Failure to nail big moments costing Warriors
If the Warriors could close out games they’d be well entrenched inside the top eight of the NRL ladder. Instead they’re having another season where it will be a battle to play finals footy.
In the three games this season where it’s become a field-goal shootout, they’ve lost every time.
Firstly, they were sunk by a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal in Manly’s 13-12 win in round five, in round 12 Valentine Holmes’ field goal in the 79th minute handed the Cowboys a 29-28 victory.
Then on Saturday night the
Knights didn’t need to go for one point as Brodie Jones scored the matchwinning try in the 76th minute.
In the first of those games Sean O’Sullivan missed a field goal, in the second Chanel HarrisTavita put one wide and against the Knights Reece Walsh’s first attempt was charged down and he missed with the second.
That gave the Knights a seventackle set, which they scored from.
So that’s six points that have gone begging and with the ladder so congested below the top five teams, that’s going to make all the difference.
So while the Warriors are playing well in parts of games, they’re not winning those big moments.
‘‘It is disappointing and you feel for people who’ve put a lot of effort in,’’ Warriors coach Nathan Brown said. ‘‘But in Reece’s case he’s an 18-year-old kid who’s going to learn a lot and be a player for the longterm.
‘‘If they learn lessons it’s good. We lost 13-12 to Manly and got some stuff wrong that night as well in greasy conditions as well.
‘‘So that’s probably the most disappointing thing, that it’s the second time in those conditions where we could have done things differently to help ourselves and we didn’t quite get it right.’’
Queensland coach Paul Green will announce his team for Origin II today and the drums beating for Walsh to get a call up are getting louder, particularly with Kalyn Ponga expected to miss the game through injury.
Brown won’t stand in Walsh’s way if he gets picked, but he does believe a bit of perspective is needed.
‘‘I know there are a lot of people giving opinions on Reece who haven’t been where he’s been.
‘‘Six weeks ago no-one knew
Reece. I believe on social media he had 2000 followers when he first come to us, now he’s got about 140,000 and he’s come from playing nothing to a star.
‘‘A lot of the people giving opinions on Reece, when they played they slowly went ahead and they weren’t playing at 18.
‘‘These are blokes who were the best players of the past and their careers started at 19, 20 and 21 and slowly over time they got some fame.
‘‘Whereas Reece has gone from zero to 150 in a six-week block. It’s got to be difficult for a kid at 18 and he’s had a child along the way as well, so he’s had some life changing experiences.’’