Warriors improve – results would be nice
Improvements on defence have been there for all to see in the Warriors’ last two performances but the NRL is a results-based business.
Searching for the club’s sixth win of the season won’t come easy against the 10th-placed Raiders at their Canberra fortress of GIO Stadium, especially when the green machine will be buoyed by yesterday’s news that coach Ricky Stuart has extended his contract through until the end of the 2025 season.
For the Warriors, who sit in 12th place on the NRL ladder but six competition points behind the Raiders, a victory – that would transpire with the dropped Reece Walsh coming off the bench – might not quite be a turning point but it would be a welcome peak in a turbulent season on and off the field.
‘‘We don’t want to just perform well, we need to win because ultimately that’s what we’re here to do,’’ Warriors assistant coach Justin Morgan said. ‘‘Performances are important but winning is more important.’’
Morgan was justifiably encouraged by the defensive efforts in an emotional 22-2 homecoming win over the West Tigers and last Friday’s 28-18 loss to the Parramatta Eels.
‘‘I feel as though we’ve got some of our mojo back defending, especially our try line,’’ he said. ‘‘Like every footy team, defence is always a work in progress but we’ve got a bit more resilience in us over the last three or four weeks.’’
At times this season, the Warriors’ defence has been woeful but in last week’s loss to the Eels, Morgan was proud of the first 11 minutes where they held out multiple consecutive sets from the Eels on their own line and in the final 25 minutes where the club wrestled back control after conceding three quick tries.
Morgan said that was born out of the playing group applying themselves to a higher level in defensive training over the last six weeks.
He also felt the Warriors did a strong job of shutting down the offloads against the Eels – who top the list for any team in the NRL.
But Morgan warned they will need to be even better today against the second team on the offloads ladder, who have Kiwis star Joseph Tapine in career-best form as well as Josh Papalii tearing through the middle, plus the Raiders’ outside backs have also produced plenty of second phase ball this season.
‘‘We see that as a huge threat from them [Raiders] and that can disjoint any defensive line so our stick and our contact will need to be good as well as our reaction when they do offload.’’
In April, a Shaun Johnson field goal in golden point got the Warriors home over the Raiders and while much water has surged under the bridge since then, Morgan said there have been lessons and confidence derived from the 21-20 win.
Playing the Raiders away starts a tough run for the Warriors with the Storm (Auckland), Rabbitohs (Sunshine Coast), Bulldogs (Auckland), Cowboys (Townsville), Panthers (Penrith) before the final round against the Titans at Mount Smart.
On paper, only the Bulldogs and Titans look winnable games but Morgan naturally disagrees and said the group had spoken about how big an upset over the Raiders would be before taking on Melbourne in just the club’s second home game in Auckland of the season, next Friday.