Team List Warriors vs Raiders - [Round 12, 2025]

[run_it_str8_again]

On D the Warriors line lead by JFH is taking metres off the opposition with linespeed and an enthusiasm to cover mistakes on atrack it is a willingness to carry, includin the tough carries. That work effort is why Leka has the starting gig, more important than bench impact. Personally I would play Ali, he has not been out that long, but understand a freshening up in Cup

It is a shame about MTG, I suspect it is more than on field on field perfermance. I would guess Player Manager interference. Whatever, good lucj to him

I thought MGT had it in him. To me he didn't look out of place and ran great support lines. But he's outta here now so onward we move

 

[Warriorsfan92]

If we win 70-0 we go to top of the table

 

[Noitall]

I thought MGT had it in him. To me he didn't look out of place and ran great support lines. But he's outta here now so onward we move

That try down the sideline that involved him and DWZ supporting each other was our try of the season I reckon. Will be interesting to see what a year under Wayne Bennett does for him. He can sort his defence but his attack is instinctive

 

[Lance155]

Not sure how I feel about this game until I know our final team list. Can still shift a fair amount

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Not sure how I feel about this game until I know our final team list. Can still shift a fair amount

I get ya on that. My point is that "next man up" thing means if you're in, you're it. Mentally a player could go I'm not as good as Barney or Fish. I'm just a young reserve. Or could take their opportunities and play beyond what anyone says their max potential is.

We can win this one. Of that I am sure, even with the outs we have.

 

[Lance155]

I get ya on that. My point is that "next man up" thing means if you're in, you're it. Mentally a player could go I'm not as good as Barney or Fish. I'm just a young reserve. Or could take their opportunities and play beyond what anyone says their max potential is.

We can win this one. Of that I am sure, even with the outs we have.

My best option would be Ali to centre, Capewell to backrow, Leka to bench, TMM out and Ale in for Bunty. Undecided on which props start

 

[John Nick]

My best option would be Ali to centre, Capewell to backrow, Leka to bench, TMM out and Ale in for Bunty. Undecided on which props start

One good thing going for us this week is having Fish in the dressing room (I presume) to spark up the younger guys.
Unlike Barney being in camp.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

My best option would be Ali to centre, Capewell to backrow, Leka to bench, TMM out and Ale in for Bunty. Undecided on which props start

I think we have the luxury of naming as we have been. Props wise, I would start Ford and Bunty. Both are experienced enough. Subs would be Tanner, Marata so Marata provides experience. This game is the perfect opportunity for Ford, Bunty and Marata to step up in terms of leadership.

 

[sup42]

With all due respect, show me a list of NRL forwards Leka's age that are playing 80 minutes a week?

It rarely happens. And probably for better reasons that you and I can contemplate. Maybe Leka's different to them all, but holding him back another 6 months so he has a long and successful career is something I'd be on board with.

Also, side note but just saw that there are two players (18 and 19 year olds) named Latu Finau and Finau Latu in the NRL, pretty nuts

Fair enough Tooks.

I don't expect them or even necessarily want them to get the player running for eighty right off the bat. For the same reasons you are concerned, burn out.

But to become an eighty minute forward you have to play the whole game right? which means being comfortable with the hard part, the opening/the arm wrestle.

I prefer he is conditioned from day one for no soft intros to games. Start out the hard way, pull him off if you have to.

As an aside, there is a risk of making players lazy or less robust by over use of bench minutes imo.

It looks as though Halasima is thriving with the minutes, doesn't seem negatively impacted at all (unless fans expecting a Try per game or line break is the metric - an approach I just don't agree with).

 

[John Nick]

I think we have the luxury of naming as we have been. Props wise, I would start Ford and Bunty. Both are experienced enough. Subs would be Tanner, Marata so Marata provides experience. This game is the perfect opportunity for Ford, Bunty and Marata to step up in terms of leadership.

Particularly Marata who needs to be the Alpha now & thats why I would want him to start & show some aggro to set the platform

 

[CWC]

Btw one of 360 panelist (the bald guy)'s key match up of the round is Metcalf vs Fogerty 2nd vs 4th

We're probably hosting match of the round this weekend lol

 

[sydneywarrior92]

We've talked a lot about our outs but not a lot about theirs.

Hudson Young is a huge out for them. We might be losing some go forward with Barney and JFH out, but they'll be losing their top try scorer and best defensive forward. He is a lot like Capes for us: he cleans up a lot of bad defensive reads made by his edge partners, Kris and Savage I believe, who are just as bad as RTS and DWZ when it comes to jamming. Unfortunately for them, there's no Hudson Young to clean up their mistakes this week. You have to watch their last two home games (Dolphins first half and Dogs second half in particular) to appreciate just how dumb Savage and Tamale can be on defense.

If he were playing on Sunday, he'd be marking up against Marata I believe. That gives us a great opportunity given how damaging Marata has been for us on the edge. LM has formed a great combo with him recently putting him in one on one situations on the edge close to the line. Nikorima was sweating bullets every time he got the ball last week. I can see Marata causing all sorts of nightmares for their young half (Ethan Strange) and their left edge defense, especially given how leaky it has been this year.

Raiders may have the 2nd best attack but their defense is in the bottom half of the comp for a reason. If Tits can score 44 pts against them over 2 games, then we can score enough pts to win this game. The rest is up to our defense to hold strong again. We've averaged 16 pts conceded over the last month. Replicate that, and we put ourselves in a strong position to win this one. Any margin will do. Tipping the boys to do this in another nail biter which will cause the entire Auckland ambulance crew to be on standby.

 

[Noitall]

If there was one person who knew Luke Metcalf was destined for big things before arriving at the Warriors, it was Lewi Brown.

The pair were teammates at the Manly Sea Eagles in 2018, and Brown remembers playing alongside Metcalf in his New South Wales Cup debut for the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, where he scored a runaway try.

At the time, Brown was in his final season of professional rugby league, while Metcalf was 19, and primarily featured in the revamped Jersey Flegg competition.

Back then, Brown knew Metcalf was destined for big things and he’s delighted seeing him thrive at the Warriors.

“He’s still the same in a lot of ways,” Brown, who spent four seasons at the Warriors between 2009-12, told the Herald.

“He came in a footy nerd, and he’s still a footy nerd, and that’s exactly what you want from your halfback. He’s a great person to have around the team environment – always laughing, always smiling.

“He’s recognising his talent, surrounding himself with the right people, and that’s when you start seeing something special. He’s got the mindset, and when you pair that with the right support, sky’s the limit.

 

[Canonball]

We've talked a lot about our outs but not a lot about theirs.

Hudson Young is a huge out for them. We might be losing some go forward with Barney and JFH out, but they'll be losing their top try scorer and best defensive forward. He is a lot like Capes for us: he cleans up a lot of bad defensive reads made by his edge partners, Kris and Savage I believe, who are just as bad as RTS and DWZ when it comes to jamming. Unfortunately for them, there's no Hudson Young to clean up their mistakes this week. You have to watch their last two home games (Dolphins first half and Dogs second half in particular) to appreciate just how dumb Savage and Tamale can be on defense.

If he were playing on Sunday, he'd be marking up against Marata I believe. That gives us a great opportunity given how damaging Marata has been for us on the edge. LM has formed a great combo with him recently putting him in one on one situations on the edge close to the line. Nikorima was sweating bullets every time he got the ball last week. I can see Marata causing all sorts of nightmares for their young half (Ethan Strange) and their left edge defense, especially given how leaky it has been this year.

Raiders may have the 2nd best attack but their defense is in the bottom half of the comp for a reason. If Tits can score 44 pts against them over 2 games, then we can score enough pts to win this game. The rest is up to our defense to hold strong again. We've averaged 16 pts conceded over the last month. Replicate that, and we put ourselves in a strong position to win this one. Any margin will do. Tipping the boys to do this in another nail biter which will cause the entire Auckland ambulance crew to be on standby.

I want to and I am picking a boil-over : i.e. we get up by the maleficent 14 or more, coming home with a couple of tries by our second rowers ... reckon we've got this

 

[Noitall]

Would be crazy if we blacked out Mt Smart like OKC is blued out against Minnesota

 

[Get them onside ref!]

I want to and I am picking a boil-over : i.e. we get up by the maleficent 14 or more, coming home with a couple of tries by our second rowers ... reckon we've got this

One game at a time
Souths sharks panthers broncos bye
That’s in front of us
Beat all those teams
We may start to be taken seriously
Drop 1 or 2
Watch the Aussie media go for it

 

[Noitall]

One game at a time
Souths sharks panthers broncos bye
That’s in front of us
Beat all those teams
We may start to be taken seriously
Drop 1 or 2
Watch the Aussie media go for it

After round 1, I thought will we win a game? After storm game, I thought is that going to hurt our confidence? Resilience was a word that best described us in 2023 and we lost it in 2024. It’s returned but even more so I reckon. Even if we drop games, I feel confident that there’s enough hunger to work hard to correct it

 

[sup42]

If there was one person who knew Luke Metcalf was destined for big things before arriving at the Warriors, it was Lewi Brown.

The pair were teammates at the Manly Sea Eagles in 2018, and Brown remembers playing alongside Metcalf in his New South Wales Cup debut for the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, where he scored a runaway try.

At the time, Brown was in his final season of professional rugby league, while Metcalf was 19, and primarily featured in the revamped Jersey Flegg competition.

Back then, Brown knew Metcalf was destined for big things and he’s delighted seeing him thrive at the Warriors.

“He’s still the same in a lot of ways,” Brown, who spent four seasons at the Warriors between 2009-12, told the Herald.

“He came in a footy nerd, and he’s still a footy nerd, and that’s exactly what you want from your halfback. He’s a great person to have around the team environment – always laughing, always smiling.

“He’s recognising his talent, surrounding himself with the right people, and that’s when you start seeing something special. He’s got the mindset, and when you pair that with the right support, sky’s the limit.

This is the second recent tell about Metcalf that exposes he is a footy Nerd.

It all makes sense to me now....why he got that spot at 7.....why him and Channel get along so well....why Metcalf played so dampened down at first, played within himself, put his running game away.

As a study of League (or a study of anything in the world) the most influential people in their lives are their teachers.
The thing about Nerds is they crave a good teacher that they can connect with and relate too, someone with similar passions and attention to detail. You can see where I am going with this, Andrew Webster is that type of very similar focussed football thinker that someone like Metcalf would have been looking for. Webster is someone that makes you feel as though no question is a stupid question. He is the opposite to a do as I say type.

I would have loved to have listened to the conversation between Metcalf and Webster about the half back role, obviously Webster would have asked why Luke wanted it, and Metcalf would have had a stats and metrics based answer that Webster could relate to.

CHT is a Nerd too, kinda makes so much sense that those two go nuts when they score a try or whatever, they clearly are kindred spirits, while Channels Nerdery is not footy, Metcalfs footyness would help Channel to to see the thinking side of the game he walked away from.

When Metcalf came out this season and stopped running, when just did the numbers as a half that kicks, I bet that was around an understanding he had with Webster that to be halfback he had to make these very specific metrics in the game, the kick chase stuff that the Warriors are known for under Webster.

Metcalfs defence would have been another non negotiable between him and Webster.

I can guarantee you that Webster said nothing about needing to line break or get X number of Try assists to hold the position, which is why all that stuff dissapeared from Metcalfs game as he determindly set out to acheive a pass mark in all the Webster must do's.

But the thing I like about Metcalf being a girly swat is that he needs a mentoring teacher, someone that understands him, someone that with talk nerd footy with him. Their relationship is what will keep Metcalf here more than any other considerations.

 

[Noitall]

This is the second recent tell about Metcalf that exposes he is a footy Nerd.

It all makes sense to me now....why he got that spot at 7.....why him and Channel get along so well....why Metcalf played so dampened down at first, played within himself, put his running game away.

As a study of League (or a study of anything in the world) the most influential people in their lives are their teachers.
The thing about Nerds is they crave a good teacher that they can connect with and relate too, someone with similar passions and attention to detail. You can see where I am going with this, Andrew Webster is that type of very similar focussed football thinker that someone like Metcalf would have been looking for. Webster is someone that makes you feel as though no question is a stupid question. He is the opposite to a do as I say type.

I would have loved to have listened to the conversation between Metcalf and Webster about the half back role, obviously Webster would have asked why Luke wanted it, and Metcalf would have had a stats and metrics based answer that Webster could relate to.

CHT is a Nerd too, kinda makes so much sense that those two go nuts when they score a try or whatever, they clearly are kindred spirits, while Channels Nerdery is not footy, Metcalfs footyness would help Channel to to see the thinking side of the game he walked away from.

When Metcalf came out this season and stopped running, when just did the numbers as a half that kicks, I bet that was around an understanding he had with Webster that to be halfback he had to make these very specific metrics in the game, the kick chase stuff that the Warriors are known for under Webster.

Metcalfs defence would have been another non negotiable between him and Webster.

I can guarantee you that Webster said nothing about needing to line break or get X number of Try assists to hold the position, which is why all that stuff dissapeared from Metcalfs game as he determindly set out to acheive a pass mark in all the Webster must do's.

But the thing I like about Metcalf being a girly swat is that he needs a mentoring teacher, someone that understands him, someone that with talk nerd footy with him. Their relationship is what will keep Metcalf here more than any other considerations.

Metcalf: Really pleased to see Capes lead us out this week

Luke Metcalf on Kurt Capewell as captain and contracts for Leka Halasima and Jacob Laban.

www.warriors.kiwi

This is from a couple of days ago where towards the end of the interview he’s asked if any negotiations going on and says no dialogue between himself and the club. Still contracted next season but can negotiate in November. Interesting where he mentions the amount of zeros if he wins dally m. Very grounded guy though and I hope he sticks around

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

But the thing I like about Metcalf being a girly swat is that he needs a mentoring teacher, someone that understands him, someone that with talk nerd footy with him. Their relationship is what will keep Metcalf here more than any other considerations.

I think there's a pretty good one hanging around that doubles as a league commentator and pod caster.

Shaun....... something?

Maybe they should hit that guy up.