Diary Of An Aotearoa Warriors Fan: Warriors Spiritual Guidance
9s Iggy is a thing.
In recent weeks, I have settled into the position as Aotearoa Warriors spiritual guru and an impressive win over Brisbane Broncos, in Brisbane only reinforces the need for such a perspective. The Warriors were far too good for the Broncs, smoking them 26-6 and not keeping their hosts to zip was the only real let down from the Warriors, especially when their defence was on point throughout the game.
There was a bunch of tactical stuff that tickled my fancy and I'll get on to that in a jiffy, but coming into this game I had nerves stemming from the unknown. Those nerves obviously got identified and released as the Warriors got comfy, yet we are still on those weird journey that only Warriors fans truly understand and I feel it's my role to lead the way and guide us all through it; this is as much for myself as it is for anyone else.
This is primarily from the hooplah and sensationalism in Warriors media coverage, which can't accept a solid Warriors team. The Warriors either need to be far better than they are, or on the brink of a collapse and not solid. After losing back to back games, for the first time this season, the Warriors were apparently on the brink and while I was definitely nervous, the Warriors have proven themselves as being capable of bouncing back.
Like, it's not even debatable. One of the few constant elements of this season has been the Warriors bouncing back from a loss and as the hard work has been done within the club to ensure such mental fortitude, it feels like many of us need to catch up and do some hard work ourselves.
Right now though, it's best to stay grounded in what the Warriors actually are. Beating Brisbane in Brisbane, was a great performance, but it doesn't change what the Warriors are capable of and nor does it change the fact that they will lose a couple more games this season. The Warriors have had a winning record all season and have proven themselves to be a top-8 team who could catch fire come Finals time, nothing has changed from that in the last three weeks.
Regardless of the opposition or location, there will be more losses as well and that's all good. All that matters is making the Finals and learning for the Finals. As the Warriors spiritual guru, my advice is to be comfortable with a loss should it come, take that positive outlook which is based around fact; the Warriors have a high ceiling this season, they could catch fire and can beat anyone, any where, any time.
Through their inconsistencies in results, we have seen all possible outcomes and it's up to you what outcome you want to hold on to and remember the most. That has a huge influence on your Warriors perspective and can free you from your Warriors fears.
How did the Warriors win?
They offloaded. After a few weeks with minimal offloading action, mainly through a lack of possession, the Warriors were able to nail their style of footy in helpful conditions. As I've alluded to in recent weeks, the Warriors need the footy to execute their style and anything north of 48% is perfect. In Brisbane the Warriors had 52% possession and this simply means more opportunities to move the footy around, hitting edges early, then plowing through the middle.
17 offloads later and it's razzle dazzle central. The magic number in terms of offloads is 15, get 15+ offloads and the opposition are going to be chasing a lot of footy. Second to offloads is the passing of the Warriors and last week was a bit crazy, so it's hard to compare the last two games but compared to the loss to Cronulla Sharks, there was passing in abundance. It's a lot different when Jazz Tevaga is making 8 passes to the 2 passes vs Sharks, or the back five are making 33 passes instead of 22 passes, even a pass from James Gavet and Agnatius Paasi each vs Broncos compared to none vs Sharks is helpful.
It's a difficult comparison because of the slight difference in possession, but this is so important because it highlights what the Warriors do when they are playing well. You also need players who can execute, catch and pass with instinct instead of thinking and that's the strength of this Warriors team as they are all aware of what's cracking.
Solomone Kata's try for example started with a Simon Mannering offload to Issac Luke, who then in typical Luke fashion ran to the line and made a pass. Both Blake Green and Shaun Johnson have pushed up with Luke in support and Johnson then gets the footy, passes to Paasi who then busts through the middle:
Even after Paasi gets another pass out, to Johnson who has followed through, Isaiah Papalii gets the footy and immediately shovels it on to Kata. This is kinda unstoppable, if the Warriors settle into their work and are able to move the footy around with players in support, all the different angles and general movement of the footy screws over the defence.
That plays into the Warriors defence as well. They looked great defending the Broncos, especially when the Broncos were in good ball and that's mainly because the Warriors had energy, while the Broncos had just chased the footy around. I loved the short droppies as well, not just because it's a chance to get the footy back but also because the Warriors goal-line defence is better than their midfield defence; there is no real difference between conceding the footy 10m out or 40m out from their try line.
Gerard Beale was awesome at right centre, with Peta Hiku looking just as good moving out to left wing. Things didn't start too well for Beale though as he made a Hiku-miss on Anthony Milford (jamming and missing), creating a chance for Corey Oates. Look where Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is in this shot and that he is the bloke who makes the try-saving effort on Oates:
We know Tuivasa-Sheck is the best try-saver in the NRL and his effort to get there, then the nuance to knock Oates' arm and not try to bundle Oates into touch is genius. Tuivasa-Sheck also casually had 20runs/210m, 75 post-contact metres (!), 1 line break assist, 1 try assist, 10 tackle busts.
Not sure what to do with Beale and Hiku now as Beale was awesome, his footwork and strength suits the Warriors work around the ruck. Until Ken Maumalo returns, this set up works and Hiku is able to not have to buzz about defensive duties, offering 17runs/180m which is equal to Maumalo's output.
There was a lot to like in the forwards, led by Agnatius Paasi showing off his full arsenal and he's definitely not just a hard and straight runner. What really perked my antenna was the use of Simon Mannering and Adam Blair; Mannering played through the middle and Blair on the right edge.
Mannering was emphatic, 15runs/148m and 66pcm, along with 3 offloads in 70 minutes. This was middle Mannering at his very best and Stephen Kearney was able to get the best out of Mannering, while also giving Blair a stint on an edge where he could kinda play a limited role, perhaps for defensive reasons. I'm not sure of Kearney's logic here and Blair wasn't heavily involved, then again it never seems as though he is heavily involved but he's definitely doing his job.
Look at Paasi's try and the shape the Warriors have:
A) This is evidence of Mannering being in the middle, Blair on the right edge and Blair running a fantastic decoy line. Without Blair's decoy run being executed perfectly, no try.
B) Look at the scheme. Green dummied to Mannering going under and then has three legit passing options; Blair, Paasi or Johnson out the back. You'd assume Johnson's the target, but Green threads the needle behind Blair for Paasi. Super tough to defend such options.
This was also another example of the Warriors depth helping out. With Beale and Blair on the right edge, it was a new look to the old Tohu Harris and Hiku combo. The Warriors steam-rolled their opposition without any input from Bunty Afoa and was able to give Issac Luke a spell, while also sliding Joseph Vuna to right edge for Blair.
Finally, the work of Blake Green and Shaun Johnson in controlling the game was pristine. Green took care of most of the kicking duties with 11 kicks to Johnson's 6 and Green also had a few more touches 60 vs 51, which allows for Johnson to always be present in support, to get himself into positions where he is getting the footy against a scrambled defence.
This balance is crucial as it plays into the strengths of Green and Johnson. Green had a low key 9runs/62m (Johnson had 8runs/59m) as well and if Green is running the footy as much as Johnson, while also throwing 9 dummies (Johnson had 5), this gives Green room for his own ball-playing. It's important for Green to as much a running threat as Johnson, not because Green's a gun runner but because of the chances that come from a Green dart.
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Peace and love 27.