Looks like an out of shape Bodene Thompson.
Post Match Warriors v Cowboys - [Round 9, 2025]
- Thread starter mt.wellington
- Start date
Fox sports loving SJ. Great hype and energy, emotions to match the roller coaster.
And that game had all the thrills of a classic warriors game. Dominant first half followed by a dodgy call against the warriors when they got a 7 tackle set and then 3 tries in quick succession. A desperate tackle in the corner from the halfback and then 15 minutes of desperation. We looked gone for all money, but they just lifted when they needed. Halasima tackle on their 6 at the end - incredible.
A game to build a season on. Feel sorry for Berry, next man up. Great debut from Healy and Marata s defence at the end outstanding. Erin Clark never stopped as did Barnett and CNK. These boys have heart and grit. In the trenches and over the top. Mana proud.
And that game had all the thrills of a classic warriors game. Dominant first half followed by a dodgy call against the warriors when they got a 7 tackle set and then 3 tries in quick succession. A desperate tackle in the corner from the halfback and then 15 minutes of desperation. We looked gone for all money, but they just lifted when they needed. Halasima tackle on their 6 at the end - incredible.
A game to build a season on. Feel sorry for Berry, next man up. Great debut from Healy and Marata s defence at the end outstanding. Erin Clark never stopped as did Barnett and CNK. These boys have heart and grit. In the trenches and over the top. Mana proud.
I'm usually against bagging the ref, and admittedly it was only one call.
But how Gee and the touchie missed the in goal call. The whole 13 were yelling and waving their arms for a challenge. Him letting them tap and then in the refs mic saying "It's too late to challenge".
Momentum completely flipped with that call when we were in control. Then compounded with the Berry injury, with Marata and Capewell shuffle to that edge who started getting worked. Yes you have to be able to manage that, but the Cows aren't a shit team and are deadly when they get a bit of momentum especially in the current six again era and lack of wrestle..
Absolutely stoked the boys managed to come together and make some adjustments on that edge to grind out a win. Would have been miffed if we lost because of that momentum swing.
But how Gee and the touchie missed the in goal call. The whole 13 were yelling and waving their arms for a challenge. Him letting them tap and then in the refs mic saying "It's too late to challenge".
Momentum completely flipped with that call when we were in control. Then compounded with the Berry injury, with Marata and Capewell shuffle to that edge who started getting worked. Yes you have to be able to manage that, but the Cows aren't a shit team and are deadly when they get a bit of momentum especially in the current six again era and lack of wrestle..
Absolutely stoked the boys managed to come together and make some adjustments on that edge to grind out a win. Would have been miffed if we lost because of that momentum swing.
Just a quick 10 thoughts i got from this match:
1. That first 10 minutes is something to be proud of. We defended our line really well and let nothing through. I always rate our defensive moments higher than our attacking ones, and the Cowboys really went searching in that first 10 but couldn’t find a crack in us.
2. Metcalf’s best game yet — I’d say he was MOTM. Not just for the amazing tries (I especially liked the Kosi one, where he hid behind the dummy half and then sprinted out to put Drinkwater behind), but also for his huge defensive effort. He never let up.
3. Two tries I think don’t happen if Rocco isn’t injured: the rainbow pass over TT and Capes, and the simple grubber where TT jumps to catch it and is tackled mid-air. Both seemed to happen when the centre and wing just weren’t connecting. I don’t think it’s either player’s fault — if they’d had even one week training together, it probably wouldn’t happen. But a mid-game shift will do that, and the Cowboys are one of the best attacking teams for a reason.
4. I don’t think Barney gets enough credit as captain. Our boys didn’t look panicked. They looked exhausted and barely standing, but not disheartened. He was always rallying the squad, and once Luke got that try-saver, Barney really lifted them. We then managed to defend our try line for another 10–14 minutes. That is incredibly hard to do. Maybe JFH could do it too, but honestly, without more time with the squad, only Barney has that kind of leadership weight.
5. We had to shift around four players when a centre went down, and that clearly disrupted the team. Not sure if it’s worth fixing, since it costs depth on the bench. Marata -> R2R, Leka -> L2R, Capes -> right centre, Healey subbed on to lock for 7 minutes.
6. I thought Marata killed it at prop this game. The stats won’t reflect it because he had to switch positions, but he was strong defensively and a damaging ball runner. Every team needs at least one giant prop, and he looks like ours.
7. Clark and Egan had their typical rock-solid game. They became sinkholes on attack, giving space to our halves, and were constantly setting the defensive line and applying pressure. That did drop off as the game went on — defending for most of the second half drains any energy you have.
8. Rocco and Pompey had great games. Good defense on their edge before the shuffle. I don’t blame the first try on Rocco — it was a 2 vs 1. No idea how the Cowboys managed to find a 4 vs 2 on that edge.
9. CHT did his usual good work defensively and set up a try or two with his short kicking game. He complements Metcalf well and makes our attack look much more unpredictable.
10. It's wild that we won that game via penalty points considering the last couple of games... 5 from 7 isn't too bad. Hope it gets better.
Edit:
11. Only noticed this because some people were saying webby should of subbed on bunty if the props were gassed. It was pretty bullsy to sub on Healey as a lock instead of subbing on bunty. I think it was the right move, but we did use all 8 interchanges. So it looks like more mins for Healey and recovery time for Demetric to go in again over more mins for Bunty at the moment.
1. That first 10 minutes is something to be proud of. We defended our line really well and let nothing through. I always rate our defensive moments higher than our attacking ones, and the Cowboys really went searching in that first 10 but couldn’t find a crack in us.
2. Metcalf’s best game yet — I’d say he was MOTM. Not just for the amazing tries (I especially liked the Kosi one, where he hid behind the dummy half and then sprinted out to put Drinkwater behind), but also for his huge defensive effort. He never let up.
3. Two tries I think don’t happen if Rocco isn’t injured: the rainbow pass over TT and Capes, and the simple grubber where TT jumps to catch it and is tackled mid-air. Both seemed to happen when the centre and wing just weren’t connecting. I don’t think it’s either player’s fault — if they’d had even one week training together, it probably wouldn’t happen. But a mid-game shift will do that, and the Cowboys are one of the best attacking teams for a reason.
4. I don’t think Barney gets enough credit as captain. Our boys didn’t look panicked. They looked exhausted and barely standing, but not disheartened. He was always rallying the squad, and once Luke got that try-saver, Barney really lifted them. We then managed to defend our try line for another 10–14 minutes. That is incredibly hard to do. Maybe JFH could do it too, but honestly, without more time with the squad, only Barney has that kind of leadership weight.
5. We had to shift around four players when a centre went down, and that clearly disrupted the team. Not sure if it’s worth fixing, since it costs depth on the bench. Marata -> R2R, Leka -> L2R, Capes -> right centre, Healey subbed on to lock for 7 minutes.
6. I thought Marata killed it at prop this game. The stats won’t reflect it because he had to switch positions, but he was strong defensively and a damaging ball runner. Every team needs at least one giant prop, and he looks like ours.
7. Clark and Egan had their typical rock-solid game. They became sinkholes on attack, giving space to our halves, and were constantly setting the defensive line and applying pressure. That did drop off as the game went on — defending for most of the second half drains any energy you have.
8. Rocco and Pompey had great games. Good defense on their edge before the shuffle. I don’t blame the first try on Rocco — it was a 2 vs 1. No idea how the Cowboys managed to find a 4 vs 2 on that edge.
9. CHT did his usual good work defensively and set up a try or two with his short kicking game. He complements Metcalf well and makes our attack look much more unpredictable.
10. It's wild that we won that game via penalty points considering the last couple of games... 5 from 7 isn't too bad. Hope it gets better.
Edit:
11. Only noticed this because some people were saying webby should of subbed on bunty if the props were gassed. It was pretty bullsy to sub on Healey as a lock instead of subbing on bunty. I think it was the right move, but we did use all 8 interchanges. So it looks like more mins for Healey and recovery time for Demetric to go in again over more mins for Bunty at the moment.
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Be interesting to see who gets named on Tuesday thenOn a side note, we could use Joey Manu right now with both centres going down this week
after watching the replay I'm gonna have to take this statement back.
Taine my guy - you were REALLY BAD ON DEFENSE in the second half
It had nothing to do with Capewell. That was all on you my guy,
Too many times, completely unaware of where Taulangi was anf too interested in jamming in for an intercept pass.
Dropped a bomb - i think it hit him in the face
Fumbled a grubber which allowed Cows to score - Nanai...
Left a gapping hole for Taulangi to run into and nearly score if it wasnt for the heroics of Metcalf...
No doubt they'll watch the tape and discuss what worked and what didnt.
I'm pretty sure the strategy is to rush in and force a mistake or make a tackle and trust the inside / CNK to cover.
But we WON, so i still feel good...
I still take Taine over DWZ unless its a bad match up..... hahaha
11. It was probably to take over Egan as well for D as we had no attack left
On the right edge it was weird cuz we had that combo vs Broncos and we were fine, was TT injured before all the meltdown? He probably needs a rest Dallin is retuning anyway
Someone said Marata was too slow on the edge, was it? He’s literally our prop/edge cover now.
Ford played less minutes for some reason
Those drop balls could be lethal on another day
If TT gave the ball before Drinkwater tackled him or after the mistackle early would Luke have a chance? Looked at the replay there was nobody in front (last man was Drinkwater lol)
I thought if Healey gave the ball to Pompey it was 2 on 2 but he kicked it lol. Though he and CHT form a good defense around the rucks
we go on to win 13+ if Berry doesn't get injured. We were absolutely pumping them at that pt. Most of their meters were coming through side to side stuff as opposed to running through us. The edge defense could have done a better job adjusting but I think TT is more at fault than Marata on a lot of those tries/breaks that the Cows made on that edge in the second half. He's been quite good defensively all year but he won't be enjoying the review session this week. He's got to better as DWZ/RTS near returns.
PLaY TaNnAh bOyd and Te mAiRe, tHeYrE cArViNg uP iN cuP
It really was
I reckon Clarke and JFH's māori dog deserves a mention.
He had already dropped the catch
Honestly don't see get all the hype about those two, so cringey
SJ is like an excited kid with a new toy (job). Entertaining at the moment but could wear thin after a while, especially for the non kiwi audience.
The panel is usually very formal, structured and professional. SJ seems more suited to post game analysis or as a colour commentator and could work well at the more casual, social review type shows.
How could you not like Ennis?
At least he thinks he knows it all and believes that he should have the most to say
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