Kearney’s early moves look to hit the right spots

The new NRL season is still in its infancy but going into the Warriors’ game against Wests Tigers tomorrow night, it already appears that Stephen Kearney has pulled off one of the coaching moves of the year.

The decision to move centre Solomone Kata to the right edge, to team up with David Fusitu’a, while Peta Hiku goes in the other direction to partner Ken Maumalo, seemed like a subtle change.

However, from the evidence in the Warriors’ 40-6 win over the Bulldogs last Saturday, it’s having a significant impact.

Last year Fusitu’a was the NRL’s leading tryscorer, with 23 fourpointers to his name, but Maumalo bagged only five tries, so clearly the Warriors’ right edge was the more productive one.

But this year, the Warriors look a more balanced team on the edges, with the combinations out wide gelling quickly.

It may seem like a coaching masterstroke from Kearney, but for Kata the switch was something he always wanted to do, but was reluctant to speak up about.

‘‘It’s hard to go to the coaches and tell them what I want,’’ the 24-yearold Kata said.

‘‘They saw me debut on the left edge when I played my first game in the NRL [against the Knights in 2015].

‘‘But the only reason why I was on the left because I was taking an opportunity, that was the only chance I got to have a crack in the team.

‘‘So after that game I carried on playing on the left and I was shocked when Stacey Jones asked me if I could play on the right, but he was my coach in the 20s.’’

A telling moment in the win over the Bulldogs came when Fusitu’a leaped up to a crossfield kick, batted the ball down to Kata inside him, then dived over to score a try.

Rather than it being a spontaneous moment of great attack play, Kata revealed it was something they’d been working on.

‘‘That’s what we’ve done in every training session,’’ he said.

‘‘Every team in the NRL knows what David is capable of, he’s probably the best jumper in the NRL at the moment.

‘‘So we’d been practising it and that I’d let him know I’d be on his inside, because we know the defender can hit the attacker in the air, so the first time, the Bulldogs did that.

‘‘I told David, ‘next time I’ll be inside you and I’ll let you know if it’s on’.

‘‘With the second kick I shouted at him loud as he said he didn’t see me, but he threw it back and luckily I was in the right spot.’’ Warriors:

PHOTOSPORT David Fusitu’a, left, and Solomone Kata are all smiles as their well-worked plans pay off against the Bulldogs.