Momentum building for Warriors
No more proof is needed — the Warriors are now a good side.
The 30-6 thrashing of the Roosters on Saturday night in Sydney confirmed that their great start to the NRL season wasn’t a flash in the pan.
The Roosters had been tipped by many Australian pundits as the team most likely to win the Premiership this year but they were demolished by a Warriors team without Shaun Johnson, James Gavet and Sam Lisone, while Simon Mannering is still to make an appearance this year.
Given the lows the team have been though over the last seven years, it’s understandable how much long-suffering fans are enjoying this. Andrew McFadden, previously head coach and now assistant, has been through some of the club’s darkest days but feels there’s a special about this year’s side.
‘‘I’m extremely happy for the group,’’ McFadden said.
‘‘We’ve had some tough times and it’s really nice to see the players enjoying their football.
‘‘They’re an extremely focused group. They’re a very tight group and obviously winning helps that.
‘‘We knew we had a good preseason but we needed some evidence to show that we were on the right track.
‘‘We’ve got that at the moment and now we need to stay grounded and keep focussed on our preparation from week to week.’’
When Latrell Mitchell scored a try for the Roosters after just two minutes, it looked like the Andrew Fifita says he’s played his last game for NSW and Australia after electing to represent Tonga over the Blues in this year’s State of Origin period.
Fifita caused waves when he pulled out of the Kangaroos World Cup squad last year to play for the Pacific nation and has long weighed up who to pledge his allegiance to in 2018.
His decision was complicated by the fact a representative scheduling change means the annual mid-year Pacific test will be held the same weekend as the Warriors’ glorious run could be coming to an end.
Instead, they produced their most complete performance of the season so far.
‘‘Not only did we win but we won pretty comprehensively,’’ McFadden said. ‘‘Most people thought we were going to falter but, internally, we had a real belief about what we were going to do. stand-alone Origin II in Sydney – so he couldn’t play for the Blues and Tonga.
Fifita, who has played 10 games for NSW, said he had made the decision to preference his Pacific heritage over his Blue jersey.
‘‘I’ve been putting it off for a while now ... but I won’t be playing Origin,’’ Fifta was reported to have told the Halfcast UFC Podcast.
‘‘I won’t be playing for Australia again and I’m sticking with Tonga.’’
‘‘Even with the late changes, we had a plan and we delivered it and the group is certainly building in confidence.’’
It was a special night for halfback Mason Lino. He has spent most of his career being Johnson’s understudy and in all eight of his previous NRL games with the Warriors, he’d been on the losing side.
‘‘In fairness to Mason, this Warriors 30 (Mason Lino, Leivaha Pulu, Solomone Kata, David Fusitu’a tries; Mason Lino 7 goals). Roosters 6 (Latrell Mitchell try; Latrell Mitchell goal). HT: 18-6. was the first time he’d played in the NRL when the team was going well,’’ McFadden said.
‘‘So it was great that he got the opportunity to play with a team that was confident and right from the start of the week we had an indication that he could be playing.
‘‘He didn’t put a foot wrong with his preparation and he fitted in nicely.’’
If there was one period in the win over the Roosters that typified how much they’ve changed, it was late in the first half when the Roosters were camped just outside the Warriors’ goal line.
The Warriors may have been fortunate not to get a player binned as they gave away five penalties in a row, but the players tackled and scrambled as if their lives depended on it.
That commitment hasn’t always been there in recent years.
‘‘That’s what our game is built on at the moment,’’ McFadden said.
‘‘Our attack went really well in terms of what we were doing but part of the pressure was holding them off in terms of scoring points and that puts equal pressure on them.
‘‘We’re scrambling and working for each other and it’s certainly building our energy at the moment.’’