TeamList [2023, Finals Week 1] - Penrith Vs Warriors

[Rick O’Shay]

We played these guys in regular season and nearly tipped them even with a half broken team. They will remember that and even though they've had a stellar season I reckon there will be a little bit of nervousness in the Panther ranks.

We get back to the style we had earlier in the season and we have a decent chance of applying some pressure . As the Eels showed, while the Panthers are very good, they're not invincible.

Picking it will be a cracker of a game and Webby will have a masterplan.

 

[Citygirl]

Penrith forum.
we been gassed all month.

Week 1 Finals v NZW

https://www.theroar.com.au/2023/09/03/round-27-talking-points-and-then-there-were-eight-the-key-factors-that-will-make-or-break-finals-hopes/

forums.leagueunlimited.com

The few pages I read didn't mention the game at all. More bitching than on here
Anyway, 3 sleeps to go

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

The few pages I read didn't mention the game at all. More bitching than on here
Anyway, 3 sleeps to go

Same.

The panthers player Soni Luke being picked this week after his ‘Hopoate’ appears to have poked a few posters the wrong way.

Pretty feral bunch there

 

[Canadian_Warriors_Fan]

Same.

The panthers player Soni Luke being picked this week after his ‘Hopoate’ appears to have poked a few posters the wrong way.

Pretty feral bunch there

 

[Kiwi In Tasmania]

The Panthers forum certainly don't give us a chance at all. Not much talk about us as serious competition.

 

[Boats n Hoes]

No idea where all this optimism is
coming from… emotion is one hell of a drug

I get it, but personally I prefer cold hard tactics and a solid foundation of game play why we'll win a game as opposed to enthusiastic optimism from fans.

In my experience on these boards their the first ones to turn on the team when performance doesn't match their optimism.

I see a few are mentioning we've been holding back or not showing our cards the latter rounds and this Penrith match our full gambit of tricks will be on display......truth is teams have identified our second man shifts and their outsides are defending up high either cutting it off or taking away time to be able to execute.....u can damn well bet Penrith led by Crichton and Co will doing this....hard.

We haven't adapted to this hence why our wins have been a bit on the scrappy side. Tbh I see this as much a test for Webster as it is for the players to see if he can adapt and change tactics..... which is needed in finals footy.....If their pushing up fast means there's space in behind the line, I favour early in the match chips behind which may just put that defensive line in 2 minds and that extra yard of space we need.

Optimism and enthusiasm is all well and good but we're going to need a good dose of smarts if we're going to topple the Premiers.

 

[Beastmode]

I get it, but personally I prefer cold hard tactics and a solid foundation of game play why we'll win a game as opposed to enthusiastic optimism from fans.

In my experience on these boards their the first ones to turn on their team when it doesn't go as they thought.

I see a few are mentioning we've been holding back or not showing our cards the latter rounds and this Penrith match our full gambit of tricks will be on display......truth is teams have identified our second man shifts and their outsides are defending up high either cutting it off or taking away time to be able to execute.....u can damn we'll bet Penrith led by Crichton and Co will doing this....hard.

We haven't adapted to this we'll hence why our wins have been a bit on the scrappy side. Tbh I see this as much a test for Webster as it is for the players to see if he can adapt and change tactics..... which is needed in finals footy.....If their pushing up fast means there's space in behind the line I favour early in the match chips behind which may put that defensive line in 2 minds.

Optimism and enthusiasm is all well and good but we're going to need a good dose of smarts if we're going to topple the Premiers.

Emotion + imagination = ?

But Yeah , the stone cold truth is you’re gonna get a similar repeat on what happened last weekend with the dolphins.

Logically you would assume we’ll struggle to compete for a full 80mins.

They are the best team in the comp by a country mile. Experienced in finals footy. They’ve been to this big dance so many times. They know what it takes to win. We are still learning.

But I love optimism.

Optimism = hope.

And you need hope + belief if you’re any chance of winning.

I guess we find out on Saturday if Webby has any new tricks up hi sleeve, but I won’t get my hopes up on it.

Sorry to kill the goods vibes in here

 

[sup42]

The Panthers forum certainly don't give us a chance at all. Not much talk about us as serious competition.

Yeah I see in the general finals thread of the across forums website LU that the Panthers fans are carrying on like right tits.
Rubbish like if we lose it is because Ivan chose the longer path.

They are even more brain washed than we are in the cult of Webster.

 

[sup42]

I get it, but personally I prefer cold hard tactics and a solid foundation of game play why we'll win a game as opposed to enthusiastic optimism from fans.

In my experience on these boards their the first ones to turn on their team when it doesn't go as they thought.

I see a few are mentioning we've been holding back or not showing our cards the latter rounds and this Penrith match our full gambit of tricks will be on display......truth is teams have identified our second man shifts and their outsides are defending up high either cutting it off or taking away time to be able to execute.....u can damn well bet Penrith led by Crichton and Co will doing this....hard.

We haven't adapted to this hence why our wins have been a bit on the scrappy side. Tbh I see this as much a test for Webster as it is for the players to see if he can adapt and change tactics..... which is needed in finals footy.....If their pushing up fast means there's space in behind the line, I favour early in the match chips behind which may just put that defensive line in 2 minds and that extra yard of space we need.

Optimism and enthusiasm is all well and good but we're going to need a good dose of smarts if we're going to topple the Premiers.

I don't think our players have the experience to adapt to a changed game plan.

In which case it comes down to two things, our defence (if they cannot score we cannot lose) and individual brilliance with SJ playing eyes up to counter the Panthers up fast and spoiling defence of our second man shifts.

Egan can put a man over under the posts.

But if you are looking for a point of difference then the focus is on TMM, and us having that ability to use width when we know the Panthers will be stacking their left edge defence because of Dallin.

Also a large reason why teams have been bothering us is we went away from the 15 minute injection of Walker and Jazz which kept our game at hyper speed then hit warp speed, which told later in contests.

Penriths cheating line speed and gang tackle you backwards lasts for about 15 minutes each half, the issue is surviving it and or not being exhausted out of the game, I see the early use of the bald bros as a critical counter here, especially since the Panthers have never faced the bald bros, they have never played TMM and SJ in the same game.

We all hope our guys are so mentally ready for this that we see their best, if that happens I think we will hit hard and get out smiling.

I believe we will be up for it, cheifly because on that private plane flight, these boys will know they are going to war with all the best soldiers we have, nothing is more confidence inspiring in a NZ team.

 

[miket12]

What could have been.....



Nathan Cleary supporting the Warriors at a pre-season match in Rotorua, 2010.

 

[sup42]

Warriorholic does great Stats comparisons of the players and generally.

Stat wise our forward pack is better if you match Fisher Harris with AFB as best forwards we definitely have the superior starting pack.

 

[miket12]

Nrl.com have compiled a list of the most under rated player in each team playing in the finals. From the Wahs, it is the one, the only, the GOAT

Rocco Berry (Warriors)​

An important part of what has been a high-performing right edge through the second half of this season, which has included helping to make sure Dallin Watene-Zelezniak gets the right ball at the right time in the lead up to many of his 21 tries.

Berry is invariably also the player leading the kick chase down the right side for the Warriors – something which goes mostly unnoticed but has contributed greatly to Shaun Johnson enjoying success in that area of the game – while his physicality in defence has been effective closer to the line too.

Unlikely to be the man to bust the game open or come up with a game-changing play in attack, but someone who the team relies on to do lots of little things well in order for the wider game plan to be executed.

NRL Finals: Each team's underrated player to watch

The Telstra Premiership finals are here and while the stars will no doubt shine, some of the lesser-known quantities across the eight teams will have crucial roles to play.

www.nrl.com

 

[Cces]

I must confess I haven't read from Page 2 onwards, but it seems like not having Volkman on the extended is a vote of no confidence in him. If SJ went down we'd run with Walker at 6 & TMM at 7. It'd tick the big match experience box but we'd struggle whenever we'd need to kick long

 

[Worried2Death]

Same.

The panthers player Soni Luke being picked this week after his ‘Hopoate’ appears to have poked a few posters the wrong way.

Pretty feral bunch there

Looks like all they talk about is buttholes in Penrith, just as I thought.

Can't help agreeing with this guy though, we don't want Soni up our wahs all night.

 

[Zarjaz]

Warriorholic does great Stats comparisons of the players and generally.

Was a good watch that eh, thing that stood out to me though, was how stacked their tackle/line breaks stats are across the board. Our guys will have their work cut out for them.

 

[juju]

We're the biggest betting outsiders of the weekend at the TAB... and the Raiders have half a team missing playing a team on a 10 match streak...

 

[Inruin]

NRL: Coach Andrew Webster's Warriors embrace underdog status for finals blockbuster against Penrith Panthers

Coach Andrew Webster believes he's identified some weaknesses in his former Panthers that are ripe for exploitation.

www.newshub.co.nz

 

[Playdaball]

A friend , with a connection to the Warriors, mentioned that SJ is not looking good for this Saturday’s game .
Just passing on a message - don’t shoot the messenger

 

[Burty]

A friend , with a connection to the Warriors, mentioned that SJ is not looking good for this Saturday’s game .
Just passing on a message - don’t shoot the messenger

Not looking good as in........needs a shave, a haircut? Seemed to be moving freely at training based on what was posted on social media.

 

[JaggedJ]

Nrl.com have compiled a list of the most under rated player in each team playing in the finals. From the Wahs, it is the one, the only, the GOAT

Rocco Berry (Warriors)​

An important part of what has been a high-performing right edge through the second half of this season, which has included helping to make sure Dallin Watene-Zelezniak gets the right ball at the right time in the lead up to many of his 21 tries.

Berry is invariably also the player leading the kick chase down the right side for the Warriors – something which goes mostly unnoticed but has contributed greatly to Shaun Johnson enjoying success in that area of the game – while his physicality in defence has been effective closer to the line too.

Unlikely to be the man to bust the game open or come up with a game-changing play in attack, but someone who the team relies on to do lots of little things well in order for the wider game plan to be executed.

NRL Finals: Each team's underrated player to watch

The Telstra Premiership finals are here and while the stars will no doubt shine, some of the lesser-known quantities across the eight teams will have crucial roles to play.

www.nrl.com

Recognise!!!!!

All hail, the Berrysiah