Nothing about Aotearoa Warriors win over St George Illawara Dragons was magical, in fact for much of this game it was an absorbing, niggly encounter featuring many of the familiar issues of 2019.

Even though I spew up positive optimism regarding Aotearoa Warriors, especially in the junior ranks now that a few changes have been made, it's impossible to ignore the fact that all three Warriors teams sit in the lower half of their competition ladders.

Magic Round in Brisbane will hopefully bring a sprinkling of magical abundance for Aotearoa Warriors as they come up against St George Illawara Dragons on Saturday night.

Aah, the dark arts of Aotearoa Warriors fandom has well and truly returned.

Today the reserve grade and junior Aotearoa Warriors will host Newcastle Knights as part of an epic Sunday of Warriors footy and we may see Adam Pompey unleashed at fullback in reserve grade.

How crazy have the last few weeks been for Aotearoa Warriors folk?

There is a game of footy on Sunday, Aotearoa Warriors hosting Newcastle Knights and that's a super juicy game to dig in to. Right now though, we have this Kodi Nikorima story that has escalated fairly quickly and while not has been laid out officially, all signs point to Nikorima joining the Warriors in the coming days/weeks prior to June 30th.

The surface level results of ... getting good results hasn't been in the Aotearoa Warriors favor, while the currents beneath the surface are clearly being disturbed by a twitchy Taniwha.

In losing to South Sydney Rabbitohs a week prior, Aotearoa Warriors showed some hearty energy and at the very least endeavoured to overcome adversity. A week later, in losing to North Queensland Cowboys, the Warriors created their own adversity in what has to be considered their worst performance of the season thus far.

Two losses in the lower grades for Aotearoa Warriors to go with the NRL team's loss and overall, it's been a rough start to the season for the club as the Jersey Flegg team are sitting 10th (of 14) and the reserves are 11th (of 12).

So far in 2019, we have seen Aotearoa Warriors win games they should win against Canterbury Bulldogs and Gold Coast Titans, setting the tone for a Warriors team that should beat North Queensland Cowboys.

After dwelling in that yucky feeling as Cody Walker soared to the Aotearoa Warriors try line, giving South Sydney Rabbitohs a 28-24 win, a beautiful sense of calm swept through my loins.

Aotearoa Warriors reserves grabbed a W last week over Penrith Panthers, while the Jersey Flegg youngins' suffered defeat to the Panthers and today, both teams take on South Sydney Rabbitohs at North Harbour Stadium.

Having rode the wave through the opening rounds of the NRL season, this week's game vs South Sydney Rabbitohs feels like the first opportunity to get a genuine gauge of who or what the 2019 Aotearoa Warriors are.