NRL 2018

canefan

At the double header, great atmosphere. Benji and the Tigers edge the storm in a defensive dominated game in greasy conditions after a rainy pregame. Now for the Warriors!

kiwiinmelb

Looks like Carlaw park back in the day.

Hooroo

For a mrs Hooroo first. She asked to see the warriors score and we haven’t turned back.

Amazing what a bit of momentum can do for support. Hope chiefs are winning.

jegga

Another win in the making for the mighty warriors, never doubted them.

No Quarter

5 on the trott, fucking outrageous. This is a very different Warriors side this year, they were still pumping in the final 10 there - a NQ comeback was never really on the cards. Good shit.

kiwiinmelb

If there is a concern , fuck they are peaking early , finish line is a long way away, can they keep this going ?

Hooroo

Their defense I their own twenty is amazing!!! Chiefs won too!!!

Godder

@kiwiinmelb said in NRL 2018:

If there is a concern , fuck they are peaking early , finish line is a long way away, can they keep this going ?

Hopefully they have a good run during State of Origin.

canefan

@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:

5 on the trott, fucking outrageous. This is a very different Warriors side this year, they were still pumping in the final 10 there - a NQ comeback was never really on the cards. Good shit.

We never looked in danger, but old habits die hard so I was waiting for a warriors surrender that never came. In person our wingers are massive and run the ball up like forwards. We look super solid all over the park, now if we can reduce Adam Blair's errors and penalties we'll be even more dangerous. Great atmosphere at Mt Smart on a clear night as the crowd fed off the team, at times the din was amazing. 100x more raucous and fun than your average Eden Park crowd

canefan

@godder said in NRL 2018:

@kiwiinmelb said in NRL 2018:

If there is a concern , fuck they are peaking early , finish line is a long way away, can they keep this going ?

Hopefully they have a good run during State of Origin.

Our typical S of O bounce could catapult us well clear at the top of the table. We have no players likely to be involved?

Godder

@canefan said in NRL 2018:

@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:

5 on the trott, fucking outrageous. This is a very different Warriors side this year, they were still pumping in the final 10 there - a NQ comeback was never really on the cards. Good shit.

We never looked in danger, but old habits die hard so I was waiting for a warriors surrender that never came. In person our wingers are massive and run the ball up like forwards.

Don't know who remembers 2007, but that was one of our best ever years, and was heavily built on Manu Vatuvei and Wade McKinnon running huge metres both on kick returns and generally to really take the heat off the forwards.

canefan

Solomome Kata deserves some props. Great step run and pass to set up the first try, did his job without fuss all game. Bunty Afoa is a terror with ball in hand. He, Lisone and all the young forwards are playing great

Sneakdefreak

Five and Oh! to start the season. Is it me or is everyone so happy right now?

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AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!

Return of (former) Captain Mannering: He came off the bench, played a bit at prop and then returned to his old slot in the secondrow. In his 60 minutes he never looked tired or rusty. Kearney wants him wearing the number 11 this season which means the edges will feature Tohu Harris and Simon Mannering. Very scary for opponents. Saw him after the game and have to say he looks really happy (after playing so many mediocre seasons this start must be a blessing).
If Mannering plays the rest of the regular season, his 300th match will be the final regular season game.

Getting all defensive: For much of the second half, the Warriors seemed fine with playing without the ball. Their defence has been the key factor in these five wins - it resembles something from the NFL. In that second half Jazz Tevaga was playing middle linebacker, Tohu Harris and Simon Mannering were the outside linebackers, while Adam Blair and Bunty Afoa were the defensive ends.

The real MVP(s): David Fusitua and Ken Maumalo were the best players tonight. Disarming every kick, returning it with vigour and making smart plays all night long. Teams are scared of Fusitua when he goes up to retrieve the high kick - twice the Cowboys illegally took him out of the play (and were penalised for it). He doesn't have the same speed as Fusitua but I see why Maumalo is in the team. He's useful on kick returns and can help the forwards out with several hit ups through out the night. He's the new Manu Vatuvei (except better under the high ball).

What about the other guys? Seeing the Cowboys team list it's surprising to see the team is 1-4. The Cowboys are 2017 Grand Finalists and STACKED with depth. But Thurston is playing with a bad shoulder and despite it being his last year, you have to guess the pressure will be on to replace him with Te Maire Martin and make Michael Morgan the chief playmaker again if this continues. Maybe Father Time has caught JT?

Sign of the times: A lot of Day Ones out there.
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taniwharugby

@sneakdefreak wonder if those ones that burnt thier Jersies last year are back on board?

canefan

Maumalo was a beast on kick return and hit ups, with better hands and higher workrate than Manu. JT looked same old out there, he's a shadow at the moment based on that game

Virgil

2 more wins and we equal our total wins from last season

Sneakdefreak

@damo said in NRL 2018:

@taniwharugby said in NRL 2018:

@sneakdefreak wonder if those ones that burnt thier Jersies last year are back on board?

Probably have already bought new ones. Lol.

Groveling on a supporters page that they're not dicks.

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Sneakdefreak

Should I survive the great Auckland storm of 2018 I'll be going to the Broncos game at Mt Smart on Saturday. Warriors name the same side although expect some positional changes (Mannering to start and probably Paasi or Pulu to the bench).

VODAFONE WARRIORS

1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c)
2 DAVID FUSITU’A
3 PETA HIKU
4 SOLOMONE KATA
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 BLAKE GREEN
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 BUNTY AFOA
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 AGNATIUS PAASI
11 LEIVAHA PULU
12 TOHU HARRIS
13 ADAM BLAIR
Interchange:
14 JAZZ TEVAGA
15 SAM LISONE
16 SIMON MANNERING
17 ANTHONY GELLING
18 MASON LINO
20 CHRIS SATAE
21 ISAIAH PAPALI’I
22 SAM COOK

Papali'i has also made a quick recovery from his knee injury.

mariner4life

Crazy season continues. Roosters down again, to the Bunnies, who are somehow 3 and 3.

Gunner

Warriors down 15-14 at half time.

Real mixed bag from the Warriors, have given away too many penalties, especially under their goal posts which cost them a couple of goals.

Very poor last 5 minutes after leveling the scores up, made a couple of mistakes in their own end giving Milford the opportunity to kick the 1 point.
I suppose 1 is better than the 6 they’d likely have conceded last year though.

Come on need a big effort in the 2nd half lads

Gunner

14-21 early in the second half and the Warriors are under the pump big time.

Broncos making big metres, Warriors struggling to get out of their own 30.

Oh and more silly penalties.

Need someone to step up and do something special to halt this Brisbane momentum

Gunner

No change in the score but things still not going well for the Warriors.

Had an opportunity or two but spilled the ball.
More dumb dumb dumb, did I say dumb penalties.

Positive thing is they’re hanging in there...

canefan

@gunner said in NRL 2018:

No change in the score but things still not going well for the Warriors.

Had an opportunity or two but spilled the ball.
More dumb dumb dumb, did I say dumb penalties.

Positive thing is they’re hanging in there...

Hopefully our conditioning will get us home

Gunner

14 27

Can’t see the Warriors getting out of this one going on how the previous 63 minutes have gone.

Gunner

Our forwards have been dominated today, simple as that.

What’s really fucking me off though is how long the Broncos are allowed to go on with the tackle after the ref calls held, in some cases even joining the tackle after the call.

Surely held is held and they have to let go and get the fuck out of it.

Gunner

Johnson scores and the Warriors aren’t done yet.

18-27

Donsteppa

Warriors look short of energy and ideas on attack so far in the second half. 6 and a half minutes left to score twice.

canefan

Sounds like the streak is about to end

Virgil

Right I’m off, was a fun ride
Best to jump off now before you get any closer to the cliff..

Sneakdefreak

Guess the Warriors can ditch all the 'Battle of the Undefeated' promo ideas they had been preparing for next Friday....

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Fucking Broncos.

One of those games: Overall the Warriors were alright but you could tell they were a tad lethargic (or that was just me and my man flu). David Fusitua had an off night with a number of dropped passes which is rare for Fusitua. The kicking game wasn't flash and the team fell into the routine of one pass out and run which the Broncos read everytime. More dummyhalf runs you fools.

The other guys finally won: You kind of had a feeling the Brisbane Broncos were going to have a bounce-back game after all the negative press they had been receiving back home and losing Matt Gillett for the season to a broken neck. They were faster all night long and played out of their skins on attack and defence. Again, the Warriors didn't play that bad (they didn't play great either) just the Broncos played that much better.

Time to test the depth again: Two key injuries in this game as Leivaha Pulu and Solomone Kata were both helped off the field with serious ankle injuries. Pulu's replacement is simple, Simon Mannering will start in the secondrow while either Isaiah Papali'i or Ligi Sao will come onto the bench. Kata's injury is troubling as Gerard Beale and Blake Ayshford are still out with injuries themselves. Centre/secondrower Anthony Gelling would be the obvious choice but he was horrendous in tonight's game with two dropped passes that could have kept the Warriors in it. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad would be the next best option if Kata is out, considering he won NSW centre of the year in 2016.

The real MVP: For the Warriors it was Simon Mannering who made crucial tackles and provided simple go-forward with the ball. But the real MVP had to be Jack Bird and James Roberts. Bird played great in the halves and him and Roberts used their speed to keep the Warriors defenders in chase for much of the night.

Try of the year: The Broncos scored the dodgiest try of the season so far to make it 27-14, thanks to the glorious bunker. Bunker: Checking the pass....pass is forward. Checking the player isn't over the line....his right boot is on the line. Checking the player has properly grounded the ball....he fumbles it. Checking the player is a Brisbane Bronco....he is. Have a decision and going to the board. TRY.
Fuck off.

Paekakboyz

Read my mind bro, given we were a bit flat it was good we stayed in the fight and it wasn't a blow out. Welcome back to the nrl grind lads

kiwiinmelb

its a long season and you never win all your games ,

All premiership winning teams have off days along the way ,

premierships are won in september , not april ,

long way to go

Chris B.

Saw Wayne Bennett on TV the other night.

Does he own a Gran Torino?

If not, he should get one.

And a veranda.

canefan

@sneakdefreak said in NRL 2018:

Guess the Warriors can ditch all the 'Battle of the Undefeated' promo ideas they had been preparing for next Friday....

View image

Fucking Broncos.

One of those games: Overall the Warriors were alright but you could tell they were a tad lethargic (or that was just me and my man flu). David Fusitua had an off night with a number of dropped passes which is rare for Fusitua. The kicking game wasn't flash and the team fell into the routine of one pass out and run which the Broncos read everytime. More dummyhalf runs you fools.

The other guys finally won: You kind of had a feeling the Brisbane Broncos were going to have a bounce-back game after all the negative press they had been receiving back home and losing Matt Gillett for the season to a broken neck. They were faster all night long and played out of their skins on attack and defence. Again, the Warriors didn't play that bad (they didn't play great either) just the Broncos played that much better.

Time to test the depth again: Two key injuries in this game as Leivaha Pulu and Solomone Kata were both helped off the field with serious ankle injuries. Pulu's replacement is simple, Simon Mannering will start in the secondrow while either Isaiah Papali'i or Ligi Sao will come onto the bench. Kata's injury is troubling as Gerard Beale and Blake Ayshford are still out with injuries themselves. Centre/secondrower Anthony Gelling would be the obvious choice but he was horrendous in tonight's game with two dropped passes that could have kept the Warriors in it. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad would be the next best option if Kata is out, considering he won NSW centre of the year in 2016.

The real MVP: For the Warriors it was Simon Mannering who made crucial tackles and provided simple go-forward with the ball. But the real MVP had to be Jack Bird and James Roberts. Bird played great in the halves and him and Roberts used their speed to keep the Warriors defenders in chase for much of the night.

Try of the year: The Broncos scored the dodgiest try of the season so far to make it 27-14, thanks to the glorious bunker. Bunker: Checking the pass....pass is forward. Checking the player isn't over the line....his right boot is on the line. Checking the player has properly grounded the ball....he fumbles it. Checking the player is a Brisbane Bronco....he is. Have a decision and going to the board. TRY.
Fuck off.

You forgot to mention

Check who attacker is playing against? Warriors. T.R.Y.

antipodean

Balmain smash Manly. As if my Sunday couldn't have got any better.

Sneakdefreak

Benji Marshall is making it difficult for the Tigers to have a reason to start Josh Reynolds in the halves.