Beastmode
Just another day in paradise
Contributor
It's so obvious to everyone what is with wrong with the club. The question is, how do you fix it? that is what the review needs to address. Not what, but how?
General Warriors 2015 End of Season Review
- Thread starter mt.wellington
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- 2015 nz warriors review
Bluecat again
Contributor
End of a sad season tonight. I don't think we were ever as good as some would have liked to think at the start of the season but getting gutted by injury and not having a plan B killed us. I gave them a 5. More for the off field stuff that is happening although being top 4 at one stage was cool. Player signings and signs of a plan came through this year. We have also had a chance to look at the next tier of players (more often than I for one wanted to 
) and with the clear out that's happening obviously many of them were found wanting. Doyle and co can now pick their own second tier of young guys and depth players.
I just registered with the club for next year. Any one else?
) and with the clear out that's happening obviously many of them were found wanting. Doyle and co can now pick their own second tier of young guys and depth players.I just registered with the club for next year. Any one else?
Pete
I think the trials of this year will do us well for the next. We have found players like Vete who have heart and seen players like Hurrel who dont and need cutting. Lolohea is a star out wide. We definitely need the review to look at everything but after an honesty session and looking at every facet of the club we can be sure next year we willbe strong. Fitness, gsme plan and d must be ready. With the big three coming in and the youngsters having a year more experience ,we will be good, Top 4 next year.
managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory... yet again. dumb penalties, basic errors under pressure, bad reads on defence from the outside backs, same result! undoing all the good work in the game
K1W1 WARR1OR
Give us a 3 out of 10 1 for luke 1 for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and one 1 for the emergence of the young talent coming through at the club
koolkat
/sebastine-ikahihfo. Great defender bahaaaa.the biggest load of shit I've ever read bahhaaaa
snake77
I know this is all stuff we have heard before but Doyle seems like the kind of guy that will be more action than words. I like the talk of continuing to recruit especially after hearing of salary cap problems.
The off field roles are interesting as we made changes last years as well and some of our players such as Tomkins have spoken highly about the current strength and conditioning coach.
Hopefully more comes out of the reviews than too many injuries. Hopefully the players speak up and are honest with any one on one reviews. We need less of the reserved NZ approach and more of the brutal Aussie approach. If they think one of their team mates let them down time to speak up.
Last year I thought we should have got a jump on the other clubs and started our pre-season early. The guys are getting 3 weeks off then are back at training; so we should be back training before the Grand Final. Sure they are entitled to 4 weeks off but they'll get a break around Christmas. The off season is where we need to start getting our act together.
snake77
The never really got going comment probably sums up our season best.
Eve though we got on some winning streaks our form never really seemed to be impressive. Sure good teams play badly and still manage to win but they eventually turn things around and get into form.
We won 4 games away from home and looking at our history that is better than most years and could of helped us challenge for the top 8. The problem is we lost some of the home games we could have or should have won and the end of the year slump totally screwed us.
Sure we were hit by injuries and debuted a lot of rookies but the last 8 weeks or so have exposed a lot of issues with the club.
A season that promised a lot but didn't deliver and after last year it feels like we've gone backwards.
Raurimu Massive
I was having an objective look back at this year, and actually came up with more positives than negatives, which utterly surprised me. The negatives have overwhelmed us, but we had Mannering and Johnson play arguably their best footy, we cemented a great 2nd row/lock combo, Matulino got his boogiejuice back, the emergence of three young props, Lolohea showed the other young 'uns how a rookie season should be done, and our new CEO was able to make big signings and shows a willingness to prune dead wood.
I'm going to cling on to those, cos getting butt-raped by our injury toll, having our imported, so-called marquee, player end up being a disinterested, homesick softcock and dealing with whatever the flying fuck you call Hurrell weren't anything that a club could have dealt with and still be a force.
Next year... there's always next year.
I'm going to cling on to those, cos getting butt-raped by our injury toll, having our imported, so-called marquee, player end up being a disinterested, homesick softcock and dealing with whatever the flying fuck you call Hurrell weren't anything that a club could have dealt with and still be a force.
Next year... there's always next year.
For starters I would disregard the last eight weeks. Not worth examining. You could learn lessons from it sure, but you can learn lessons from touching flame on the gas cooker too - it should be pretty obvious.
I'd closely examine what wasn't work as well as it could BEFORE the last eight games. I'm sure you could find things in almost all areas that could improve including the coaching, the leadership, the playing style, the conditioning, the culture, the mental aptitude etc. To me, the club needs to assess how all of those areas might go in 2016 with the 2016 roster. Would the coaching be more effective because the coach has better cattle to work with? Would the culture be better? I've already said plainly that I don't believe there is a better leader than Mannering on the roster but could other players take on additional responsibility in that area to assist? Can any of the players that are not up to scratch improve? Do they deserve the chance to improve?
I don't see much difference in the Warriors finishing ninth or 16th - either way the season has been a failure. What matters now is how to make sure they are on the quickest road to becoming a contender.
I'd closely examine what wasn't work as well as it could BEFORE the last eight games. I'm sure you could find things in almost all areas that could improve including the coaching, the leadership, the playing style, the conditioning, the culture, the mental aptitude etc. To me, the club needs to assess how all of those areas might go in 2016 with the 2016 roster. Would the coaching be more effective because the coach has better cattle to work with? Would the culture be better? I've already said plainly that I don't believe there is a better leader than Mannering on the roster but could other players take on additional responsibility in that area to assist? Can any of the players that are not up to scratch improve? Do they deserve the chance to improve?
I don't see much difference in the Warriors finishing ninth or 16th - either way the season has been a failure. What matters now is how to make sure they are on the quickest road to becoming a contender.
Iafetas Kickstand Wang
I noticed behind the Bulldogs bench last night sat all of their injured players. Two weeks ago one of our senior blokes was at the movies while we played. I defended him, because I've not really seen our club have that culture where the injured blokes are there behind the bench. Its a small sign of professionalism, but everyone should be there on game day playing or actively supporting and promoting the direction of the club.
I think the Football Department needs a restructure, the amount of injuries at the club was diabolical. It could be rank bad luck, but it also seemed when a few blokes came back from injury they were nowhere near as good as they had been previously. So the rehabilitation side of it needs an overhaul IMO.
While I'm, like most, very angered by how it all ended up, with time I have calmed a bit and suggest its hard to truly appraise McFadden with the team he essentially had for the back of the year. Its far too simplistic to say it was just Shaun Johnson, either. Sam Tomkins was there, but played like he was either badly busted or just shithouse and not caring. Manu Vatuvei was out for a bit there at the end. Ngani Laumape didn't make it on the field this year. Ben Henry was out injured for most of it. Glen Fisiiahi barely played. Chad Townsend from all reports was running on one leg at the end. Thomas Leuluai missed half the year. Jacob Lillyman missed the last part there. Bodene Thompson and Ryan Hoffman had a month out (plus Hoff's Origin commitments). David Fusitua barely got off the ground this year. Sam Rapira missed large chunks of the year.
I look at the backline at times... it wasn't just the first stringers out, it was their back ups. At fullback Tomkins was out most of the time so Lolohea played there, on the right wing you had Fish and Fusitua out for most of the year, so Johnno Wright played there. In the centres Laumape never suited up, and Ben Henry a potential replacement also went down. Konrad had a suspension and a couple of injuries too. In the halves you had Johnson out, Leuluai out, Townsend playing on one leg... for a couple of weeks Mason Lino and Lolohea were the halves. Who would have contemplated that? You only have to look at the team in NSW Cup in the last two-three weeks to see how much our depth was destroyed. They went from premiership contenders to the easy beats and there wasn't shit Stacey Jones could do about it.
Before the season started, I'm not sure many of us expected that Sam Lisone, Albert Vete, Solomone Kata and Tuimoala Lolohea would all play 20 + games (I think Lisone did?). It was obviously going to hurt us in the long run. Thats no shot at those blokes at all, they did their best, and for various parts of the season all of them had great periods. Kata is copping it now for his defence, but for the first half of the year he was an offensive weapon. He's an absolute talent of the highest order. Lisone seemed to lose momentum at the back end of the year, but he started off with a hiss and a roar. Lolohea couldn't sustain it all year, but he had several impressive moments. PRobably the biggest surprises for me were Albert Vete and Charlie Gubb. Both established themselves as first graders. Personally, if you asked me before round 1 I struggle to see how either make the team at all through the year.
I think the backrow was excellent all year, and our forwards by in large were really good ... especially when we had our true starting 6 (Lillyman, Leuluai, Matulino, Thompson, Hoffman, Mannering). Unfortunately that was the first half of the year and it seemed to coincide with a period where Johnson it seemed had been told to play exclusively to one side of the paddock only and within a tight structure. After a while, either the coach, or Johnson himself, decided to free up Shaun and the Shaun of old returned carving up.
Defensively we have major issues. We struggle to control the ruck and get back to marker effectively. From there our defensive line holds up rather than comes forward, meaning we further lose impact momentum and ability to control the ruck without giving away penalties. Once this happens, then the outside men find themselves under pressure because they are on the retreat and often something has happened inside of their defensive lines and they have to make a decision. I don't know if this is a result of poor tackle technique, poor fitness, or a combination, but it needs addressing. Once momentum goes against the Warriors they find it hard to stop and get overrun quite easily. This is a massive concern, and that, rather than the results at the back end where we were depleted is my concern on the coach.
I think Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke arriving will have a bigger impact than many assume. Firstly, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck plays centre and right, and if he needs to, he will pop up left as well. He also stops the forwards running back an extra ten metres most sets because he drives through that first kick return extremely effectively. He also continues to put his hand up for work to allow the forwards to recharge. With that, he hurts the opposition because they get tired having to work through quick rucks that he creates with his footwork. This should mean defences close in a little, particularly with Luke running from dummy half, meaning there can be room on the edges. We don't lose anything defensively even though Friend worked his arse off, Luke is quite a good defender, but we gain a heap offensively. We now have a dummy half who can ball play and put guys into gaps, he can tease the markers and get us on the front foot. These guys will create room and momentum. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is also developing at an extraordinary rate, and I hear he is the consummate professional in terms of preparation. He will help our culture, I don't think he's the type of guy who will easily give up his own standards to drop to others.
I think the club needs significant investment in personnel in terms of rehabilitation. The defensive patterns need a complete overhaul. I think there are several sleeping giants at the club who need to find the motivation to develop into what they could be (Konrad, Fusitua, Kata, Lisone, Vete notably). I also worry given we lose 11 players but 3 or 4, if we don't get our injury prevention and recovery systems right that we could be in for another long haul. There is some good talent coming through. Topafoa Sipley, Ata Hingano, Nathaniel Roache, they strike me as having the ability to play in a year or two.
Club Football Department Structure: 3, was badly exposed in saving us defensively and the recovery systems for injury seem to be genuinely shithouse
Young Player Development: 7, Kata, Vete, Lisone, Lolohea, Gubb, I genuinely believe they all developed this year.
Club attitude: 1, the likes of Hurrell bring this mob down badly
Coaching: 4, I can't be too hard because they were humming there and in the top 4. And then injury after injury after injury struck.
CEO: 7, seems like he's on the right track
Recruitment: 10, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke will make a massive difference.
I think the Football Department needs a restructure, the amount of injuries at the club was diabolical. It could be rank bad luck, but it also seemed when a few blokes came back from injury they were nowhere near as good as they had been previously. So the rehabilitation side of it needs an overhaul IMO.
While I'm, like most, very angered by how it all ended up, with time I have calmed a bit and suggest its hard to truly appraise McFadden with the team he essentially had for the back of the year. Its far too simplistic to say it was just Shaun Johnson, either. Sam Tomkins was there, but played like he was either badly busted or just shithouse and not caring. Manu Vatuvei was out for a bit there at the end. Ngani Laumape didn't make it on the field this year. Ben Henry was out injured for most of it. Glen Fisiiahi barely played. Chad Townsend from all reports was running on one leg at the end. Thomas Leuluai missed half the year. Jacob Lillyman missed the last part there. Bodene Thompson and Ryan Hoffman had a month out (plus Hoff's Origin commitments). David Fusitua barely got off the ground this year. Sam Rapira missed large chunks of the year.
I look at the backline at times... it wasn't just the first stringers out, it was their back ups. At fullback Tomkins was out most of the time so Lolohea played there, on the right wing you had Fish and Fusitua out for most of the year, so Johnno Wright played there. In the centres Laumape never suited up, and Ben Henry a potential replacement also went down. Konrad had a suspension and a couple of injuries too. In the halves you had Johnson out, Leuluai out, Townsend playing on one leg... for a couple of weeks Mason Lino and Lolohea were the halves. Who would have contemplated that? You only have to look at the team in NSW Cup in the last two-three weeks to see how much our depth was destroyed. They went from premiership contenders to the easy beats and there wasn't shit Stacey Jones could do about it.
Before the season started, I'm not sure many of us expected that Sam Lisone, Albert Vete, Solomone Kata and Tuimoala Lolohea would all play 20 + games (I think Lisone did?). It was obviously going to hurt us in the long run. Thats no shot at those blokes at all, they did their best, and for various parts of the season all of them had great periods. Kata is copping it now for his defence, but for the first half of the year he was an offensive weapon. He's an absolute talent of the highest order. Lisone seemed to lose momentum at the back end of the year, but he started off with a hiss and a roar. Lolohea couldn't sustain it all year, but he had several impressive moments. PRobably the biggest surprises for me were Albert Vete and Charlie Gubb. Both established themselves as first graders. Personally, if you asked me before round 1 I struggle to see how either make the team at all through the year.
I think the backrow was excellent all year, and our forwards by in large were really good ... especially when we had our true starting 6 (Lillyman, Leuluai, Matulino, Thompson, Hoffman, Mannering). Unfortunately that was the first half of the year and it seemed to coincide with a period where Johnson it seemed had been told to play exclusively to one side of the paddock only and within a tight structure. After a while, either the coach, or Johnson himself, decided to free up Shaun and the Shaun of old returned carving up.
Defensively we have major issues. We struggle to control the ruck and get back to marker effectively. From there our defensive line holds up rather than comes forward, meaning we further lose impact momentum and ability to control the ruck without giving away penalties. Once this happens, then the outside men find themselves under pressure because they are on the retreat and often something has happened inside of their defensive lines and they have to make a decision. I don't know if this is a result of poor tackle technique, poor fitness, or a combination, but it needs addressing. Once momentum goes against the Warriors they find it hard to stop and get overrun quite easily. This is a massive concern, and that, rather than the results at the back end where we were depleted is my concern on the coach.
I think Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke arriving will have a bigger impact than many assume. Firstly, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck plays centre and right, and if he needs to, he will pop up left as well. He also stops the forwards running back an extra ten metres most sets because he drives through that first kick return extremely effectively. He also continues to put his hand up for work to allow the forwards to recharge. With that, he hurts the opposition because they get tired having to work through quick rucks that he creates with his footwork. This should mean defences close in a little, particularly with Luke running from dummy half, meaning there can be room on the edges. We don't lose anything defensively even though Friend worked his arse off, Luke is quite a good defender, but we gain a heap offensively. We now have a dummy half who can ball play and put guys into gaps, he can tease the markers and get us on the front foot. These guys will create room and momentum. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is also developing at an extraordinary rate, and I hear he is the consummate professional in terms of preparation. He will help our culture, I don't think he's the type of guy who will easily give up his own standards to drop to others.
I think the club needs significant investment in personnel in terms of rehabilitation. The defensive patterns need a complete overhaul. I think there are several sleeping giants at the club who need to find the motivation to develop into what they could be (Konrad, Fusitua, Kata, Lisone, Vete notably). I also worry given we lose 11 players but 3 or 4, if we don't get our injury prevention and recovery systems right that we could be in for another long haul. There is some good talent coming through. Topafoa Sipley, Ata Hingano, Nathaniel Roache, they strike me as having the ability to play in a year or two.
Club Football Department Structure: 3, was badly exposed in saving us defensively and the recovery systems for injury seem to be genuinely shithouse
Young Player Development: 7, Kata, Vete, Lisone, Lolohea, Gubb, I genuinely believe they all developed this year.
Club attitude: 1, the likes of Hurrell bring this mob down badly
Coaching: 4, I can't be too hard because they were humming there and in the top 4. And then injury after injury after injury struck.
CEO: 7, seems like he's on the right track
Recruitment: 10, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke will make a massive difference.
mt.wellington
Warriors Orange Peeler
Contributor
Do think the Bulldogs rehab crew would have all been there at Mt Smart? Of course not. they were only there because it was a home game.
Are the Warriors rehab crew at Mt Smart during home games? Of course they are. Most wont be watching the game though. Theyre generally in the corporate suites, lounges, club and sponsors tents doing promo or PR work...
gREVUS
Long live the Rainbows and Butterflies
Contributor
Sort of putting it out there like say a captain would?
gREVUS
Long live the Rainbows and Butterflies
Contributor
To be fair they were in a different country at the time. If it had been a home game i would have been baying for his head as well, but given that they were overseas and the club had chosen not to fly him over, i dont approve (because of the PR issues), but i understand.
I seriously wonder if instead of being homesick he was asked to go when they got Roger Tuivasa-Sheck signed on board (they would have known the salary cap issues even then). The Homesickness was just a nice way to say you havent been fired, but your going anyway.
Iafetas Kickstand Wang
No I agree. I'm not saying in Sydney. I'm more meaning at Auckland games. Unless they don't get shown on TV there doesn't appear to be that cohesiveness. I would drop the PR work to post game and have them behind the bench during the game.
mt.wellington
Warriors Orange Peeler
Contributor
I like what youre getting at. Cohesiveness, solidity, unity.
A nice little covered area for 50 people that could house the rehab crew, Reserve team, U20 and even Jim Doyle by the sideline behind the bench would be a great investment...
I hope so. God knows The Warriors need it.
For my rating, I give The Warriors a 1/10 and that's being generous, the season has been nothing short of a failure.
I'd rate higher if it weren't for the terrible attitude of some of the team.
Stone
If the Warriors had been toweled up again in their final hit out against the Dogs, then I probably would've jumped on here & posted a take no prisoners no holds barred style lengthy diatribe about their efforts this season, but as they at least showed a bit of fight & a willingness to end their season on a positive, after what has been a horrid two months, I'm gonna try & do the same, in saying that, I didn't actually bother with the overall rating poll ... because how do you rate a train wreck ??? lol
Best Forward: Ben Matulino - From my perspective this has been Big Ben's best season since 2012, for all intents & purposes he is the Warriors current big bopper & this season he played that role consistently well, his go forward all season has been head & shoulders above anyone else in the Warriors pack, he seems to have finally adjusted to the ban of his old go to weapon in defence, the shoulder charge (his suspension earlier in the season was unwarranted imo) & has been defensively solid, (although I'd personally love to see the big man bend his knees & drive in with the shoulder a lot more) he has also rediscovered his offload abilty finishing second overall in the regular season this year in that particular facet of the game with 53 offloads, my only criticism of Matulino would be for him to be a bit more selective in when he chooses to utilize his offload game, but in saying that the thought of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck running a supporting line trying to sniff out a Big Ben out the back special next season is definitely a mouth watering proposition
Honourable Mention: Ryan Hoffman - A pros pro who is consistently excellent Bodene Thompson - I personally didn't rate Thompson all that much in the early rounds, but as the season progressed he has more than proved himself to be a very valuable member of the Warriors pack
Best Back: Tuimoala Lolohea - What a break out season this has been for Lolohea, while the Warriors have been imploding all around him this kid has still managed to demonstrate his immense talent & potential, what has impressed me the most about Lolohea is not his obvious skill, pace & footwork, (although he is definitely outstanding in all of those areas) instead it is his maturity beyond his years that has been somewhat of a revelation, a lot of the criticism on these forums about the Warriors has consistently been focused around our locally developed players perceived lack of genuine footy smarts & mental toughness, but in this regard Lolohea definitely seems to be the exception to the norm, he has been bounced around no less than four very different backline positions this season & has always acquitted him self exceptionally well under very difficult circumstances, which in all probability would've broken a lesser minded player
I think the biggest compliment that I can give to young Lolohea is that from my perspective he has made the supposed million dollar man, Sam Tomkins, look decidedly less than average in comparison & for me it's immensely talented yet humble kids like Lolohea that keep me coming back year after year & give me hope for the future of the Warriors franchise
Honourable Mention: Shaun Johnson - Although Shaun Johnson had a rather lackluster start to the season, he more than showed how important he is to the overall success of this team, when he finally found his form the Warriors briefly found themselves in the Top Four for the first time in a long time & when he was lost to the team through injury it essentially became the defining factor that triggered a free fall that the Warriors essentially never recovered from, but the prospect of a spine made up of Shaun Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck & Issac Luke, with the added impact of Tuimoala Lolohea contributing his magic wherever he can has me somewhat hopeful & cautiously excited for the Warriors prospects next season
Rookie of the Year: Tuimoala Lolohea - (see above) for my money Lolohea is also a shoe in for the overall NRL Rookie of the Year & from my perspective he also wouldn't look out of place filling a utility bench spot in the Kiwis squad for the end of year tour to England
Honourable Mention: Albert Vete - At the start of the season we saw two young gun front rowers in Vete & Sam Lisone thrown into the breach to fill the Warriors front row rotation, I have been more than impressed by both of these young kids application, attitudes & willingness to not take a backwards step to sometimes vastly more experienced opposition, but as the season progresses Lisone seemed to, for whatever reason, hit a plateau & fall out of favour, whereas Vete has just kept on rolling forward getting better & better in the process, to the point where he now commands a starting spot in the squad, I totally agree with other site members who have already mentioned Vete being the future cornerstone of the Warriors pack
Solomone Kata - I have been somewhat critical of Kata in other threads (mainly due to the perceived flaws in his game, but also because I was a huge fan of Ngani Laumape) & to a certain degree I stand by my previous comments, while I greatly admire this kids heart & tenacity I still harbour my doubts as to weather or not Kata is actually genuine first grade center material, (time will tell I suppose) this could perhaps be due to Kata's inexperience in that he seems to play more with his heart than his head by always going for what I refer to as the "glory option" in both attack & defence, by either rushing out of the line to pull off an all or nothing defensive play and or always looking to score himself even when the Warriors have an obvious numbers advantage instead of taking the higher percentage play of positioning his wingmen for the score
In saying that however he has still performed more than admirably (starting in all 26 games is no small feat for a young rookie) & I have to acknowledge that if more of our team played with Kata's kind of heart, spirit & tenacity then the Warriors may well have found themselves still in the finals hunt despite this seasons atrocious injury toll, personally I hope for the sake of the team that Kata takes what he has learnt this season, applies all those lessons to a huge offseason & proves all his doubters, myself included, wrong by coming out & absolutely killing it in all facets of the center position next season
The Captain: Simon Mannering - As a player Mannering has been his usual ultra professional consistent self under what seems to be perpetually difficult circumstances, from my perspective his carries have been very effective this season, in that he quite often bends the line & carries a few defenders with him in the process, he produced 48 offloads for the regular season which has him in 4th position overall & it goes without saying that he is an absolute defensive colossus finishing the regular season in 2nd spot overall with 1092 tackles, my only minor criticism of him as a player would be the same one as I gave to Matulino in that he just needs to be a bit more selective in when he chooses to offload the pill
I have been somewhat openly critical of Mannering's captaincy, mainly for the same reasons as everyone else, but when I look back over my own personal life experiences I have to admit he is the type of man I would follow into the fire, because I know for a fact that if I'm ever in a situation that I have to literally fight my way out of, then it's far more beneficial to have someone covering my back with actions rather than words
I've never expected Mannering to have to motivate the players on the field, because I do not believe that is a captains job, especially in a professional sporting environment, all I've ever wanted from Mannering as a captain on the field is to remind the players of the gameplan, the standards expected of them & to put pressure on the NRL's rather incompetent refs to adequately do their jobs, the first two points could actually be undertaken by more vocally inclined able lieutenants such as Hoffman, Johnson etc, so that's not really that much of a issue for me anymore, so all I really want to see from Mannering as a captain is a bit more of a willingness to vocally put pressure on the refs when the calls are obviously dubious, because as captain he the only player in the team who is actually legally allowed to talk to them in that regard
The Coach: Andrew McFadden - This from my perspective is probably the biggest area of current concern for the Warriors, some of McFadden's actions and or lack of action in regards to a lot of his decisions this season have been highly questionable at best, but without going to far into it I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as essentially a rookie coach who has hopefully learnt from his mistakes this season & can rectify them in 2016 in much the same vein as the rookie players
The main thing I would like to see from McFadden is some actual innovation & out of the box thinking when it comes to the overall gameplan, because from my perspective the Warriors are NEVER going to be a consistent force and or win a maiden premiership by trying to play this one dimensional grind it out type football, what I believe we need is a loosely structured gameplan that acts a type of default setting to play our natural ad lib game around, play the basics well & even play conservative if that's what the situation calls for, but the players should NEVER be afraid to try something out of the box if it's on, obviously defensive structures & attitudes are hugely important & need to be a focus as well, but history shows us that, for the most part, the Warriors as a team tend to lift their defensive intensity when they are also highly confident in their attacking abilities
If McFadden can do that then I'll back him till the hilt, but if the Warriors come out next season with the same tired old trailing the pack gameplan as we've seen since pretty much 2012, then I don't think we'll see much more difference in terms of the results & if that happens I would like to see McFadden do the right & honourable thing & fall on his sword, so to speak, to make way for a coach who can actually deliver ... immediately
The CEO: Jim Doyle - For mine this man is by far the brightest shining light in an otherwise very dark season, Doyle is a proven high achiever many times over & judging from his prior track record he seems to be a man who knows exactly what he wants & exactly how to get it & I am in no doubt that Doyle wants the Warriors to not just win a maiden premiership, but also be genuine longtime force in the NRL
Doyle has obviously already made some very savvy recruitment moves with his acquisition of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck & Issac Luke for next season & my only further wish in that department is that he hopefully has a few more aces up his sleeve that he is yet to reveal for 2016
So again without blowing too smoke up the mans posterior lol I'm going to put this as short, sharp & to the point as I know how ...
Jim Doyle is the motherf@#king man & if he can't do it then then nobody can ... nuff said lol
Overall Conclusion: Rightly or wrongly I'm pretty much an eternal optimist & extremely loyal by nature , so I'll never give up on this team even if they eventually infuriate me to death by a thousand cuts lol
Has it been just another poor season among many from the Warriors ? ... most definitely
But here's the thing that keeps my fire burning, I firmly believe that a person, no matter what their circumstances, cannot really appreciate the good times without first going through the bad times & the worse & more long lasting those bad times are then more appreciated the good times naturally become when they finally arrive, so with that in mind when the Warriors finally break through their glass ceiling & win that maiden premiership it only serves to make the taste of that premiership winning wine all the more sweeter for everyone involved
Another reason I will always back this team is because I'm an extremely proud Kiwi who 100% believes in not just the Warriors, but also NZs overall rugby league potential & with all that in mind you couldn't change my love for this team even if you tried to buy me off with all the tea in china ... and that's a lot of tea
Best Forward: Ben Matulino - From my perspective this has been Big Ben's best season since 2012, for all intents & purposes he is the Warriors current big bopper & this season he played that role consistently well, his go forward all season has been head & shoulders above anyone else in the Warriors pack, he seems to have finally adjusted to the ban of his old go to weapon in defence, the shoulder charge (his suspension earlier in the season was unwarranted imo) & has been defensively solid, (although I'd personally love to see the big man bend his knees & drive in with the shoulder a lot more) he has also rediscovered his offload abilty finishing second overall in the regular season this year in that particular facet of the game with 53 offloads, my only criticism of Matulino would be for him to be a bit more selective in when he chooses to utilize his offload game, but in saying that the thought of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck running a supporting line trying to sniff out a Big Ben out the back special next season is definitely a mouth watering proposition
Honourable Mention: Ryan Hoffman - A pros pro who is consistently excellent Bodene Thompson - I personally didn't rate Thompson all that much in the early rounds, but as the season progressed he has more than proved himself to be a very valuable member of the Warriors pack
Best Back: Tuimoala Lolohea - What a break out season this has been for Lolohea, while the Warriors have been imploding all around him this kid has still managed to demonstrate his immense talent & potential, what has impressed me the most about Lolohea is not his obvious skill, pace & footwork, (although he is definitely outstanding in all of those areas) instead it is his maturity beyond his years that has been somewhat of a revelation, a lot of the criticism on these forums about the Warriors has consistently been focused around our locally developed players perceived lack of genuine footy smarts & mental toughness, but in this regard Lolohea definitely seems to be the exception to the norm, he has been bounced around no less than four very different backline positions this season & has always acquitted him self exceptionally well under very difficult circumstances, which in all probability would've broken a lesser minded player
I think the biggest compliment that I can give to young Lolohea is that from my perspective he has made the supposed million dollar man, Sam Tomkins, look decidedly less than average in comparison & for me it's immensely talented yet humble kids like Lolohea that keep me coming back year after year & give me hope for the future of the Warriors franchise
Honourable Mention: Shaun Johnson - Although Shaun Johnson had a rather lackluster start to the season, he more than showed how important he is to the overall success of this team, when he finally found his form the Warriors briefly found themselves in the Top Four for the first time in a long time & when he was lost to the team through injury it essentially became the defining factor that triggered a free fall that the Warriors essentially never recovered from, but the prospect of a spine made up of Shaun Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck & Issac Luke, with the added impact of Tuimoala Lolohea contributing his magic wherever he can has me somewhat hopeful & cautiously excited for the Warriors prospects next season
Rookie of the Year: Tuimoala Lolohea - (see above) for my money Lolohea is also a shoe in for the overall NRL Rookie of the Year & from my perspective he also wouldn't look out of place filling a utility bench spot in the Kiwis squad for the end of year tour to England
Honourable Mention: Albert Vete - At the start of the season we saw two young gun front rowers in Vete & Sam Lisone thrown into the breach to fill the Warriors front row rotation, I have been more than impressed by both of these young kids application, attitudes & willingness to not take a backwards step to sometimes vastly more experienced opposition, but as the season progresses Lisone seemed to, for whatever reason, hit a plateau & fall out of favour, whereas Vete has just kept on rolling forward getting better & better in the process, to the point where he now commands a starting spot in the squad, I totally agree with other site members who have already mentioned Vete being the future cornerstone of the Warriors pack
Solomone Kata - I have been somewhat critical of Kata in other threads (mainly due to the perceived flaws in his game, but also because I was a huge fan of Ngani Laumape) & to a certain degree I stand by my previous comments, while I greatly admire this kids heart & tenacity I still harbour my doubts as to weather or not Kata is actually genuine first grade center material, (time will tell I suppose) this could perhaps be due to Kata's inexperience in that he seems to play more with his heart than his head by always going for what I refer to as the "glory option" in both attack & defence, by either rushing out of the line to pull off an all or nothing defensive play and or always looking to score himself even when the Warriors have an obvious numbers advantage instead of taking the higher percentage play of positioning his wingmen for the score
In saying that however he has still performed more than admirably (starting in all 26 games is no small feat for a young rookie) & I have to acknowledge that if more of our team played with Kata's kind of heart, spirit & tenacity then the Warriors may well have found themselves still in the finals hunt despite this seasons atrocious injury toll, personally I hope for the sake of the team that Kata takes what he has learnt this season, applies all those lessons to a huge offseason & proves all his doubters, myself included, wrong by coming out & absolutely killing it in all facets of the center position next season
The Captain: Simon Mannering - As a player Mannering has been his usual ultra professional consistent self under what seems to be perpetually difficult circumstances, from my perspective his carries have been very effective this season, in that he quite often bends the line & carries a few defenders with him in the process, he produced 48 offloads for the regular season which has him in 4th position overall & it goes without saying that he is an absolute defensive colossus finishing the regular season in 2nd spot overall with 1092 tackles, my only minor criticism of him as a player would be the same one as I gave to Matulino in that he just needs to be a bit more selective in when he chooses to offload the pill
I have been somewhat openly critical of Mannering's captaincy, mainly for the same reasons as everyone else, but when I look back over my own personal life experiences I have to admit he is the type of man I would follow into the fire, because I know for a fact that if I'm ever in a situation that I have to literally fight my way out of, then it's far more beneficial to have someone covering my back with actions rather than words
I've never expected Mannering to have to motivate the players on the field, because I do not believe that is a captains job, especially in a professional sporting environment, all I've ever wanted from Mannering as a captain on the field is to remind the players of the gameplan, the standards expected of them & to put pressure on the NRL's rather incompetent refs to adequately do their jobs, the first two points could actually be undertaken by more vocally inclined able lieutenants such as Hoffman, Johnson etc, so that's not really that much of a issue for me anymore, so all I really want to see from Mannering as a captain is a bit more of a willingness to vocally put pressure on the refs when the calls are obviously dubious, because as captain he the only player in the team who is actually legally allowed to talk to them in that regard
The Coach: Andrew McFadden - This from my perspective is probably the biggest area of current concern for the Warriors, some of McFadden's actions and or lack of action in regards to a lot of his decisions this season have been highly questionable at best, but without going to far into it I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as essentially a rookie coach who has hopefully learnt from his mistakes this season & can rectify them in 2016 in much the same vein as the rookie players
The main thing I would like to see from McFadden is some actual innovation & out of the box thinking when it comes to the overall gameplan, because from my perspective the Warriors are NEVER going to be a consistent force and or win a maiden premiership by trying to play this one dimensional grind it out type football, what I believe we need is a loosely structured gameplan that acts a type of default setting to play our natural ad lib game around, play the basics well & even play conservative if that's what the situation calls for, but the players should NEVER be afraid to try something out of the box if it's on, obviously defensive structures & attitudes are hugely important & need to be a focus as well, but history shows us that, for the most part, the Warriors as a team tend to lift their defensive intensity when they are also highly confident in their attacking abilities
If McFadden can do that then I'll back him till the hilt, but if the Warriors come out next season with the same tired old trailing the pack gameplan as we've seen since pretty much 2012, then I don't think we'll see much more difference in terms of the results & if that happens I would like to see McFadden do the right & honourable thing & fall on his sword, so to speak, to make way for a coach who can actually deliver ... immediately
The CEO: Jim Doyle - For mine this man is by far the brightest shining light in an otherwise very dark season, Doyle is a proven high achiever many times over & judging from his prior track record he seems to be a man who knows exactly what he wants & exactly how to get it & I am in no doubt that Doyle wants the Warriors to not just win a maiden premiership, but also be genuine longtime force in the NRL
Doyle has obviously already made some very savvy recruitment moves with his acquisition of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck & Issac Luke for next season & my only further wish in that department is that he hopefully has a few more aces up his sleeve that he is yet to reveal for 2016
So again without blowing too smoke up the mans posterior lol I'm going to put this as short, sharp & to the point as I know how ...
Jim Doyle is the motherf@#king man & if he can't do it then then nobody can ... nuff said lol
Overall Conclusion: Rightly or wrongly I'm pretty much an eternal optimist & extremely loyal by nature , so I'll never give up on this team even if they eventually infuriate me to death by a thousand cuts lol
Has it been just another poor season among many from the Warriors ? ... most definitely
But here's the thing that keeps my fire burning, I firmly believe that a person, no matter what their circumstances, cannot really appreciate the good times without first going through the bad times & the worse & more long lasting those bad times are then more appreciated the good times naturally become when they finally arrive, so with that in mind when the Warriors finally break through their glass ceiling & win that maiden premiership it only serves to make the taste of that premiership winning wine all the more sweeter for everyone involved
Another reason I will always back this team is because I'm an extremely proud Kiwi who 100% believes in not just the Warriors, but also NZs overall rugby league potential & with all that in mind you couldn't change my love for this team even if you tried to buy me off with all the tea in china ... and that's a lot of tea
Last edited:
Bluecat again
Contributor
Piss poor season for a heap of very good reasons but I am looking forward to next year. Top four at least. Have a great Xmas and see you all then. It's cricket season
mt.wellington
Warriors Orange Peeler
Contributor
Warriors 2015 season review
Mon 07 Sep, 2015, 11:30am
By Corey Rosser, New Zealand Correspondent
Déjà vu tends to be an evil phrase when you are a Warriors fan.
Another 26 rounds, another mid-season burst which planted the seed of a possible premiership dream, but ultimately just another slow and painful fall from finals qualification.
The year had its highs - back-to-back last-gasp victories over Cronulla (20-16) and Parramatta (17-13) in Rounds 9 and 10 - and some deep lows in the way of consecutive 50-16 losses to the Cowboys and Tigers in Rounds 24 and 25.
The emergence of home-grown talents such as Solomone Kata, Albert Vete and Sam Lisone were other bright spots, while young utility Tuimoala Lolohea showed he can be a force at first-grade level in any of the backline positions.
Sitting fourth heading into the final eight rounds, the Kiwi side failed to win a single game from that point on, slipping to a final resting place of 13th on the NRL Telstra Premiership ladder.
Almost half of their squad who started this season won't remain in Auckland next year, with big names Sam Rapira, Nathan Friend, Sam Tomkins and Chad Townsend among the departures.
In his second year as head coach Andrew McFadden is starting to assemble the team he wants, and mid-year the club secured two of their biggest-ever signings in current Kiwi internationals Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke.
Season 2016 holds plenty of promise for this club, but optimism doesn't win NRL titles.
A look at some of the names in the 2015 causality ward - Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson and Ben Henry to name a few - offers up the chance to make plenty of excuses for the Warriors' late-season collapse.
But the fact that they finished the year in the NRL's bottom three for completed sets, errors and points conceded says it all; ultimately the Warriors shot themselves in the foot time and time again this season.
Where They Excelled: Bringing through young talent. The Warriors had six players make their Telstra Premiership debut in season 2015, with several standing out among the club's best. Centre Kata scored more tries than any other in the side (12), while prop Vete played 21 of 24 games and stood up when they were without senior front-rowers Jacob Lillyman, Ben Matulino and Sam Rapira.
Where They Struggled: Doing the basics required to win games in this competition didn't come easy for the Warriors. Having the third-highest error rate in the NRL, averaging 11 per game, meant the Kiwi outfit finished the year averaging a 73 per cent completion rate, the third worst among all teams. When completing at over 75 percent the Warriors were a dangerous side, the problem was they rarely managed to do it. Gifting their opposition all that ball also had a detrimental effect on their defensive line, averaging 25 missed tackles and 24.5 points conceded per game.
Missing In Action:
Ben Henry (knee, season)
Ngani Laumape (ACL, season)
Thomas Leuluai (knee, season)
Manu Vatuvei (shoulder, season)
David Fusitua (knee, season)
Shaun Johnson (ankle, season)
Jacob Lillyman (fractured cheekbone, season)
Turning Point: Twenty four minutes into the Round 20 clash with the Sea Eagles. That was the moment Shaun Johnson suffered his season-ending ankle injury while scoring a try. From then on the Warriors didn't win a game and slipped from the middle of the top eight to their eventual finishing spot of 13th. You certainly can't blame all of that on losing their star halfback, but there's no doubting it was the turning point in their season.
Hold Your Head High: Captain Simon Mannering was an immense presence in the middle of the park, playing every game and finishing the year behind only Andrew McCullough in terms of the most tackles in the competition. In a year where he made 1,092 tackles Mannering missed just 27, while also averaging 105 run metres. While many of his teammates struggled to put together consistent showings Mannering was tough, selfless and persistent in his efforts every game.
2016 Crystal Ball: The light at the end of the tunnel was always the impending arrival of Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke. Combine them with halves Johnson and Leuluai and the Warriors' side will feature a spine full of Kiwi internationals. Young players like Lolohea, Vete, Kata and Lisone should be better for their experiences gained this year, and overall the Warriors look a more-balanced side for next season. Expectations will be high and anything less than a finals berth will be considered a failure.
Conclusion: Any team who loses their first-choice No.7 in the NRL is going to be affected, particularly when he is as influential as Johnson. But that's no excuse for a final seven games which saw the Warriors concede an average of 33.7 points, while averaging only 12.8 scored over the same period. They had a terrible run with injuries, which told near the back end of the year as fatigue set in and a lack of experience was exposed by opposing teams. But after powering their way up to fourth position going into Round 19 the Warriors should still have been able to do enough to make the finals, and ultimately this team underachieved in 2015.
SEASON STATISTICS
Wins: 9
Losses: 15
Position (after 26 rounds): 13th
Home Record: 5-7
Away Record: 4-8
Longest Winning Streak: 3 games (Rounds 9-12, Rounds 15-18)
Longest Losing Streak: 8 games (Rounds 19-26)
Players Used: 32
Tries Scored (after 26 rounds): 80
Tries Conceded (after 26 rounds): 104
https://www.nrl.com/warriors-2015-season-review/tabid/10874/newsid/89576/default.aspx
Mon 07 Sep, 2015, 11:30am
By Corey Rosser, New Zealand Correspondent
Déjà vu tends to be an evil phrase when you are a Warriors fan.
Another 26 rounds, another mid-season burst which planted the seed of a possible premiership dream, but ultimately just another slow and painful fall from finals qualification.
The year had its highs - back-to-back last-gasp victories over Cronulla (20-16) and Parramatta (17-13) in Rounds 9 and 10 - and some deep lows in the way of consecutive 50-16 losses to the Cowboys and Tigers in Rounds 24 and 25.
The emergence of home-grown talents such as Solomone Kata, Albert Vete and Sam Lisone were other bright spots, while young utility Tuimoala Lolohea showed he can be a force at first-grade level in any of the backline positions.
Sitting fourth heading into the final eight rounds, the Kiwi side failed to win a single game from that point on, slipping to a final resting place of 13th on the NRL Telstra Premiership ladder.
Almost half of their squad who started this season won't remain in Auckland next year, with big names Sam Rapira, Nathan Friend, Sam Tomkins and Chad Townsend among the departures.
In his second year as head coach Andrew McFadden is starting to assemble the team he wants, and mid-year the club secured two of their biggest-ever signings in current Kiwi internationals Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke.
Season 2016 holds plenty of promise for this club, but optimism doesn't win NRL titles.
A look at some of the names in the 2015 causality ward - Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson and Ben Henry to name a few - offers up the chance to make plenty of excuses for the Warriors' late-season collapse.
But the fact that they finished the year in the NRL's bottom three for completed sets, errors and points conceded says it all; ultimately the Warriors shot themselves in the foot time and time again this season.
Where They Excelled: Bringing through young talent. The Warriors had six players make their Telstra Premiership debut in season 2015, with several standing out among the club's best. Centre Kata scored more tries than any other in the side (12), while prop Vete played 21 of 24 games and stood up when they were without senior front-rowers Jacob Lillyman, Ben Matulino and Sam Rapira.
Where They Struggled: Doing the basics required to win games in this competition didn't come easy for the Warriors. Having the third-highest error rate in the NRL, averaging 11 per game, meant the Kiwi outfit finished the year averaging a 73 per cent completion rate, the third worst among all teams. When completing at over 75 percent the Warriors were a dangerous side, the problem was they rarely managed to do it. Gifting their opposition all that ball also had a detrimental effect on their defensive line, averaging 25 missed tackles and 24.5 points conceded per game.
Missing In Action:
Ben Henry (knee, season)
Ngani Laumape (ACL, season)
Thomas Leuluai (knee, season)
Manu Vatuvei (shoulder, season)
David Fusitua (knee, season)
Shaun Johnson (ankle, season)
Jacob Lillyman (fractured cheekbone, season)
Turning Point: Twenty four minutes into the Round 20 clash with the Sea Eagles. That was the moment Shaun Johnson suffered his season-ending ankle injury while scoring a try. From then on the Warriors didn't win a game and slipped from the middle of the top eight to their eventual finishing spot of 13th. You certainly can't blame all of that on losing their star halfback, but there's no doubting it was the turning point in their season.
Hold Your Head High: Captain Simon Mannering was an immense presence in the middle of the park, playing every game and finishing the year behind only Andrew McCullough in terms of the most tackles in the competition. In a year where he made 1,092 tackles Mannering missed just 27, while also averaging 105 run metres. While many of his teammates struggled to put together consistent showings Mannering was tough, selfless and persistent in his efforts every game.
2016 Crystal Ball: The light at the end of the tunnel was always the impending arrival of Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke. Combine them with halves Johnson and Leuluai and the Warriors' side will feature a spine full of Kiwi internationals. Young players like Lolohea, Vete, Kata and Lisone should be better for their experiences gained this year, and overall the Warriors look a more-balanced side for next season. Expectations will be high and anything less than a finals berth will be considered a failure.
Conclusion: Any team who loses their first-choice No.7 in the NRL is going to be affected, particularly when he is as influential as Johnson. But that's no excuse for a final seven games which saw the Warriors concede an average of 33.7 points, while averaging only 12.8 scored over the same period. They had a terrible run with injuries, which told near the back end of the year as fatigue set in and a lack of experience was exposed by opposing teams. But after powering their way up to fourth position going into Round 19 the Warriors should still have been able to do enough to make the finals, and ultimately this team underachieved in 2015.
SEASON STATISTICS
Wins: 9
Losses: 15
Position (after 26 rounds): 13th
Home Record: 5-7
Away Record: 4-8
Longest Winning Streak: 3 games (Rounds 9-12, Rounds 15-18)
Longest Losing Streak: 8 games (Rounds 19-26)
Players Used: 32
Tries Scored (after 26 rounds): 80
Tries Conceded (after 26 rounds): 104
https://www.nrl.com/warriors-2015-season-review/tabid/10874/newsid/89576/default.aspx
