Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Big Ups Waikato
For all the dark arts and woes in our world, NZ Warriors are one of the best defensive teams in the NRL and that alone is reason to lively up your mana. Warriors head down to Hamilton for their encounter with Wests Tigers on Saturday and while this is a Tigers home game, the buzz around Aotearoa rugby league is likely to be on show with another heaving crowd.
Don't overlook the NSW Cup game between Warriors and Western Suburbs Magpies to be played in Hamilton prior to the NRL clash. Of the 17 players named for NSW Cup Warriors, 15 of them are Kiwi-NRL locals and a similar mix of local flavour gave Warriors a win over Panthers in Sydney last weekend. Warriors are now 2nd on the NSW Cup ladder with a 12-1-8 record, while Magpies are 11th with a 7-2-12 record.
Magpies are the reserve grade outfit for Tigers and this offers an intriguing club-day battle between Tigers and Warriors. Remember that last year's homecoming NRL fixture featured an Under 18 Future Warriors team losing to Wests Tigers Cubs 18-34. Despite all the lovely chat about Tigers development system under Tim Sheens, Warriors are the superior development outfit right now.
Ali Leiataua played in that Future Warriors team and he's already made his NRL debut. Patrick Moimoi, Jacob Laban and Selumiela Halasima have also slid up to NSW Cup this season. Others like Sefanaia Cowley-Lupo, Sio Kali, William Piliu, Kayliss Fatialofa, Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea, Siale Siulangapo and Phranklyn Mano-Le-Mamea played SG Ball earlier this year and lots of Fox Premiership.
In a reflection of the talent coming through the Warriors system there were a few departures from that Future Warriors team. Eric Va'afusuaga is now player Under 21 Jersey Flegg for Bulldogs while Tamakaimoana Whareaorere, Elijah Leaumoana and Jarome Falemoe are in the Knights system. All three featured for Knights SG Ball (grand final loss) and they transitioned to Flegg, with Leaumoana graduating to Knights NSW Cup.
Warriors had an NRL debutant, multiple NSW Cup players and others who quickly progressed through Aussies systems in that Future Warriors team who lost to Tigers Cubs. There aren't many Tigers Cubs players from that game who stand out as making significant leaps up the Tigers pipeline and their notable Kiwi-NRL junior in that team Alekolasimi Jones from Mt Albert, is now with Bulldogs.
The NRL Warriors have Taine Tuaupiki at fullback in place of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Tuaupiki played 63 minutes vs Titans after Nicoll-Klokstad left the field and in limited game time, the Ngaruawahia junior had 6 tackle busts and 165m. In his previous game at fullback for Warriors, Tuaupiki had 8 tackle busts and 150m. Peep the trend here because Tuaupiki averages 165m per game and 5.3 tackle busts per game in one of the best NSW Cup teams.
Speed and zip from Tuaupiki gives Warriors a different style of fullback. Warriors will lose the safety of Nicoll-Klokstad at fullback in terms of catching bombs and mopping up out the back (tackling and positioning), but they gain a livewire who has consistently burst through defences in Queensland and NSW Cup.
Everything else is settled in the Warriors team list. Bunty Afoa dropped out of the top-17 last week and this is the biggest shift in coach Andrew Webster's selections this season. This flows on to Tom Ale who plays a similar style as Afoa and Ale offered another monster performance against Panthers in NSW Cup with 54mins, 17 runs - 168m @ 9.8m/run, 19 tackles @ 95%.
That is available to Afoa, if coach Webster wants him to play bigger minutes. While Afoa has basically been dropped, this doesn't seem like a negative against Afoa and it's highly likely that Afoa will be injected into the top-17 for different match ups. Coach Webster is currently rolling with a smaller, mobile group of bench forwards. Dylan Walker is a staple of the bench, Jazz Tevaga's return complicates matters a wee bit, while Bayley Sironen offers dummy half cover and Josh Curran usually gives Marata Niukore a break at right edge.
Tigers have Apisai Koroisau (3rd - 87) and Luke Brooks (13th - 67) leading them for missed tackles. Brooks will probably defend on the same edge as Shaun Johnson, Niukore/Curran, Rocco Berry and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Warriors will send hard-runners and funky shape a Brooks all game, which could lead to breaks in that Brooks pocket as well as ample space for Watene-Zelezniak out wide.
Warriors shouldn't have issues scoring points against Tigers and they are one of the best defensive teams in the NRL. Warriors (364) are one of four teams who have conceded less than 400 points and they have conceded a point less than Broncos (365), both of whom are well behind Panthers (242). Warriors also love to tackle, currently second for total tackles made and despite all that tackling mahi, Warriors are 14th for missed tackles and 16th for ineffective tackles.
Big up the Tigers who are 17th for missed tackles and ineffective tackles. That means Tigers have the fewest missed/ineffective tackles in the NRL and less than Warriors, although they are also 13th for tackles made. Tigers are good tacklers having made fewer tackles than most teams, Warriors are good tacklers having made more tackles than most teams.
Tigers have also conceded 536 points, far more than Warriors. The funky bit about Warriors defence in this match up is how Tigers struggle to score points. Tigers are the only team below 350 point scored (319), they are 17th for tries scored and 16th for linebreaks.
Last round's trip to Gold Coast provides a warning though. Titans were energetic and vibrant, niggling the Warriors down to their level of footy. Warriors still grabbed a win but it was a tougher game than many expected and Tigers will be keen to present the same challenge. Defence will be a key factor in this game as Warriors can easily snuff out the Tigers with their best defensive efforts and that is how good teams win games of finals footy.
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Peace and love.