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

[Tookey 2.0]

What I really want to see this week is our boys be able to see what is happening and respond. I think just before Cleary's try last week we were pinned in our 10m for 3 or 4 tackles. No throwing it wide, kicking early, or seeing what is in front of them and trying to adapt...they did the same thing. I feel this is what we've been guilty of when we've started to struggle in the last few weeks.

SJ was great against Manly I think it was, where he started kicking early and disrupting their plans to pin us in our half. We need to be brave - not all the time and at the first sign of trouble, but we need more than just SJ to do this. Egan needs to help, Tohu and AFB with some passes between the forwards. Low and behold, when Barnett started offloading against the Panthers last week we looked the most dangerous we had allgame. Calculated risks, and mixing things up to keep the opposition guessing

 

[Wellington Taniwha]

I thought Ponga not getting sent for HIA was strange (not in context of the game) but no consistency. He wasn't all there at the end.

'Should be stood down': NRL fans in uproar over 'garbage' Kalyn Ponga farce

Kalyn Ponga kicked the winning goal as the Knights knocked the Raiders out of the NRL finals. Read more here.

au.sports.yahoo.com

Raiders fans not happy.

 

[enterthewarrior]

They have had much better form than us and have beat better opponents. Anyone down rating them is silly.

Well then you won't like reading the post I made a few pages back. I guess I'm silly.

 

[snake77]

This will be a tough game.

We had a good battle with them in round 1. Could have gone either way.

They got us a month or so later. We were off but they were also very good.

They are now on a winning streak and that will give them confidence. When you are winning you find ways to win like they did on the weekend.

We are coming off two losses. I'm not to concerned seeing as one was due to resting players and the next time was against the defending premiers. Like in the fight sports when you take on a long reigning champ and it is your first time going into the championship rounds you realise there are levels. The game against the Panthers will have taught us a lot along with providing some motivation to turn things around.

The home crowd full to capacity for the first finals experience in a long time should also help.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

Just clicked that this is the Nathan Brown Bowl.. Thinking about Nathan Brown is like thinking of "The Game", I'm quite disappointed in myself

I wonder if he would like to "take a little credit" for this semi happening lol

 

[Lance155]

As much as our fans are down rating the Knights, their fans are doing the same about our lot.

The truth is, we are even. A lot of Warrior fans won't like hearing that, but the Knights have earned their stripes in the second half of the season.

The Raiders was their worst game out of their form games, and we saw how to upset them, you bash them and disrupt Ponga.

We also saw through the Raiders attack that taking settler hit ups is a waste of a tackle and that throwing dummies and trying to catch them out is also a wasted tackle.

Their defence is far too good to cave in for readable simple plays.

The edge they have over us is that they can score long range try's and that is not something we can counter punch back with, we do not have long range attack.

The edge we have on them is that we can move sides around through our forwards and then quick shift to Dallin (SJ's inclusion dependent),.

They are better under high balls on attack.

Our forwards have better foot speed and footwork near the line off a crash ball short pass.

SJ and Ponga are the key. Ponga is better at creating space with speed and pass, SJ is better at consistency with his direction and organizing.

Both are good defenders, but SJ edges Ponga.

Dallin Vs Dom Young....comes out pretty even with Dom Young having a long range option thanks to Pongas creativity and speed.

It will be a close game, but we are a decent chance of winning.

I think a big thing to consider is they looked nervous and we didn't. Sure it wasn't an elimination for us but still a finals game

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Looks like Knights will be without Jackson Hastings and potentially Fitzgibbon too...

 

[Jonno13]

What happened to Fitzgibbon?

 

[tyrael]

The only thing I am worried about is knights right side attack. Carved up raiders and against Monty/ Pompey they are going to have a field day.

 

[Up the guttz]

As much as our fans are down rating the Knights, their fans are doing the same about our lot.

The truth is, we are even. A lot of Warrior fans won't like hearing that, but the Knights have earned their stripes in the second half of the season.

The Raiders was their worst game out of their form games, and we saw how to upset them, you bash them and disrupt Ponga.

We also saw through the Raiders attack that taking settler hit ups is a waste of a tackle and that throwing dummies and trying to catch them out is also a wasted tackle.

Their defence is far too good to cave in for readable simple plays.

The edge they have over us is that they can score long range try's and that is not something we can counter punch back with, we do not have long range attack.

The edge we have on them is that we can move sides around through our forwards and then quick shift to Dallin (SJ's inclusion dependent),.

They are better under high balls on attack.

Our forwards have better foot speed and footwork near the line off a crash ball short pass.

SJ and Ponga are the key. Ponga is better at creating space with speed and pass, SJ is better at consistency with his direction and organizing.

Both are good defenders, but SJ edges Ponga.

Dallin Vs Dom Young....comes out pretty even with Dom Young having a long range option thanks to Pongas creativity and speed.

It will be a close game, but we are a decent chance of winning.

Yep will be a pretty even game. I’m just hoping the crowd will get us over the line. They won’t like coming here!

 

[John Nick]

Yep will be a pretty even game. I’m just hoping the crowd will get us over the line. They won’t like coming here!

We have to stand up to their forwards
It will be won upfront.

 

[Canonball]

hum, Tohu was actually charged ... took an early guilty and will play ... but still...

 

[MaybeTop8]

How is Kalyn Ponga still in contention? He was clearly knocked out and concussed!!

 

[Since95]

This week is SJ is out we need to play Volkman, for kicking game alone, we are not beating anyone with the kicking game we had today and I never want to see Pompey do a short drop out ever again

Agree.

I watched the dismantling of Raiders and it was on the back of Volks kicking. He just had way more time and territory than his last start vs Phins.


On the changes I don't think we need to make any than to get Walker black to bench and SJ in.

Can muck around with the bench if you feel the need. But Pompey defensively was very good, until Cleary pulled the back door trigger and he had to quickly change tack. (We know his acceleration isn't the best) and then Montoya needed to stick his one offs. Which is hard for any team against panthers.

But without him it could have been a lot worse.

Leataua might offer more speed but he's yet to be checked against grade Centres. So could offer up more defensive frailties.

I'd like to see an outside the box option like Tuaupiki on the bench instead of Lussick quick speed out of Dummy half. Some line breaks perhaps a few quick play of the ball. Similar to how Bennett used Kodi Nikorima when he hit grade.

Maybe even Going instead of Bunty. He has a Liam Martin vibe about him.

Think Bench will be Jazz, Walker, Curran/Ford,Siro

 

[LeagueJunkie]

How is Kalyn Ponga still in contention? He was clearly knocked out and concussed!!

The NRL need their golden child Ponga to make an appearance for those all important finals ratings. Nevermind the fact that it was only earlier this year that he had to undergo neurological scans in Canada and required clearance from a neurologist before being able to return to play. The NRL are fucking stupid.

 

[Bluecat]

Will be a sad end to 2023 campaign if SJ is not fit for the upcoming game.

How things have changed. I liked that post. Last season (and everyone before it) I would have bagged SJ.
He has done so well and whether we win or lose on Saturday I think he deserves to be there. He has earned it
As for the team?
The usual backing with Johnson if he's fit or Volkman if he's not.
Tohu at 13
Niukore
Ford
Bunty
Egan
AFB

Reserves
Barnett
Walker
Sironen
Ale

Tuapiki head knock cover

I have gone for Sironen because he covers a couple of roles and Ale gets a seat because the new guys are possibly not up to a final this season. We need to go back to what we have been building and what has worked all season. It is too late for changes other than injury replacements.

 

[Inruin]

How things have changed. I liked that post. Last season (and everyone before it) I would have bagged SJ.
He has done so well and whether we win or lose on Saturday I think he deserves to be there. He has earned it
As for the team?
The usual backing with Johnson if he's fit or Volkman if he's not.
Tohu at 13
Niukore
Ford
Bunty
Egan
AFB

Reserves
Barnett
Walker
Sironen
Ale

Tuapiki head knock cover

I have gone for Sironen because he covers a couple of roles and Ale gets a seat because the new guys are possibly not up to a final this season. We need to go back to what we have been building and what has worked all season. It is too late for changes other than injury replacements.

No Curran?

 

[Wahs Up TV]

Jazz needs to improve quite abit within a week to be able to make the 17 for me. Bunty or Ale could prove to be abit more value at this stage over Jazz.
Webby is riding these starters hard, they all look abit gassed for mine. I wonder if we could swap curran for Ford for that first 20.

I think you have to put Dylan at 14 to take some load off Tohu, Its abit counter productive atm if Dyls stay in the halves as Tohu continues to grind at lock. We missed an energetic ball playing Tohu.

I reckon you go with a Volkman based on the opposition missing Hastings. Niukore is a very solid inside defender and Berry can cover quite well, I think you cant afford to sacrifice decent halves play at this stage of the finals, you need to have some consistency on attack even if you lose abit of defence to accomodate for it in Volkman.

If SJ is healthy that solves alot of issues.

I think the team Webby selected last week depended alot on us having even posession and field position, as soon as we made errors and penalties and leaked points that immediately nullified that bench and we couldnt win any period of dominance in the game.

Ale for mine would be your impact forward over bunty but we need at least one of those 2 i think to balance the middles out abit better.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Will be a sad end to 2023 campaign if SJ is not fit for the upcoming game.

Worth having him in even on crutches. He isn't just pivotal for playmaking he has "presence" now late in his career

 

[Est95]

The bench was too weird against the Panthers. Was no point in Lussick being there

1-5 the same
6. TMM
7. SJ (RV if SJ out)

AFB, Egan, Barnett
Ford, Niukore,
Tohu

Walker, Jazz, Curran, Siro