off the bench. Papalii has mainly played edge forward and now with Harris and Mannering both capable of playing 80 minutes, Papalii could offer his power/mobility to the middle. Alternatively, as has been the case in recent weeks, Mannering could shift into the middle during the game, with Papalii coming on to the left edge.
And then we have the return of Gavet, who has only played 3 games this season. In those 3 games, Gavet averaged a healthy 42.3mins/game and I doubt Gavet will get 42 minutes in his return but anything close to that will help the Warriors absorb the loss of Tevaga.
As long as Gavet is consistently being one of, if not the best metre-guzzler in the Warriors forward pack, I will continue to highlight his importance to the Warriors. Gavet averages the most metres/game of any Warriors forward and averages over 10m/run; Afoa is the only other forward to average over 10m/run.
We may be treated to Gavet and Afoa sharing minutes on the field, which will be an awesome sight. Gavet's presence will offer a point of difference through the middle for the Warriors and the extra splash of go-forward could speed things up for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Shaun Johnson, Luke as well if he plays.
It's not that the Warriors have lacked anything without Gavet and they've had no issues rolling down-field when they are completing their sets. The Warriors enjoy fantastic service from their outside backs, the middles do their job and the way the Warriors shift the footy enables smaller blokes to make metres as well. This is all about Gavet adding something delightful, to what was already working and I'm excited to see how that plays out.
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Peace and love 27.