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

[afakasi247]

Losing is not an option this week. For our season to be a success in the post season, we need to have won at least one finals game. We MUST win this game - no excuses.

If we get the job done, we earn the right to be 80 minutes away from a grand final and legitimately call ourselves a top 4 team.

If Melbourne beat the Chooks, then Penrith will beat them in the prelim. The Broncos CAN be beaten in a one off match. Winning this week (and winning well) gives us the confidence we need to take them on.

Beat the Broncos? Then a shot at redemption against the 'Up the Pahs' mob - third time is a charm, right?

Anyway. 1st job. We simply CANNOT lose at home. Start there. Let's knock out the Knights who have done well to make it this far. Time to extinguish their flame.

This is perfect. Exactly how I feel.

Sure, we should be proud of the boys making the Top 4 this year, after being written off before the season began.

But there’s a difference between making the Top 4, and being a Top 4 side.

This can’t just be a feel-good moment. This “Up the Wahs” movement can’t just be a faze.

This has to be something that is built upon long term.

We need to prove Top 4 this season wasn’t an anomaly. We need to prove we belong.

Like you said, we cannot lose at home.

 

[~Navigator~]

To be top 4 you need to finish in the top 4 and for me that's not the ladder that's winning this week and taking the next step, so it will be penrith, Broncos, Warriors, and who ever wins out of Roosters and storm.

 

[Hman]

Barnett, Walker, Tevaga, and Curran would make a strong bench.

Keep it simple. Give them some decent minutes.

I hate ‘weird’ benches, ‘small’ benches, ‘not playing someone from your bench’ benches.

 

[CWC]

jazz was talking about SJ?
and what does this mean for his playing

Jazz was talking about Jazz, it was almost a season ending injury for him

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Carrying Lussick has been confusing as an expert keyboard coach. As he's a hooker with not as much multipurpose value I thought Siro Jazz or Walker could have been cover for Egan. So if we're including Lussick I would be inclined to try pull a Queensland and insert Lussick once the sharp edge has been ground off the game (25min say) and put Egan back at say 50min mark. Otherwise I'm on the put someone bigger on the bench wagon.

Keyboard coach speaks his truth. You're welcome

 

[Lance155]

I don't mind Lussick on the bench, even if he isn't used or has limited minutes. But like a lot here I agree it can't be him AND Siro. I think the difference is we are using our bench to support our starters rather than our bench to be impact and part of the game plan like earlier in the year.

 

[Est95]

I don't mind Lussick on the bench, even if he isn't used or has limited minutes. But like a lot here I agree it can't be him AND Siro. I think the difference is we are using our bench to support our starters rather than our bench to be impact and part of the game plan like earlier in the year.

Agree. Thing is with Lussick, he's either insurance for Egan or 5-10mins max. for no impact = wasted bench spot.

Siro can spell Ford/Niukore for decent minutes if needed, and fill in for Egan adequately.

So the math is Siro+Lusick=wasted bench, Siro-Lussick=sucess²

 

[Hman]

If you were to have Lussick in the team I would start him to absorb the first 15 minutes as he is a good defender. Then bring in Egan for the rest of the game.

Lots of advantages going this route. Only uses up one substitution. Lussick actually useful (e.g. not last 5 mins when the game is already decided). A fresher Eagan, especially for the backend of the game. And if Egan goes down just put Lussick back on.

This would negate the need for Sironen on the bench. Curran covers the wide running forwards.

The disadvantage would be losing that extra middle forward i.e Bunty or Tevaga would have to make way.

So the bench would be Egan, Walker, Curran, Barnett (Bunty starts, Tevaga drops out)

or maybe…

Egan, Walker, Curran, Tevaga (Barnett starts, Bunty drops out)

 

[sup42]

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.

 

[sup42]

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

Reading the Knights forum this is their main fear, they worry about our pack, but not as much as they worry about their weak showing in the middle against Canberra.

Similar themes going on over there, talk of wake up calls, talk of playing badly and still managing to win should sound familiar to many here.

BTW guys you cannot say we have to win this to be a real top four side. Other clubs do not take away their achievements based on what or what not might happen in the future.

We are a top four club, we earned it, it is fish and chip paper now, it cannot be taken away, it was earned off a lot of tough games and courageous performances.

Look at the Storm, falling apart with key losses to personnel, no one is saying they have to win anything more to be considered a top four side this year.

Top four teams come and go, they have late season slides, or early season slumps, or they lose a key player like we did and the story ends, but you are still a top four side, it is in the record books end of.

 

[Makasene]

I'd support 3 big calls to be made this game

1. Drop Jazz - it's no reflection on him or his prospects for next season but he just isn't where he needs to be with such a disrupted season. I can't find a spot for him in my best 17

2. Kosi in for Montoya

3. Montoya to centre for Berry (Swap Pompey to right centre where he played earlier in the year).


1. CNK
2. DWZ
3. Pompey
4. Montoya
5. Kosi
6. TMM
7. SJ

8. AFB
9. Egan
10. Bunty
11. Curran
12. Niukore
13. Tohu

14. Walker
15. Ford
16. Barnett
17. Ale

 

[sup42]

Friday rain in Auckland.
Saturday fine.

The one thing that makes weather impossible to predict is the speed that it travels at, there are too many variables there, which is why Fridays rain could land on Thursday, or game day.

However, Sunday is fine, therefore the odds are with us.

Also the hoodoo of a winning streak is off our backs, easier to bounce back than to maintain like the Knights have to.

And Lastly, we will not get hit by the bye sluggishness when we play the Broncos we will be coming off a solid win at home.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

CNK
DWZ
berry
Pompey
Montoya
Tmm
Sj
Afb
Egan
Afoa
Curran
Niukore
Harris

Walker
Barnett
Ford
Jazz

Walker can cover hooker if need be, Curran can play centre too if required. Both do a better job than sironen. We need a big pack to improve the impact of afb, Barnett better off the bench too. Curran r start, physicality, energy, ford to spell him in the final 10 of first half, tighten things up. Ale and jazz is tough but jazz has the experience & mongrel, teams don’t like versing jazz & in a finals match I’d rather experience than a rookie, even if he is underdone.

Rotations:
Afoa to barnett 20mins
Afb to walker 30mins
Curran to ford 30mins
Barnett to afb 50mins
walker to jazz 60mins
Niukore to Curran 65mins

Egan to walker (if needed)
Curran to centre (if needed)

Afb to play big mins 60+
Tohu to play 80

 

[Stalefish540]

Friday rain in Auckland.
Saturday fine.

The one thing that makes weather impossible to predict is the speed that it travels at, there are too many variables there, which is why Fridays rain could land on Thursday, or game day.

However, Sunday is fine, therefore the odds are with us.

Also the hoodoo of a winning streak is off our backs, easier to bounce back than to maintain like the Knights have to.

And Lastly, we will not get hit by the bye sluggishness when we play the Broncos we will be coming off a solid win at home.

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.

 

[CWC]

My prediction, which might be way off

Bench will be Siro, Walker, Barnett, Curran. Afoa to start. SJ back

That has worked for us all year, you get a guaranteed quality, which is enough to win with blow outs or compete against teams like the Knights, which would be the team Webby goes for

Maybe he went for the insane Lussick/Siro bench and left out Afoa because he treated that near un-winnable game as a finals trial run and rest a niggled SJ, maybe Afoa isn’t 100%? Who knows. Playing Lussick/Siro combo when Ale, Jazz and Afoa are all available is pretty nuts, and playing Walker at 6 where he has a 0% win record is not coach of the year masterstroke lol

The other reason could be he did not think you can beat Penrith with a conventional side, so he went with that hail mary mobile bench, got 2 lives anyway. And it never had a chance because SJ sat on the sideline. Or he really doesn’t want Cleary to see our proper side in week 1.

And seriously Lussick won’t be offering that much more than Siro, who can be a mobile big forward if Egan is ok, whereas Lussick can’t, tackles great, but not a fast or powerful second rower. And Siro’s passing is fine

 

[CWC]

Regarding dropping Berry, I thought his defence was fine, Pompey is the one who kept on getting skinned, I am starting to think Monty’s read is off due to not trusting Pompey’s speed, if any centre is getting dropped I thought it’d be Pompey since Berry has the pace, and speed was the main issue for their line breaks. But I don’t trust Kosi (Monty at centre), first finals game for him and haven’t played much FG lately

 

[Beastmode]

We go back to what has worked for us all season

CNK
DWZ
Berry
Pompey
Montoya
TMM
SJ
AFB
Egan
Bunty
Niukore
Ford
Tohu

Walker
Barnett
Curran
Siro

That bench is

Ford doesn’t need 80mins and neither does Tohu..

Can’t wait for us to tear into Newcastle

 

[Makasene]

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.

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.

 

[CWC]

Again could be way off, but in baseball they play best of 3 series a lot, 1 of the strategies is letting your weakest pitcher play the opposition’s best pitcher, lucky if you win, but you do this then your No.1 pitcher will go up against their No.2 and your No.2 against their 3

I think that’s what the coaching team is doing right now, you save SJ and roll out a wacked bench against the champs then roll out your top side for lesser strong teams

 

[Ryno 2.0]

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