Warriors limping way home
Another heavy loss will see NZ side look for answers on their return to Mt Smart
The Warriors can’t get home soon enough. In their final NRL match before returning to Mt Smart Stadium, the Kiwi side suffered another heavy defeat, falling to the first-placed and reigning premiers Penrith 40-6 at Redcliffe on Saturday.
The scoreline doesn’t indicate it, but this was an improved showing from the Warriors. They defended well in the middle and worked their way upfield well, but when they got deep inside Penrith territory, their attack was uninspired.
The Warriors wasted too many tackles on set-up plays and generally ended their sets with ineffective kicks which were dealt with by the Penrith defence with relative ease.
After a bad week last time out, fullback Reece Walsh’s effort could not be questioned against the Panthers.
He seemed to be the only player interested in trying something different as he looked to offload at every opportunity — often finding no one running a line in support. He worked well on occasion from dummy half and took on some of the kicking duties, while assisting on the team’s only points.
Penrith made a point to attack the edge of debut half Ronald Volkman — which was made more vulnerable 15 minutes in when centre Adam Pompey was forced off with an apparent rib injury and second rower Bayley Sironen was forced to play in the centres.
Volkman was solid on debut, though his involvement didn’t appear to add any inspiration for the Warriors, who eventually fell into familiar patterns and conceded some horrendously soft tries.
It all started off quite well for the Warriors, who had a few chances inside Penrith territory early — without really firing a shot — while the Panthers were scratchy at the outset.
It was a quick dart out of dummy half from hooker Apisai Koroisau that got the Panthers going.
Exploiting the Warriors while they were working back into the defensive line, Koroisau engaged the defence before sending prop Moses Leota through a big gap to go over untouched.
Fullback Dylan Edwards soon added to the score with a set play
The Warriors continued to toil away — with Fox
League commentator Shane Flanagan imploring
the team to “throw that playbook out the window and just go and play
football.
from the scrum.
The Panthers looked to shape wide before Nathan Cleary sent Edwards away back on the inside, exploiting a hole as Tohu Harris was slow away from the scrum.
The Warriors continued to toil away to no avail — with Fox League commentator and former NRL coach Shane Flanagan imploring the team to “throw that playbook out the window and just go and play football” — and a try to Panthers wing Taylan
May on the stroke of halftime gave the side a healthy lead.
The story continued in the second half. The Warriors tried but didn’t fire a shot against the Panthers defence, but conceded three very soft tries to see the deficit inflate to 34 points.
They were ultimately able to cross following a lovely 40/20 kick from Chanel Harris-tavita, with Walsh sending Josh Curran through a gap close to the line.
However, it was mere consolation as they fell to their seventh straight loss.
With the coming week off as a representative round, the side will be buoyed by the fact their next NRL match comes at Mt Smart where they meet Wests Tigers on July 3.
Warriors 6 (Josh Curran try; Reece Walsh con) Panthers 40 (Brian To’o 2, Moses Leota, Dylan Edwards, Taylan May, Isaiah Yeo, Liam Martin tries; Nathan Cleary 5 cons, Stephen Crichton con). HT: 0-18. — NZ Herald