Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Surely Can't Get Worse vs Broncos At Mt Smart ... Right?
Not much analysis is required to preview the New Zealand Warriors vs Brisbane Broncos game at Mt Smart on Saturday as this is all about a vibe check for the Warriors. As you may have smelt, the vibe stinks after the loss to Titans last weekend and most of the mana gathered in three consecutive wins has vanished in a puff of Aotearoa vitamins.
NZW have lost two games in a row with horrible performances from senior players. It wasn't just a case of senior players struggling to maintain the level of performance in wins over Panthers and Dolphins, these players were responsible for a plethora of errors at Mt Smart vs Storm before the poo dished up against Titans. Check out this points tally in the three wins vs two losses…
Three wins: 88-52
Two losses: 30-104
The only thing that matters for NZW against Broncos is their effort and attitude. Unfortunately, no assumptions can be made about NZW bouncing back at Mt Smart as the home arena is not a fortress this season. Titans showed that earlier in the season, as well as showing that no assumptions can be made about NZW rising to the occasion as Titans rolled over NZW on Anzac Day at Mt Smart.
Broncos have the tools to trouble NZW as well. Even if the State of Origin players don't travel to Aotearoa, Broncos have speed and power which NZW can only envy. This is evident in the pocket of Kiwi-NRL Broncos named for this game as Jesse Arthars and Deine Mariner are swift wingers, while Xavier Willison may be the biggest bloke on the field. Josiah Karapani is named on the bench and if he does play, he will be faster than most if not all NZW players.
Shaun Johnson isn't playing for NZW which provides a nice juncture to settle down in a whirlwind of Johnson coverage. NZW headlines are all about Johnson in Aotearoa media and after digesting his second worst winning rate of his career this season, a streak of six consecutive losses for Johnson and him playing in every NZW loss this season; the coverage of Johnson is not aligned with Johnson's impact on NZW footy (good or bad).
Johnson is not the reason NZW are losing and he isn't the reason they win (because they've won without him). Johnson is delivered as the most important NZW player but so far this season, he has little impact on NZW results.
As expected, coach Andrew Webster didn't make any drastic changes to the NRL team. Bunty Afoa can't even crack the squad of 23 at the moment and he is named at starting prop for a NSW Cup team that has won six of their last seven games. While NZW have fumbled all the mana earned by the second tier players in two epic wins, the NSW Cup Warriors are in a winning groove.
NZW have moved up to fifth on the NSW Cup ladder with nine wins, five losses and a draw. Seven of those wins and the draw have come in their last nine games and most of those wins featured at least 10 Under 21 lads in the NSW Cup team. This week there are less U21 lads in NSW Cup with Tanner Stowers-Smith returning to the team and Walter Fifita entering the mix.
Fifita apparently spent time with NZW back in 2014/15 when he played in the NZW Academy team on the Luke Tipene Celebration Day. Fifita was listed as a Papakura junior then and after playing rugby union around the world, Fifita seems to have returned to Papakura in Fox Memorial this year to earn a promotion with NZW.
Note: in that NZW Academy team was Richmond junior Caleb Clarke.
Fifita was a winger in rugby union and he got 4mins of footy in last week's win over Dragons as 18th-lad when Motu Pasikala left the field. This means that Fifita is probably being brewed as a winger in NSW Cup but this week he is named on the bench.
Taine Tuaupiki vs Dragons: 100% conversions, 22 runs - 268m @ 12.1m/run, 1 linebreak, 11 tackle breaks, 2 offloads, 6 tackles @ 85%
Moala Graham-Taufa vs Dragons: 2 tries, 20 runs @ 239m @ 11.9m/run, 6 tackle breaks, 16 tackles @ 80%
Eddie Ieremia has played edge, middle and centre in his last four games with 60+ minutes in all four games.
Leka Halasima is 18-years-old averaging 143m/game and tackling at 90% in NSW Cup. In six games, Halasima has three tries, four linebreaks, five offloads and 34 tackle breaks (5.6 per game).
Luke Hanson continues to flourish with consistent game time in NSW Cup…
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