Post Match Manly v Warriors - [Round 24, 2024]

[CWC]

This is what I don't get sometimes, we seem to be able to march up field, great field position, and then lose the plot.

Even average teams would take advantage of that go forward.

Pouring rain today but mainly SJ being robotic stepping sideways in the red zone again, TMM was knocking down tries last week…

 

[run_it_str8_again]

What has actually gone wrong with this team in the space of a year.
They come out with a hiss and a roar but you just know it’s all a bluff. Worse yet the opposition know it.

1. We were too old and too slow a year ago and got spanked by a younger faster Broncos. So we went and got older and slower.

2. With this team we created a max wattage performance that we simply could not sustain for more than 20 minutes. Then we'd blow a head gasket and get over run.

3. We managed AFB so well he's gone. We failed to get Marata to be a intimidating enforcer. We failed to get the balance of our talented, eager youth right with our aging koro cohort.

4. We stopped adapting and tried to force our model onto opposition defences but the book has long been out on our model which has been superseded.

5. We brought Roger back and still have no idea where to put him.

6. We are not the 2023 darlings anymore. That is the Bulldogs place now.

7. Get up those sand dunes

 

[CWC]

Not sure why people bag Webby for bench use, we had momentum towards HT and should have taken the lead but the handling was bad.

Ale, Sifakula, Jazz all got decent minutes and CHT replaced Lussick when he was stuffed

Like was he supposed to play another bench player?

Pretty excited to see Ale and Sifakula combining with JFH next year. These games are just trial-trial games for next year we need as many minutes from the juniors to flush out their errors this yr

 

[Mr Drag]

another game where we're statistically dominate but can't take advantage & score the points.

only 2 more to go and I'm ready for a break.

I took my break early! Just call me Nostradamus!

 

[Buzz Killington]

2023 Webster: okay what are the three things that if done right will win games. Let’s focus on those three things!

2024 Webster: okay let’s keep focusing on those three things from last year. Hey, why aren’t we winning games?

2025 Webster: okay boys, new plan! what are the four things that if done right will win games. Let’s focus on those four things!

I really hope Webster has the answers for why we were so mud this year. To have so many players in career best form in his first year… to have so many players in career worst form.
Only Barnett has improved this year! Why?

 

[CWC]

Defense will suck till we get some new voices in the management

 

[Beastmode]

SJ not willing to risk the body by hitting the line

I hope he’s saving it all for this last hoorah next weekend

Needs to go out on a high

 

[Makasene]

SJ not willing to risk the body by hitting the line

I hope he’s saving it all for this last hoorah next weekend

Needs to go out on a high

I predict we will clinically thrash the Sharks in our final game

Leading us all to wonder where on earth this has been all season lol

It is usually the way.

 

[Beastmode]

24-10

I think that score flatters Manly
We were good for large parts of the game just couldn’t convert them into points

Our wingers are absolutely woeful. Montoya. Yeesh…. Bring back Kosi?!!!!!!! Hahahaha…. I’m kidding


RTS … how bad is this guy at Center aye??? He doesn’t have a clue how to pass or set up his winger. Can’t even break through holes anymore

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Amazing really to think that we’ve had the two best performing props in the NRL this year, setting up as good a platform for the rest of the team to take advantage of that you could hope for, and yet we are bottom 4.

Was listening to a podcast a week ago where Malakai Watene Zelezniak was on it briefly & was asked what the inside word was on why the Warriors have gone so bad this season. He said no one inside the Warriors really had the answer however made a couple of interesting comments. First one we probably all know - SJ has played injured the entire season & it’s had a big impact on his performance. Second comment was about new signings maybe changing the dynamic within the squad and he specifically mentioned RTS. Again, if correct then I’m not surprised by that - he never should have been picked ahead of Pompey at left centre & he’s just shown all season how out of sync he is with the other 12 players on the field. I suspect too much belief and focus, and probably salary cap, was placed on a player whose reputation far exceeds his on-field impact.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

On a more positive note, was refreshing to see Metcalf back. Thought he played well and I’m looking forward to an injury free season for him in 2025!

 

[Makasene]

Amazing really to think that we’ve had the two best performing props in the NRL this year, setting up as good a platform for the rest of the team to take advantage of, and yet we are bottom 4.

Was listening to a podcast a week ago where Malakai Watene Zelezniak was on it briefly & was asked what the inside word was on why the Warriors have gone so bad this season. He said no one inside the Warriors really had the answer however made a couple of interesting comments. First one we probably all know - SJ has played injured the entire season & it’s had a big impact on his performance. Second comment was about new signings maybe changing the dynamic within the squad and he specifically mentioned RTS. Again, if correct then I’m not surprised by that - he never should have been picked ahead of Pompey at left centre & he’s just shown all season how out of sync he is with the other 12 players on the field. I suspect too much belief and focus, and probably salary cap, was placed on a player whose reputation far exceeds his on-field impact.

Quite eye opening from MWZ and to be fair many on here have been saying similar for quite some time

I think Webby will come to regret such public comments about CNK > Taine > RTS being the FB pecking order at the start of the year. It was unnecessary. By all means, say what you need to say behind closed doors but no need to go out and back youself into a corner publicly - a good learning for him hopefully.

The RTS conundrum is a big one. If picking ahead of Pompey upset the apple cart then picking him instead of CNK is likely to be the same next year....

About all we can do is stick him on the wing and ride out the contract.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

With the exception of the tits game and maybe the dragons game as well, I think we have outrun the opposition every week. But what good is dominating the ruck if we can't score? Opposition always scores with their first or maybe second set in our 20. Same shit every week this season.

 

[Makasene]

With the exception of the tits game and maybe the dragons game as well, I think we have outrun the opposition every week. But what good is dominating the ruck if we can't score? Opposition always scores with their first or maybe second set in our 20. Same shit every week this season.

Watching our start today get wasted by that weird ass grubber from SJ to the corner post - just cruel really

 

[Worried2Death]

Defense will suck till we get some new voices in the management

You mean a new defence coach?

 

[CLQV3R]

I have woken up after last night's game feeling pure disappointment in the team, and have very little hope for the next couple of seasons. I might be in the wrong thread too, but I need to get it out so y'all gon' to wear it.
To me this year will go down as an epic failure, especially considering the heights this same team reached just last year. 2024 has been one of the least enjoyable seasons I have grinded my way through since becoming an avid supporter in the late 90s. We have got progressively worse since August last year when we were locked in the top 8, were clearly losing form but still managing to scrape by bottom teams like the Tigers game in Hamilton. It was fun. There was energy. There was hope that we could finally build ourselves into a powerhouse that consistently pushed for the title. As this year has gone on I’ve slipped back into expecting our team to perform below expectation, and have not been surprised to see us lose far more than we have won. We have absolutely earned our current spot at the bottom of the ladder. The whole country seems to be behind the team, club looks in great order, history made with every game sold out, but the team has dished up nothing but shit week after week. Absolute disappointment, the kind that loses fans and makes it harder for the club going forward.
I will remember 2024 for the incredible low points of the humiliating losses including those to the Dragons, Titans and Eels. There has been very little to celebrate compared to the 2023 highlights reel of Dalliin’s flying tries or games like the Townsville romp or Sharks comeback. It has been a joyless, soul sucking year which has hurt so much more because of the hope of the year prior.
We have absolutely squandered the platform that our forwards have provided us for most of the games this year. I truly cannot see how we are going to replace AFB’s metres, and predict our forwards getting bullied next year even with JFH replacing him. Guys like Capewell and Niukore who have clearly struggled with the pace of the game won’t magically be any quicker or more agile in 2025 either. Webby doesn’t seem to be brave enough to give quality minutes to the young bulls, so I’m expecting their progress to be stunted by safety-first team selections. $2 says we get the same team list next week (depending on suspensions) even with the season now officially done. Wouldn’t blame Halasima, Sifakula, Zyon Maiu’u et al. for looking for more opportunities at other clubs.
Most worrying to me is how far so many of the backs have fallen so much since last year, and these guys are now a year older…and slower…for 2025. I’ll admit that I haven’t watched every game of NSW Cup this year, but am still yet to see much in the next gen of backs to be excited besides Tuaupiki. Where are our Saabs? Fiddows? I honestly don’t see our current backs improving enough next year to get us off the bottom of the ladder. We are slow, bumbling, injury prone, poorly coached, often outgunned, getting older, and I don’t see too much promise coming through to replace it.
Our attack is one dimensional, and clearly not working. Since teams have learned to shut down our 2023 right side sweep plays to DWZ, we have offered nothing. It’s not helping that important players like Charnze aren't able to pull those off like last year either. In the red zone, we throw the short pass to the lead runner over and over again, or we go side to side, but look totally directionless. Scorelines this year are proof our attack isn’t working. We have no little set moves like Storm or Eagles used to beat us this year, or no speed or individual brilliance to even fall back on when the crash and bash inevitably doesn’t work. Webby’s bomb to the corner and trap the opposition strategy is boring as shit and doesn’t work if Johnson or Berry aren’t there or if you give away cheap penalties…which we very often do. I wouldn’t be heartbroken if they clear out the attacking plans and coaches from this year.
This team has totally lost their resilience in defence. Even in the game last night, it was so predictable that the Eagles would score in their first attacking raid after their 40/20 extinguished our hot start. Absolutely unsurprising (and demoralising) that it was Saab strolling past our outside backs like he does every game he plays against us, but we haven’t worked out how to stop him yet. This team has had very few changes and has another year under Wdbby’s defensive system, but are going backwards really fast. Seems unimaginable that almost the same team that got repeatedly opened up last night with their season on the line, defended themselves to one game short of last year’s Grand Final. Our defence is unrecognisable from then.
How do we not have a goal kicker or someone who can kick field goals? Do we not train for those? With the amount of games we have lost this year by 6 points or under, you’d think there would be a huge focus on getting those right, but have seen CHT, Johnson and Metcalfe all spray sitters in just the last couple of games. What are the team actually practising during the week?!?!
I could continue writing, but feel like this is the definition of pissing in the wind. I'll be in the stands again next week with my Craig Bellamy game face on, hoping (like an idiot) that one year the Warriors will pull it all together. I just can’t see that coming any time soon after another bitterly disappointing year served by the team in 2024.

 

[Noitall]

Consistency across the competition has been poor this year. Thursday night’s game saw a try awarded to the storm when a panthers player was taken out in the line and the try awarded. It was the right decision as the defender would never have got there, but has been the opposite to which has generally been the ruling when this occurs. Last night a similar incident in the Pompey disallowed try with Capewell impeding the defender who again wasn’t going to get there but called back in this instance. We’ve often been our own worst enemy, but the officiating against us has been woeful this year

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Quite eye opening from MWZ and to be fair many on here have been saying similar for quite some time

I think Webby will come to regret such public comments about CNK > Taine > RTS being the FB pecking order at the start of the year. It was unnecessary. By all means, say what you need to say behind closed doors but no need to go out and back youself into a corner publicly - a good learning for him hopefully.

The RTS conundrum is a big one. If picking ahead of Pompey upset the apple cart then picking him instead of CNK is likely to be the same next year....

About all we can do is stick him on the wing and ride out the contract.

Yeah look, beyond the SJ injured stuff, it came across more as MWZ spitballing on what might have impacted the club. He wasn’t thumping the table with his comments, however it does make some sense - certainly more sense than the idea that AFB, who has been massive for us this year once again, has ‘been a cancer’ as some people like to put it.

But geez as far as RTS at fullback goes, I think Webster got that 100% correct - no no no no no! I hope RTS realises his mistake & moves on to Japan in the off season.

 

[Noitall]

Yeah look, beyond the SJ injured stuff, it came across more as MWZ spitballing on what might have impacted the club. He wasn’t thumping the table with his comments, however it does make some sense - certainly more sense than the idea that AFB, who has been massive for us this year once again, has ‘been a cancer’ as some people like to put it.

But geez as far as RTS at fullback goes, I think Webster got that 100% correct - no no no no no! I hope RTS realises his mistake & moves on to Japan in the off season.

How many clubs have you seen their marquee forward dropped for not participating in the team song? There is certainly a disharmony to this team, I think it’s starkly obvious

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

How many clubs have you seen their marquee forward dropped for not participating in the team song? There is certainly a disharmony to this team, I think it’s starkly obvious

Good point, I forgot about the team song situation. Reality will no doubt be that multiple things have contributed to this seasons shit show.