ToiletDuck
Administrator
Come on boys, can’t we do better than this?
The Warriors
The Warriors in 2012? What an embarrassment, what a disgrace. And this team faces sizeable hurdles if 2013 is to shape up any better. This is new head coach Matt Elliot’s last chance to prove himself in the NRL. So what went wrong last year? A mixture of coaching ineptitude and player revolt combined to see the Warriors lose eight games in a row as an embarrassing finale to the 2012 season. Closely following the end of the season, we all got on-board the coaching rumour merry-go-round until early October when Elliot was announced as the new coach. Bellamy supporters were distraught, and one or two players rather tactlessly voiced their support of Iro. None of it mattered though, Wayne Scurrah had ‘his man’ and the coaching cleanout continued.
Is Elliot the right man for the Warriors? Not if you ask Panther fans and at this stage I tend to agree. Elliot certainly talks a great game, and on the plus side he comes with a wealth of experience in the NRL. He claims he’s learnt from past mistakes, we will see. On a brighter note the appointment of fan and player favourite Ruben Wiki to a full-time role appears to be a good thing – if for no other reason than to pull some of the poorer attitudes into line.
Little time was then wasted by the club in showing us just how much life had changed in only a matter of weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many pre-season fitness shots being churned out by the media as I have in the past few months. Then the awful membership campaign reared its ugly head. To quote a member of this site – “it’s as though the marketing team was let loose with a box of crayons and a few cans of red bull.” Aptly put. With that in mind, let’s move on.
Gains:
The acquisition of Thomas Leuluai was a smart one. He’s experienced, a good defender and at 27 still has years left in him. He’s not a flashy player, therefore in theory should prove a good foil to Johnson’s creative flair. The main question surrounding TL is how he’ll go back in the NRL after such a long time out. I back him to succeed, even if he eventually ends up at 9.
Supporters fell in love with Kevin Campion, then Micheal Luck and I back Todd Lowrie to fall into the same category. Complete with the Meg Ryan hair-do, he’s solid up the middle, he’ll tackle all day and is a superb replacement for Luck. Lowrie won’t set the world on fire with his attacking play but that’s not what this team needs. He’ll be mistake free, reliable and consistent.
Likewise Dane Nielsen won’t be heading up any highlight packages come the end of the season, but he comes as an established NRL player with Origin experience. I do have question marks over his impact in a side with a particularly weak backline and a complete lack of structure when compared with the military-like Melbourne Storm – and I know a few pundits on here are expecting him to be exposed as the truly average centre he really is. However he’s accepted the challenge and I hope he’s able to silence a few critics.
Dominique Peyroux adds a bit of depth to our troublesome outside back stocks. I haven’t seen a massive amount of this guy but he comes with a reputation for being solid if not spectacular. Should get plenty of time in the trials to see where he fits into our setup.
The addition of Harry Siejka is interesting. Obviously a link with new coach Matt Elliot, he left the Pamfers in the hope of getting more first grade time. I expect TL to start the season alongside Shaun Johnson in the halves, but don’t be surprised to see him have a couple of stints at hooker with Siejka getting a go at 6 or 7. Depth is never a bad thing, until of course your good depth players leave for greener pastures.
Rest of the squad:
Surely Jerome Ropati is a rolled ankle away from retirement? I have had big doubts about him as an NRL quality centre when fully fit, and sitting out the past two years really cannot have helped. If he gets anywhere near his 2008 form then I’ll gladly eat my words, but at the moment that’s a long way off and I just can’t see it happening. Sorry Jerome.
Glen Fisiiahi needs to make the side this year or move on. Another year of languishing in the Vulcans will do him no favours. Clearly not a fullback for his glaring lack of any sort of defensive nous, positional play or general attitude, he needs to declare himself a winger and throw everything at displacing Bill Tupou (how hard can it be?!).
If we’re to go anywhere this season it will be on the back of our forward pack, in particular our props. Sam Rapira, Russell Packer, Ben Matulino and Jacob Lillyman are all quality. When all are fit, they work as an outstanding quartet. Go-forward should never be an issue with these guys on the park. Simon Mannering has retained the captaincy, which was the right decision. He was his consistent self last year, but I’d like to see him offer more on attack this season. Feleti Mateo cannot be the only backrower to worry opposition defensive lines.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that doesn’t see a place for both Ben Henry and Elijah Taylor in the side? Not a slight on either player, they’re just too predictable and lack the attacking ability needed in a backrow that is already dominated by defensive-minded players. I’ve always been a fan of a utility or extra play-maker on the bench, and I think this team would benefit greatly in having Carlos Tuimavave or Siejka cutting their teeth in the 14 jersey.
What to do with Carlos Tuimavave? He’s capable of playing almost anywhere in the backline, but where does he fit into this side? A couple of horrible defensive misses aside, he impressed during his limited time in the top flight at the end of 2012 and if I had my way he’d be slotting in on the bench as an extra play-making option while providing cover for the outside backs.
I’d love to see Konrad Hurrell get the nod at centre for round one but he was so defensively hopeless last year I’m terrified at the thought of him again defending inside one of our frail wingers. Devastating on attack, he can be equally as devastating to our own defensive line. He would have learnt a lot in 2012 and with any luck he’s begun to iron out some of his deficiencies. If not, he needs to be Vulcanised until he’s somewhere near what’s required at NRL level.
Conclusion:
This probably won’t go down well but I can’t see the Warriors producing anything remarkable in 2013. There will be teething issues with an entirely new coaching staff and a few new players in key positions. I think our biggest issue will again be our outside backs, both on defense and attack. The changes being made appear to be taking the club in the right direction, though I think we’re probably still a fair way off. This job is likely Elliot’s last chance as a head coach in the NRL and I think he’ll start the season cautiously, with particular attention to damage limitation in the form of unspectacular football and an emphasis on defence. We’ll stick with the pack for most of the season and drop a vital game or two later to seal our fate. Prediction: 11th
