It’s just one win, say Warriors
The Warriors are relishing their maiden win in Perth but the NRL club is well aware that one positive result does not make a season.
All the hard work the players put in throughout the pre-season was on display on Saturday night as the Warriors overpowered the South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-20.
Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck flourished under the revamped attacking structure, while Issac Luke was dynamic out of dummy-half.
The five new recruits all made an impact and the rugby league team looked a much fitter unit allround as they absorbed plenty of pressure on defence in the first half.
But Warriors assistant coach Andrew McFadden says no-one at the club is getting carried away and yesterday stressed the need to improve on the display against the Titans this weekend.
‘‘We’ve got to go back to work,’’ McFadden told
‘‘It wasn’t all happy days out there.
‘‘We got the clunks a little bit at the end but there was enough for the players to have a positive attitude going into next week. We’ve just got to make sure we keep working hard.’’
The victory ended a run of ninestraight defeats in Perth dating back to the Auckland outfit’s first win since June and first over the Rabbitohs in seven matches.
Even interchange prop Sam Lisone managed to score his first NRL try in his 64th appearance.
‘‘We came over here with a positive attitude to go after the game and we did that,’’ McFadden said. ‘‘We haven’t had any success here in Perth so it was always going to be a tough trip but we got the job done.
‘‘Defence is very important for any team that wants to do anything in the NRL so it has been a focus for us in the pre-season, as has changing our attacking style.’’
McFadden was particularly pleased with how the spine gelled together in attack.
New five-eighth Blake Green was the perfect foil for Johnson, who excelled with his running game, while Tuivasa-Sheck showed his ball-playing ability to set up two tries in the second half after saving two in the first.
The play turned scrappy in the final quarter as Solomone Kata was sent to the sin bin before a soft Rabbitohs try tarnished what was an otherwise solid defensive effort.
Still, there is plenty the coaching staff can build on as they head into round two.
‘‘Ultimately we steadied the ship and got the job done so we certainly want to celebrate it,’’ McFadden said.
‘‘But it’s just one game and that’s how we’ve got to look at it.’’
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