NRL 2018

Warriors win away.... in Perth?

Holy sweetbaby bajesus, the Warriors won in Perth!

The big take-away: Unlike last year, the Warriors looked like they were actually trying. This might be because, unlike the past several years, the Warriors looked match fit. Not fit-fit as in "how many abs do I have?" but match fit as in "I can play the full 80 if need be".
I'll be honest - without Mannering I expected the Warriors defensive middle to crumble. Yet it got stronger as the game went on. A lot of this was due to Isaac Luke playing his best game in a Warriors jersey so far, he was a pest with and without the ball. James Gavet also provided some much needed mongrel in the middle.

Players to note: The new guys all did their bit. Tohu Harris was Tohu Harris. Leivaha Pulu provided some experience off the bench. Peta Hiku was reliable and worked well with Fusitua (two awesome tries).
Blake Green was the obvious stand out and seems to be what Jeff Robson was suppose to be in 2016 - the straight man in Shaun Johnson's act.
Adam Blair made some dumb penalties and while Kata got sent off, it was Blair who put them in that position. There is a difference between playing dirty and playing smart. Luke and Gavet played smart today while Blair played dirty.

The real MVP: The MVP today was Isaiah Papali'i. It was about 20 minutes into the game that I remembered Papali'i was wearing the number 11 jersey and not Pulu. He's only 19 years-old yet was playing like a 10-year wily veteran.

What about the other guys?: As for the Bunnies, they looked buggered after 50 minutes. Alex Johnston was shit at fullback and probably played his last game there while the key playmakers were rusty.

WTF was that?: The breathing exercises the Warriors did after each try was very new-age and hippy. You know the Matty Johns show will be taking the mickey out of it on Monday. But hey, if it works soon all the teams will be doing it. I might even start doing it at work.

@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.

@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:

@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.

That’s the beauty of bandwagons, you can just jump from one to another.
Ideally before they crash and burn

@virgil said in NRL 2018:

@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:

@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.

That’s the beauty of bandwagons, you can just jump from one to another.
Ideally before they crash and burn

In that case he's probably missed this bandwagon ....

@nepia said in NRL 2018:

@virgil said in NRL 2018:

@no-quarter said in NRL 2018:

@Sneakdefreak hitch up that bandwagon and I'll jump on board, the BCs bandwagon crashed and burned in dramatic fashion yesterday.

That’s the beauty of bandwagons, you can just jump from one to another.
Ideally before they crash and burn

In that case he's probably missed this bandwagon ....

Still two tests left this summer but we're carrying the bloody thing on our shoulders at the moment.

Ugliest incident of the weekend? Aaron Woods' housewife bob of a haircut. With added receding hairline. Awful.

Expected winners in the Storm and the Cowboys. Upsets from the Warriors and the Tigers. Unfancied comebacks from the Titans and the Panthers. Always nice to see the Broncos and Manly go down.

A good weekend in the NRL actually, some good games, especially the double-header in Perth. Both games were fun, even if the end scorelines blew out.

I channel surfed to the Warriors and stayed put. That was a good watch.

Loved the try saver Tuivasa Sheck(?) did. THat was sensational

@hooroo said in NRL 2018:

I channel surfed to the Warriors and stayed put. That was a good watch.

Loved the try saver Tuivasa Sheck(?) did. THat was sensational

In previous years I would just note the score and keep on going.

It'll be interesting to see how they handle poor calls and poor play. It's always easier to stay positive when your are playing well and the 50/50 calls go your way.

That penalty count is concerning.

@raznomore said in NRL 2018:

It'll be interesting to see how they handle poor calls and poor play. It's always easier to stay positive when your are playing well and the 50/50 calls go your way.

That penalty count is concerning.

A couple of Blair's were soooo fucking dumb. And that's not a surprise to anyone. I just can't fathom why they bought him. Yes the pack needed some experience, but why bring a guy with his level of "discipline" to a team that needs to improve in that area?

Did you see that penalty when he locked his legs around the guy he had just tackled? It looked like he was going for an MMA submission!

@mariner4life said in NRL 2018:

@raznomore said in NRL 2018:

It'll be interesting to see how they handle poor calls and poor play. It's always easier to stay positive when your are playing well and the 50/50 calls go your way.

That penalty count is concerning.

A couple of Blair's were soooo fucking dumb. And that's not a surprise to anyone. I just can't fathom why they bought him. Yes the pack needed some experience, but why bring a guy with his level of "discipline" to a team that needs to improve in that area?

Did you see that penalty when he locked his legs around the guy he had just tackled? It looked like he was going for an MMA submission!

Was a superb Kiwis captain as well.

@mariner4life There was a brief time under Craig Bellamy where he looked the goods and then its been all down hill from there.

I'm hoping that Blair thinks this tough guy approach is needed as we get momentum moving in 2018. We've already seen evidence that we can mix it up, so pursuing the niggle isn't a strategy we need to adopt. I guess the coaches would consider there is a time and place for it - but we need to shake our rep as a team that gives away easy penalties. Combined with our shithouse defense last year that stuck the knife in us over and over (and over and over etc).

I think we may have finally tipped the balance with enough focused and talented new guys (new this year or last) to really smash that shitty culture we showing. Match that up with a squad that is clearly fit and watch out!!

@paekakboyz Michael Ennis was hinting that every pack needs a Blair type last night on one of the half million Fox league shows.

@nepia ahh, fair call - I think it's an important part of the game to be able to unsettle your opponents,. Difference is that Blair's approach is crude and easy to spot. More in the vein of thuggery than crafty niggle... although Ennis is the number one grub without a doubt.

@paekakboyz said in NRL 2018:

I'm hoping that Blair thinks this tough guy approach is needed as we get momentum moving in 2018. We've already seen evidence that we can mix it up, so pursuing the niggle isn't a strategy we need to adopt. I guess the coaches would consider there is a time and place for it - but we need to shake our rep as a team that gives away easy penalties. Combined with our shithouse defense last year that stuck the knife in us over and over (and over and over etc).

I think we may have finally tipped the balance with enough focused and talented new guys (new this year or last) to really smash that shitty culture we showing. Match that up with a squad that is clearly fit and watch out!!

holy shit. One game in and you're swallowing the lure hard out! I am reserving judgement until 3 games after Origin

@mariner4life ha ha fuck I don't have time to hold off on judgement (best delivered on little info and far too hastily :-)) till that deep in the season. The only concession the warriors have won from me is that I'll watch the next game live, rather than rec and delete, or fast forward viewing.

The mere fact they are fit and apparently engaged is enough for me.

Fish on!!

edit - as in, I'm on the hook, rather than you jogging on

@paekakboyz fair enough. I'll take two points any day of the week. I'm tempered by the fact the Bunnies are shit. And we still gave up dumb penalties at dumb times. And that flat fast track suited us.

But it was in Perth!! and round 1!! this is unheard of!!

@paekakboyz said in NRL 2018:

But it was in Perth!! and round 1!! this is unheard of!!

Oath! I reckon they are a lock for a top 8, probably with a home semi!

@hooroo Time to start organising the parade....

Just remember , it’s round 1

@kiwiinmelb don't kill our buzz bro! We've got all week to get our hopes up!

As expected, Warriors name the same lineup for their home game against the Gold Coast Titans:

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 JAMES GAVET
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 ADAM BLAIR
11 ISAIAH PAPALI’I
12 TOHU HARRIS
13 LIGI SAO
Interchange
14 SAM COOK
15 LEIVAHA PULU
16 SAM LISONE
17 BUNTY AFOA

Just can't get excited about a team that contains the names Kata & Maumalo

But... if we are only down to two poor selections that's a win imo! When is the greased up deaf guy back? Should push Kata out hopefully.

$22 million won’t buy you this turd?

It's nice to see Cronulla, and their grub collection, go 0-2 to start the year. Flanagan is such a fuckstain.

@sneakdefreak Blake Green was excellent, allowed Shaun to do his fancy stuff. Hopefully he can stay fit

Watching the NSW Prem warriors and they are rubbish. Lazy, inaccurate and poorly disciplined. The Bulldogs their playing aren't much chop either but they good enough to hammer the Warriors. CNK should has not gone looking for work which you'd think he'd be doing to get back into the top squad. Albert Vete looks average as fuck.

One of the NZ comms just suggested the bulldogs have "stolen the win". It's 8-30.

Chad Tavaga throws back to back lazy forward passes and has a nut at everyone else.

Hoping the mediocrity at the warriors stays in the lower grades.

I don't know if we'll win or lose, but so far the Warriors are looking more like the glory years Warriors than last year. Lots of ball movement, good running. Just as I write this we lose the ball early in the tackle count in the shadow of the titans' posts, they come back, and we go length of the field only to fall short ,that's the Warriors!

Two brilliant tries for the Warriors, 12-0

Titans starting to look tired , if the warriors can execute, they should put on a decent score

I don't know how good the Titans are, and we have not been perfect. But exciting warriors style footy, tough defence, very good organisation and execution. The razzle dazzle is back to Mt Smart baby!

20-8 to the warriors, first 2-0 start since 2009 . It's early but Stephen Kearney might be on to something. Harris and RTS were brilliant, Blair was everywhere and played more disciplined. Blake Green is making Shaun shine

2-0. A few teams i wouls call better than us with a worse record. Nice soft draw to open the season though.

Still the same old shit with the penalties, we give them away at the worst times, either to compound an error, or to completely undo a good piece of play.

Still, we seem to be fun to watch again, and we're winning. I'll fucking take that.

Our goalline defense was fricken awesome. Swawming them and putting in the hits when required. That was the biggest positive for me.

RTS is pure class, he would carve up in either code.

Fun game and great to see a good crowd again at Mt Smart. SJ forming a good combo with Green already bodes well.