TeamList Warriors vs Raiders- [Round 3, 2024]

[Riz]

What did he say?

No idea, I'll ask Dallin.

 

[Worried2Death]

No idea, I'll ask Dallin.

Just asked him, apparently it means "Dallin has the most beautiful hair in all of Poland. And Coates' hand touched the grass."

 

[sydneywarrior92]

As webby said in that interview, at our best there are very few teams that can go with us. We should have beaten the Sharks and Melbourne, two top four contenders, despite the fact we only really played for 20 and 35 minutes respectively. The gameplan works- if we stick to it for longer this week, we have too much firepower for the Raiders. The formula for beating them shouldn't change from last year- match them physically in the early war of attrition before unleashing our lethal set piece attack on their iffy edge defence. The new double lead shapes we started running in Melbourne are a thing of beauty when we get them right.

 

[Makasene]

Can anyone honestly say that the ladder positions would not be reversed if we swapped our 2 opposition to start the season?

Canberra are a 10th place team and I will be in utter shock if that is not proven in Chch this week

 

[watcher]

lol reading through the thread so Adam has moved on from 2 coaching gigs (Maori, SG Warriors) within 2 years and he's publicly coaching Webby how to coach

Pretty sure his spot will be taken by SJ when he retires lol

Didn't he have a show like cross the ditch or something and that seems to be done after 1 season? Monty's Once a Warrior was so good he's doing the 2nd season (or 3rd?), he's pretty smart now interviewing current Warriors pretty sure that's what the consumers want right now

Opinions are like arseholes everyone has one. He is entitled to his opinion.

 

[Billyspleen75]

Opinions are like arseholes everyone has one. He is entitled to his opinion.

Some are shittier than others though

 

[francis]

Agreed but what grounds does Blair have to stand on with no success as a coach, questioning the reigning dally m coach of the year. He looks like an idiot.

he is an idiot

 

[sup42]

Centre is not an easy position to play, especially defensively.

Yeah, the Center is supposed to read attacking plays coming at his three quarter line partners (back rower on the inside, a half, and a Wing on the outside) the opposition exploit this one on one by adding a fullback into the play, giving them an automatic extra player, knowing that the defending Centers remit is not to marshal his own fullback to counter, since the defending fullback is behind him, and therefore meant to read the play on his own.....and therefore in the first instance it is the center and his partners who must assume they are outnumbered and therefore make the critical decision to shut down a mismatch alone....while praying their fullback is in the region to support.

Before someone points out the Fullback should be making the calls from the back, let me remind you of the players that have filled that position in the Warriors long history.....anyone stand out as a talker?

As a war theater battle plan, that is a bad plan. Having no comms to your rear guard and hoping they are there is not how you win a battle, but such is the lot of a Center.

This also means a Center is meant to coach his winger on where to go in the lead up so as to make decision on how and where to stop the ball properly supported.

The Center is responsible for his Winger, the Winger has no such pressure or expectation on him, since the ball is coming from in field to the edge....literally making the Center the first port of call before the Winger comes under pressure to make decisions.

That is how it is growing into the Centers role from the under sixes onward. The coach puts you there because you show two attributes, 1) from a young age you can move correctly to tackle anyone that is fast 2) you are either hard running, or fast. And that is it really at kids level.

Then when you grow older, into the teen grades, you make it in the rep sides if you can either pass, or run effectively when you have the ball.

But all Centers get picked in the very beginning as tacklers that are fast enough laterally to keep up with the quick kids on the other team.

When you hit the pros, the coach is supposed to have a defensive system (more on that latter).

The easiest way to understand your Center role in Elite Rugby league is that when the opposition have the ball and run an attacking move out wide, you become the key player in the team...you are literally the same as a point guard, a quarter back, or a half back, or a fullback, this your moment, this is when you are the top of the food chain....you are the lead coordinator, everyone around you is relying on your decision making to counter the flanking manoeuvre's of the opposition.

And therein lies where the Warriors have failed these many years to succeed, because if they cannot bloody understand who is right for Center (mentally right, smart, tactical, fast mental reactions to multiple complex plays and runners). The Warriors did not understand that the Center is basically thee Alpha in the back line when 'they' have the ball not us.

All well and good having Professional coaching to tell the players selected at Center exactly how they want any given situation approached when the opposition rolls out a set play "I want an Umbrella defence Konrad"....."I want you to Jam in Solomone" but what is the use of all those Warrior coach rants about our system if the player they selected is not a reader of the game? more importantly what use is it picking block busting centers if you surround them with numpties and then fail to recognize that your centers are not directing traffic like the spine player analogy I used???

We all know the answer, great center on attack, shit center on defence.

You have to use people with football brains in this position, there is no way around it, defence is far more intellectual and complex than running attack, attack is predictable, you practice it every week, you know the calls, you know what to do.

The problem with being a center is that fans have no idea how hard the job is, and what starts as a an opposition attack that you trained for, that your coach told you what to do....often times changes when individual attackers decide to change the script slightly, change the timing slightly, and leave you standing there looking like a mug.

No more attack centers at the Warriors please, defence first, attack is easy, Centers for the Warriors need to be among the finest tacklers in the team, so confident in their defensive skill that they know they are well entitled to tell other players around them what to do....it is not too much to ask that you make sure they have a pass on them....that is all, tackle breaks and all that other shit are secondary.

Ali Leiatua is an exciting attacking back with a good attitude.

I just hope the Warriors stick with him in this one position and do not ruin his opportunity to learn the Academic art of being a Center, the smartest defender in a Rugby league team, similar role to a second rower, only played out much faster with accordingly way less time than a backrower to move his body and make instant decisions from the top two inches, and unlike the backrowers we put out to center, a true center directs other men because they are an authority on defence, an on field coach every time the other mongrels have the pill.

 

[sup42]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

Blair urges to shift RTS to FB

Poll is right now 50/50 after 1000+ votes lol

I am surprised he’s pushing for changes already, RTS looked better and better each game at centre

Man people are misinterpreting this interview.

Blair does not say anything wrong, nor does he say Roger should be at Fullback instead of Center.

Blair's read is bang on point.

Man he even keeps saying "if" as in it depends to show he is keeping an open mind.

The point Blair is making about Roger at fullback is only restricted to the immediate term, he is at pains several times in this interview to point out that putting Roger there permanently is not the way to go, he even names all the fullbacks and a middle of the season scenario to illustrate that he does not see Roger as the answer apart from a very micro immediate, short term patch to nab some points.....an argument....I might add...being made by a lot of respected posters on this site (even though I do not agree with you Bleh...or should I say Blair).

What Adam say's about Roger at center not fitting in with Websters system as seen last year is absolutely correct, at the moment as Blair say's the plan seems to be to just throw Roger the ball and hope he does something, rather than Webster ball which is to use him in a planned way that puts him in the best position to use his strengths.

Man you fullahs...should get off Adam Blairs back, he is just doing his job as a media comments man and I have to say I agree with his process while not agreeing with being impatient to get some points on the board this early in the year....let me say one more time, Blair makes it clear he wants Roger at Center and wants to see him being used there as a Webster ball player rather than the rubbish service the team is giving him right now.

We are actually more likely to win this week if RTS goes to Fb....FACT.

Most of the anti Blair sentiment is just that, people who do not like Blair that cherry picked this content to ignore his whole argument which is that Roger is a center currently not being used in the Webster way who could patch up a short term fullback issue while patching center with Pompey coming in who is a Webster schooled center.

 

[CWC]

RTS as the fullback before was basically the defense captain of the backline counting numbers etc (he's literally the cap at the time too), so it'd wouldn't be the hardest thing for him to move up to centre and learn quickly from there

The defense would probably be even more solid once Charnz returns barking orders at the back and blocking corners, no more Air Coates please

 

[Riz]

Rain, what rain? Let's eat!

 

[CWC]

TAB odds shrinks with Metservice predictions, I see a scandal coming soon lol

 

[sup42]

RTS as the fullback before was basically the defense captain of the backline counting numbers etc (he's literally the cap at the time too), so it'd wouldn't be the hardest thing for him to move up to centre and learn quickly from there

The defense would probably be even more solid once Charnz returns barking orders at the back and blocking corners, no more Air Coates please

I agree good fullbacks have the requisite skills of a Center in defence.

The problem Roger is facing in the transition process is that (as he commented in a recent article) fullbacks have way more time and space to think....being up in the line you have a split second then bang! ball passes you and the fans cry foul.

A Fullback has no one in his way when he drifts across the field following the ball, a Center has to stay in his lane....and fullbacks have a fifteen meter head start by virtue of standing deep, before the ball enters his zone. And a fullback only has to make last line tackles, not three times as many per game with multiple runners right in your face.

 

[sup42]

Rain, what rain? Let's eat!

View attachment 6317

Thanks for the Jim Hickey.

Funny thing is that the new game plan of 2024 actually works better in the rain.

Shaun Johnson's new role as a kick and chase starter than strangles the opposition cries out for a rainy day.

As such while others quibble I hope it farken pisses down...which literally plays into Shauns strengths and nullifies the Raiders strengths at counter attack and second phase.

 

[Boats n Hoes]

Man people are misinterpreting this interview.

Blair does not say anything wrong, nor does he say Roger should be at Fullback instead of Center.

Blair's read is bang on point.

Man he even keeps saying "if" as in it depends to show he is keeping an open mind.

The point Blair is making about Roger at fullback is only restricted to the immediate term, he is at pains several times in this interview to point out that putting Roger there permanently is not the way to go, he even names all the fullbacks and a middle of the season scenario to illustrate that he does not see Roger as the answer apart from a very micro immediate, short term patch to nab some points.....an argument....I might add...being made by a lot of respected posters on this site (even though I do not agree with you Bleh...or should I say Blair).

What Adam say's about Roger at center not fitting in with Websters system as seen last year is absolutely correct, at the moment as Blair say's the plan seems to be to just throw Roger the ball and hope he does something, rather than Webster ball which is to use him in a planned way that puts him in the best position to use his strengths.

Man you fullahs...should get off Adam Blairs back, he is just doing his job as a media comments man and I have to say I agree with his process while not agreeing with being impatient to get some points on the board this early in the year....let me say one more time, Blair makes it clear he wants Roger at Center and wants to see him being used there as a Webster ball player rather than the rubbish service the team is giving him right now.

We are actually more likely to win this week if RTS goes to Fb....FACT.

Most of the anti Blair sentiment is just that, people who do not like Blair that cherry picked this content to ignore his whole argument which is that Roger is a center currently not being used in the Webster way who could patch up a short term fullback issue while patching center with Pompey coming in who is a Webster schooled center.

Only just listened to the interview (thought i better after all the hoo ha and outrage ive been hearing). Im not an Adam Blair fan in any shape or form but fmd, how some have got their knickers in a twist over that is beyond me.

it didnt even sound like he was strongly advocating the move, even starts off the interview by alluding he just wants to see whatever position he's in, the Warriors having the structures in place that are going to suit Rogers strengths.....and tbh he makes some valid points imo.
Even tho im all good with Roger at centre i did have similar concerns to Blair in that i was worried the only way they would use him was just hit ups, or give him the ball with nothing on (the way they used to in the bad old days with SJ) and hope his feet can work some magic.
As Webster instantly realized with SJ, the key is to have players in movement off the ball around him, id like to see the same thing with Roger. Yes he's capable of beating a man one on one but imagine how much more dangerous he would be with those non existent gaps made a bit wider with shifts and decoys moving thot defensive wall around.
Problem is that left hand attack has nowhere near the same timing and accuracy on their shifts as the right (altho there was some good signs against the Storm) so the point Blair was making (from my take on that interview) if thats the case his strengths would probably be better utilized at fullback.

For mine tho i think just give it time. And given Charnze is going to be back eventually, Roger (and that whole edge - backrower included) is probably better off working on and getting those combinations and timing on their shifts now. As opposed to if Roger was filling in at fullback and then having to start from scratch with those combos once they moved him back to centre.

Ive heard Blair talk a lot of dribble but that interview wasnt one of them.

 

[Wrighty]

I don't know whether we will win. We were busted up the middle third defensively by Melbourne last week which is not ideal.
The only thing I am certain of with my whole being is that the Warriors will lead at some point in the game. Because we always lead at some point in every game.

 

[WahsUltras]

24hr Late mail: Wayde Egan is IN, Dylan Walker is out!
Tevaga joins the bench.

Get in there Waydo!

 

[juju]

24hr Late mail: Wayde Egan is IN, Dylan Walker is out!
Tevaga joins the bench.

Get in there Waydo!

D Walker out is a bit of a blow

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

D Walker out is a bit of a blow

He hasn't had the same impact so far this year. Might be because he was carrying an injury. Hopefully Jazz can give us some spark if he is in the right head space.

 

[Wrighty]

He hasn't had the same impact so far this year. Might be because he was carrying an injury. Hopefully Jazz can give us some spark if he is in the right head space.

Agreed - Dylan has been almost trying too hard to make plays happen and not quite getting it right. Jazz is the perfect man for the job to step up. Let's hope for a big outing from him. And most importantly relative to what he did in the trial strong ball security in the ruck.