Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Tamatea Tohu & The Broncos
NZ Warriors host Brisbane Broncos in Napier on Saturday night under the immense mana of local hero and Tamatea junior Tohu Harris. This encounter is apparently already sold out and the theme of Warriors embracing communities around Aotearoa continues. Warriors played a trial in Christchurch for a crowd of 12,000 before starting the season in Wellington for a crowd of 16,676 folks. The first game at Mt Smart hit 18,600 followed by two more games with crowds over 20,000.
Any dramas about attendance for other sports isn't an issue for Warriors and this Napier fixture is likely to be the latest example reinforcing hearty rugby league vibes in Aotearoa. Some of these Hawke's Bay folks will be friends and whanau of Harris, the most important Warriors player who has back to back games playing 80mins, with 40+ tackles and 150+ metres.
Harris is a gluestick through the middle for Warriors thanks to his tackling and running mahi. The absence of Dylan Walker for this Broncos game will amplify Harris' distribution though and their win over Bulldogs featured this key wrinkle of Warriors footy. No Bulldogs forward had more than 11 passes, while Harris had a relatively quiety passing game with 12 passes and Walker had 18 passes.
Harris had four dummies which would have balanced out the passing numbers, although Harris was more eager to run vs Bulldogs with a season-high 162m. This was also evident in the Addin Fonua-Blake's try as Walker got the try assist and Harris was a decoy, showing how Warriors can target middle defenders with different shapes and passers. Walker won't be playing in Napier so Harris will probably have at least 15 passes, perhaps giving 20 passes a nudge.
Wayde Egan is also missing, giving a lovely opportunity to Freddy Lussick at hooker. Lussick has games playing 76mins and 80mins as a starting hooker this season. More recently, Lussick has started (30mins and 43mins) with Egan coming off the bench. As crafty as Egan is around the ruck, there isn't a big drop off to Lussick's mahi and this is part of another Warriors theme as they have (and are building) a roster with ample depth to work through an NRL season.
Bayley Sironen could give Lussick a break at dummy half and will cover multiple positions coming off the bench. Marata Niukore has played 80mins in just one of his nine games and coach Andrew Webster usually rotates Josh Curran through the right edge slot. Tom Ale has had slight dip in his production, moving from 35+ minutes in five straight games to just 21mins vs Bulldogs.
Ale has missed 10 tackles in his last four games, after no missed tackles in his first seven games. That's likely due to the grind of NRL footy as Ale's four games last season was his previous high. Now he's played all 11 games and is fresh off a niggly patch of more game time against really good teams.
Demitric Sifakula didn't play vs Bulldogs in NRL, but did play vs Bulldogs in NSW Cup that weekend. Nothing major, just a 19-year-old play 80mins for the fifth time in seven games of reserve grade. As for NSW Cup Warriors, they face Panthers at Mt Smart on Sunday.
Warriors are third with a 7-1-3 record and Panthers are sixth with a 6-5 record. Whiti Te Ra junior Daeon Amituanai is named on the wing for Panthers and former Warriors junior/Hokianga homie Preston Riki is starting edge forward. Warriors have shifted Ali Leiataua from centre to wing and this is intriguing as most young outside backs get their NRL opportunities on the wing. Moala Graham-Taufa has also played centre this season but is predominantly a winger.
Selumiela 'Leka' Halasima is still the Warriors secret stash. The 17-year-old Southern Cross Campus student is named to start his third game this season and while he is named at edge forward, Halasima could swap with Nicholas Halalilo who is named at lock. That's how the rotation flowed with Sifakula named at lock and Halasima is already shining in multiple different positions at NSW Cup level.
The NSW Cup Warriors team will be led by Ronald Volkman at halfback, with Luke Metcalf replacing Volkman in the NRL team. Coach Webster appears to relay clarity of roles to his wider squad with a depth option available in each role. Volkman has only played alongside Shaun Johnson when other halves are injured, while Metcalf is a like-for-like swap with Te Maire Martin.
Metcalf has speed and when Warriors have lost, a lack of speed across their squad has stood out. Metcalf doesn't have the short-side play-making or subtle touches of Martin which can be easily overlooked, yet his direct running will add a fresh element to Warriors attack. Even more so as the middle passing aspect is diminished without Walker.
Winning Warriors footy relies on the experienced lads though. Against Bulldogs, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad had no issues with Matt Burton's kicks, then Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Marcelo Montoya ran like lunatics. That's momentum which Fonua-Blake and Harris eat up, with Johnson diving into his kicking baggy to find green pastures. The basic recipe of Warriors footy is driven by experienced lads who execute and lead coach Webster's plan of completing sets, whacking in defence and showing up to do it again, then again.
Another interesting thing about this Broncos match up is the Kiwi-NRL flavour in the Broncos team. Deine Mariner (Marist) and Xavier Willison (Waicoa-Bay) plug State of Origin holes, while Jordan Riki (Hornby) will also enjoy his return to Aotearoa. The Kiwi-NRL perspective is these Broncos being among the best young lads from Aotearoa, while the Aotearoa Warriors Diary perspective is intrigued by their battle with various Warriors.
Mariner is named on the wing, but is mainly a centre. Rocco Berry is an intriguing lad to compare with Mariner during the game and while Mariner dominated in Australia, Berry is loved within the walls of Mt Smart. Riki and Niukore is a fun comparison. Willison will come off the bench with Ale and Sifakula in the same pocket for Warriors. Young Broncos are always celebrated, yet this game may feature young Warriors out-playing their opponents.
Join the Niche Cache Patreon whanau to support our kiwi sports content straight up, get a karma boost and find extra podcasts.
Every Monday and Friday we fire off an email newsletter with bonus content. Sign up here!
Peace and love.