Missed opportunities leave Warriors playing catch-up
As the Warriors head into the bye and reflect on the first half of the NRL season, there’s bound to be a lot of ‘what ifs’ reverberating around the camp on the NSW Central Coast.
Yes, there have been some encouraging signs, and the significant hurdles the club have overcome to remain in the hunt for the finals should not be glossed over.
Coach Nathan Brown has had zero luck with injuries, while the squad has had to come to terms with spending a second-straight season away from home in Australia.
But it’s also been a campaign marred by missed opportunity.
The last-gasp 29-28 defeat to the Cowboys was yet another example of a result the Warriors let slip away and the reason why they find themselves in 10th place with a 5-7 record, instead of entrenched in the top eight.
Post-match Brown focused on the two games when they were beaten by field goals as he analysed his team’s failure to do the same.
But the latest defeat joins the forgettable round five loss against Manly, the early-season loss to Newcastle and the reverse clash with the Sea Eagles as games where the Warriors were guilty of blowing winning positions.
‘‘We’ve lost two games now where we’ve had a shot at a field goal and missed. It’s something we need to get better at,’’ Brown said.
‘‘The staff probably need to help with the practice and facilitate some stuff there, but I’ve got no issues with trying to score a try. I thought if we had executed a play we might have scored, for sure.
‘‘When we got in range and got ourselves in the correct spot with enough time, we just didn’t make the play. We could’ve secured it a little bit before that, though.’’
Brown was referring to the Warriors’ game management in
the final 10 minutes, which came into question as they failed to protect a six-point lead.
A head knock to Kodi Nikorima didn’t help, but young playmakers Chanel Harris-Tavita and Reece Walsh face a steep learning curve playing in such important positions with little experience to call on.
Apart from the season-opening win over the Titans, the Warriors’ four other victories were all by six points or less so they do have it in them.
But it’s clear they need to start nailing the close contests more consistently, particularly with a run of three straight matches against teams on the fringe of the top eight (Knights, Dragons and Sharks) following the June 13 game against Melbourne, which may well end up defining their season.
There is some good news on the horizon, though.
Marquee signing Addin Fonua-Blake is on track to make an early return from a serious knee injury against the Storm, which would elevate the Warriors’ go-forward to a new level.
Then there’s the continued brilliance of Walsh at fullback.
The rookie sensation produced
another stellar display, igniting the second-half comeback against the Cowboys with a runaway try, a try assist and four tackle breaks.
But that it came after a first half in which he struggled to make an impact shows why Brown was so eager to minimise expectations on the 18-year-old.
The coach may have no choice but to give Walsh an extra week off after he was cited with a grade one striking charge, which carries a one-match ban with an early guilty plea.
‘‘Everyone just sees all the good things. There’s so much work to being a fullback and being a good fullback that requires a lot of juice in your legs and experience as well,’’ Brown said.
‘‘Reece’s experience at playing fullback at a high level is a couple of [Queensland] Cup games and first-grade games, so it’s an extremely big ask of us to expect so much of a younger player in that position.’’
Centre Adam Pompey is also facing a one-match ban with an early plea or two at the judiciary for a crusher tackle, while lock Jazz Tevaga escaped suspension after being fined for a late tackle on Heilum Luki.