Pick Your Team 2023 Warriors vs Knights - Week 2 Finals (Pick Your Team)

[Makasene]

Any update on SJ? Anyone know a friend of a friends, uncles niece that has any more information?

Last I heard, SJ was unbelievable

 

[Stalefish540]

You could not sum up my thoughts any better than what you have.

Coaching is hard, Selection is damn hard - every time a coach makes a selection he is putting his neck on the line, hence why you see so many coaches stick to something that to others is obviously not the right option.

Agreed, easy to coach from the couch.

But even Joe Bloggs from his couch knows you need a good kicking game at any grade higher than park footy?

 

[Ryno 2.0]

Agreed, easy to coach from the couch.

But even Joe Bloggs from his couch knows you need a good kicking game at any grade higher than park footy?

A couple of couch coach thoughts:
- I think we overrate our small 'mobile forward pack' alot and if you limit AFB like the Panthers did then you shutdown a lot of our momentum
- Warriors now have less momentum so it is now easier to target TMM & Walker, who don't have great long kicking games. You start to win the territory battle and are playing more footy in the attacking half.
- Winning the territory battle you now have more opportunities, and can apply a lot more pressure on the opposition forcing them into fatigue and mistakes
- You also immediately target the edges on attack as there are new defensive combinations (TMM / Niukore / Berry, Walker / Ford / Pompey) and assume there will be gaps due to a lack of trust and time together.

If we roll out a similar team to last week, then I think the Knights have an easy blue print to implement.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Does anybody actually rate Sirros game better than the other options we have for our bench, or is it his versatility that gets him the nod?
I think there's been about 3 games this year where I thought he was actually effective in his main role as a back rower. The rest of the games he's come on and been okay, or has plugged a hole due to injury.

Imo that's the guy you leave out this week. If someone gets injured, that's unfortunate and you play the next best person there - i.e Walker at hooker or half, Niukore in the centres etc. I know that ends up weakening our overall team and plan, but I argue also picking someone like Sirro as a 'just in case' also weakens our overall plan, as we can either chose to have a specialist hooker or an extra prop on the bench. Imo after watching us last week, I think we need another prop.

Barnett went well last week with starting and then coming back later on, so imo we keep to that. If Barnett starts, we should have Ale on the bench as he provides more impact than Bunty does - bigger hits, more meters and post contact meters.
And while I would have preferred to have Bunty starting and Barnett coming off the bench, Webby had the option to do that last week and chose not to, so it would be strange call to then revert back to that for week 2.

For me, Barnett and Curran to start.

Walker
Jazz
Ford
Ale/Lussick

 

[Makasene]

Does anybody actually rate Sirros game better than the other options we have for our bench, or is it his versatility that gets him the nod?
I think there's been about 3 games this year where I thought he was actually effective in his main role as a back rower. The rest of the games he's come on and been okay, or has plugged a hole due to injury.

Imo that's the guy you leave out this week. If someone gets injured, that's unfortunate and you play the next best person there - i.e Walker at hooker or half, Niukore in the centres etc. I know that ends up weakening our overall team and plan, but I argue also picking someone like Sirro as a 'just in case' also weakens our overall plan, as we can either chose to have a specialist hooker or an extra prop on the bench. Imo after watching us last week, I think we need another prop.

Barnett went well last week with starting and then coming back later on, so imo we keep to that. If Barnett starts, we should have Ale on the bench as he provides more impact than Bunty does - bigger hits, more meters and post contact meters.
And while I would have preferred to have Bunty starting and Barnett coming off the bench, Webby had the option to do that last week and chose not to, so it would be strange call to then revert back to that for week 2.

For me, Barnett and Curran to start.

Walker
Jazz
Ford
Ale/Lussick

I rate Siros versatility but it is completely nullified when you also pick replacement specialists on the bench.

Siro and Lussick should never ever ever be on the same bench, ever.

If you pick Lussick, fine but then you need another middle (Bunty or Ale).

Siro has filled in admirably at 9 when needed which to be fair has not been that often across the entire season, making a specialist hooking replacement even more the puzzling.

 

[tyrael]

What time is team announcement usually?

 

[Bluecat]

No Curran?

Sh*t!!!!! Of course Curran
Thank god Webby has a better memory of the roster than I do

 

[Canadian_Warriors_Fan]

What time is team announcement usually?

6 pm today, NZT.

 

[Kestrel84]

Imagine the overwhelming deflating feeling if SJ isn't named.. The team isn't about one man, but the game pretty much lives and dies with him.

 

[Makasene]

Imagine the overwhelming deflating feeling if SJ isn't named.. The team isn't about one man, but the game pretty much lives and dies with him.

He will be named at 7.

Does not mean he will play though...

 

[Roons75]

My thoughts:

Sironen v Lussick:
Sironen does not have utility value. He is a terrible second rower who falls off tackles. Would be a target. Good dummy half service though - better than Lussicks. Lussick is the better defender, which is weird for a little bloke.
I don't think I would pick either for this game. It's gonna have to be Jazz/Walker at hooker for some minutes. Lussick needs to concentrate on passing at training.

Curran versus Ford starting:
Curran all day, every day. Less errors and altho he had a disappointing start to the season he has been everywhere in the last couple of games. They have the same enthusiasm but Curran's comes with less errors and he is more dangerous on attack.

Montoya versus Kosi.
Montoya is all effort but is in a form slump. Have loved his game these last 2 years but it's time to bring in Kosi. Kosi caught everything that came his way until he got injured. Effort off the ball is a work on tho.

We need st least one more big body on the bench. Would probably go go Bunty with his excellent defence.

If SJ doesn't play, Volkman has to. I liker his effort in the Dolphins game. He tried things other than the short passing we employed against Penrith. We need to play a little more expensively so as not to become too one dimensional. The short passing game is a strength tho.

CNK
DWZ
Berry
Pompey
Kosi
TMM
Johnson/Volkman
AFB
Egan
Bunty/Barnett
Niukore
Curran
Harris

Walker
Jaz
Barnett/Bunty
 Ford

 

[Tonbridge(aka Swanley)]

My theory is...

Webster names Volkman, SJ won't play.

He rarely makes the same mistake twice any we need a better kicking game.

 

[Possum11]

Even if SJ does not play the warriors should beat Newcastle

 

[Natural Born Warrior]

If the future is highly mobile ball playing forwards then I want Webster to stick with it, even at the cost of size.
These games are much faster, and we get the short end of the stick (we have to make more tackles in bad field position). Our bigger guys if someone gets injured are not going to be much use if they have to run around for an hour or more at that pace.

The small bench was working in the early part of the year, we had the best rotation going I thought, until injury came along and messed with it all. Especially the Walker Tevanga combo.

Every game is going to be fast and hopefully tight finals affairs, and you therefore need guys that can recover and play at that intensity the following week, and the week after that, and the week after that.

Getting Jazz fit, using a defensive guy like Lussick, Siro, just makes sense if you want to have combinations and the type of bench that can survive this massive battle of attrition now that we have to try stay alive for four of the hardest games there are in the NRL in a row.

Even if we end up needing some new signings or promotions from our reserve grade side next year to make this model work, we should be playing the team that way so that it becomes a new Warriors playing model that runs for years.

I do not agree with losing our nerve and changing for the sake of a few extra kilos per hit up.

I think guys like Jazz, Walker, Marata and Barnett who have missed a lot of minutes (Walker via a short injection role) will be getting a lot fitter as we progress and we will see the fruits of the Webster model this week and against the Broncos.

That's not the future.

The future is the Broncos. Young, big, fast and debuting early. Huge depth and huge impact players. We have NO impact players in the current side.

Warriors have little to none of that at the moment and that's why they can't win the NRL title. If they don't inject the young guys into the team next year then highly likely they will not be top 4 either.

There are young talent at the Warriors that can make a difference in the years to come. Warriors will need to debut them though like the Broncos did.

 

[Zaggo]

Realistically, Webby isn't going to start chopping and changing at this point in the season. It would reek of desperation and would completely erode the players confidence.

I think we'll see the same name as initially named last week, so SJ in and Lussick out.

 

[slime]

As a complete season I think selections have gone well, but there have been a couple of games where the selections gave us less chance to win which is a concern. Throughout the year a lot of selections were actually forced due to availability. It has given the team a chance to try a few things, and at this stage of the season I think you have to go with what you learned over that time, there's no time to try something new and untested. In saying that from what I can tell just from watching games, I think the best lineup would be:

1. CNK
2. DWZ
3. Berry
4. Pompey
5. Montoya

I don't think you can change those 5 at this stage. Montoya is definitely out of form, but the only one who could come in is Kosi and I don't think he's going to offer more right now. Also throwing someone like Tuapiki in is something you would try in the middle of the year, not now.

6. TMM
7. Johnson / Volkman

With Metcalf out it is what it is. If Johnson is out then replace him with the backup halfback, we need a kicking game.

8. AFB
9. Egan
10. Afoa
11. Niukore
12. Curran
13. Harris

Changes I'd like to see... bring back Bunty, lots of talk on here before/after he was dropped or whatever happened, got me on board with him going out there to do a simple job at the start of the game, and it will be good to have Barnett come on while AFB has a breather. The other is Curran over Ford, as I think he's a bit more reliable and offers a bit more.

14. Walker
15. Barnett
16. Ford
17. Sironen / Tevaga / Ale / Lussick *

18. Tevaga / Sironen

* I'd look at excluding Jazz because I haven't seen him offer much since he came back, and the team has looked clunky in that period too. Potentially he could take Sironen's place, but Sironen is a reliable backup option where needed. I think either could be the 18th man as they will come in and do whatever they need o should they be forced into the game. I haven't seen enough from Ale is year for him to break into the squad but he's an option. Lussick could be there but only if he spells Egan either at the start or the middle.

To me it looks like Webster sometimes carries too much insurance on the bench, with the likes of Lussick being there but not getting regular time, he must have been there just in case Egan went down. I think you should go in with the mindset that there will be no injuries and you'll be able to use your bench to a plan, but be able to adapt to the game when you have to. There are enough versatile players in the squad to work something out.

PS: I still think Webster and co are doing a much better job then a lot of our previous coaching teams. The team selection/bench rotation was always one of the really dumb parts of several bad years.

 

[Up the guttz]

Pretty sure SJ will be named today. Then we wait with bated breath, until the 24 hour team, then repeat until the 1 hour team

 

[Lance155]

Pretty sure SJ will be named today. Then we wait with bated breath, until the 24 hour team, then repeat until the 1 hour team

100% this happens

 

[sup42]

We've already lost our streak against the Dolphins, so that wasn't an issue anyway.

We were completely one dimensional in attack on Saturday, Walker looked exactly as he did earlier in the season in that role which isn't a slight on him he just isn't a half. Webby saying in the presser that if SJ is out they will run Martin and Walker again is insanity in my eyes.

As proven on Saturday, you can't do shite without a kicker in a finals match. If SJ is out and Volkman is not selected with Martin back to the left, and Walker to the bench then we really aren't trying to win the match for mine.

It appears losing Metcalf and now SJ has caused major issues. Metcalf didn't kick much, but the ones I saw were far better than anything thrown up on Saturday.

With Volkman is seems obvious that this is about player welfare.

Webster does not think he is ready and the rushing him into these games may or may not work, but the risk to Volkmans development as an emerging talent is too high.

To say we are not trying to win due to selections is an over reach.

I think people are forgetting that Ivan Cleary ignored the fact that a young SJ was carving up Reggies and held him out for ages until (as Stacey Jones confirmed in an interview) the special tackling program they had him on worked and they saw he was NRL ready.

It is funny to read all the fans who are questioning Webster now because he is not doing what they think he should.

Why is it the coach is always wrong with selection when we lose games? . I don't like Ford, but I start from a place that says Webster knows what I do not know end of story.

Here is the thing, I love reading peoples opinions especially those that offer something different (that is the function of a forum) but people say Webster is making insane calls, or not the coach of the year calls, or making his first mistakes because their opinion differs from the outside on a couch???

Come on.

 

[Billyspleen75]

With Volkman is seems obvious that this is about player welfare.

Webster does not think he is ready and the rushing him into these games may or may not work, but the risk to Volkmans development as an emerging talent is too high.

To say we are not trying to win due to selections is an over reach.

I think people are forgetting that Ivan Cleary ignored the fact that a young SJ was carving up Reggies and held him out for ages until (as Stacey Jones confirmed in an interview) the special tackling program they had him on worked and they saw he was NRL ready.

It is funny to read all the fans who are questioning Webster now because he is not doing what they think he should.

Why is it the coach is always wrong with selection when we lose games? (incredible arrogance is my harassment) . I don't like Ford, but I start from a place that says Webster knows what I do not know end of story.

Here is the thing, I love reading peoples opinions especially those that offer something different (that is the function of a forum) but people say Webster is making insane calls, or not the coach of the year calls, or making his first mistakes because their opinion differs from the outside on a couch???

Come on.

Johnson debuted because Brett Seymour was out injured with a fractured cheekbone..