Outofform Katoa to play in reserve grade
RUGBY LEAGUE Warriors team
AUCKLAND: Warriors coach Nathan Brown has confirmed gun second rower Eliesa Katoa has been dropped due to form reasons, the hope being he can develop his game in reserve grade.
After starting the first five games this year, Katoa did not even make the extended bench for the team named to face the Dragons on Sunday, and will play in the secondtier competition this weekend.
It is quite a turnaround, but not entirely unexpected.
Katoa was a revelation in his rookie season last year and quickly became one of the first picked every week.
This year has been different. Like many before him, Katoa has struggled to replicate the impact in his second season. A cheekbone injury compromised his preseason, while his output since has been down, as opposition teams have targeted his threat.
‘‘He is a young fella and people tend to forget he has probably only played 20odd rugby league games in his whole career,’’ Brown told Newstalk ZB.
‘‘I've coached lots of young kids and sometimes you just drop them back for a couple of games; it's just how you develop as a player. It's the best way you develop, rather than forcing them to play NRL every week.’’
Brown suggested that it would not be a long apprenticeship.
‘‘He'll get to play a lot of minutes back there,’’ Brown said.
‘‘I don't think he will be gone for too long. It will be just nice for him to play at a bit of a different pace, different level and work on a couple of small things to come back up and continue to grow his game.’’
Brown is optimistic about the prospects for wing David Fusitu'a, who has been ruled out
Roger TuivasaSheck (c), Peta Kiku, Adam Pompey, Marcelo Montoya, Ken Maumalo, Kodi Nikorima, Sean O'Sullivan, Leeson Ah Mau, Wayde Egan, Tohu Harris, Josh Curran, Jack Murchie, Jazz Tevaga. Interchange: Ben MurdochMasila, Bunty Afoa, Kane Evans, Paul Turner. Reserves: Rocco Berry, Tom Ale, Jamayne Taunoa Brown, Taniela Otukolo.
with a hamstring injury.
‘‘It's more of a shortterm one, we believe at this stage,’’ Brown said.
‘‘We will wait and see how he progresses through his rehab. It's certainly not a longterm one, but how long he will actually be we are not 100% sure.’’
Centre Marcelo Montoya has so far passed his concussion protocols, after a head knock in the second half of last Friday's 1312 loss to the Sea Eagles and is expected to play.
Prop Jamayne TaunoaBrown has been named on the extended bench but may come into the equation.
‘‘We are going to make up our mind on our 17 or 18 over the next couple of days,’’ Brown said.
Adding more punch to their attack is a major focus, after a dreadful offensive display last Friday, when they could not make the most of long periods inside Manly territory.
‘‘We need to look at what we are trying to do there.’’
‘‘That goalline attack is where we are obviously not getting it quite right at the moment. Do we tinker with it, or do we keep working hard at what we are doing?
‘‘We are working hard, like all sides, on our defence. Sometimes when you have a lot of focus on one thing, you do take your eye off the ball elsewhere. So it is about getting both parts of the game right.’’ — The New Zealand Herald