All the numbers and stats that matter from the Warriors’ Round 1 effort.
The Warriors played their part in an NRL first in Round 1. As rugby league’s G.O.A.T. historian and statistician David Middleton revealed, for the first time in the premiership’s 111 seasons the previous year’s bottom four clubs all notched victories. The Warriors, Tigers, Titans and Knights all saluted on the weekend – despite all heading into their matches as underdogs.
Ken Maumalo topped the Warriors’ running stats with 16 carries for 155 metres. Bunty Afoa was next best, racking up an impressive 140 metres from 14 runs off the bench. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck made a comparatively modest 111 metres with the ball in hand.
Afoa also notched an excellent 63 post-contact metres, seventh-best in the comp. Maumalo (two) was the only Warriors player with more than one error as the team completed at a superb 80% (28 from 35 sets).
The Warriors forwards shared the defensive load, with Tohu Harris’ 29 tackles the highest for the team. Every member of the starting pack had at least 22 tackles, while Afoa made 27 from the interchange. Worryingly, the Warriors tallied the second-highest amount of missed tackles (44), behind only this weekend’s opponents, the Titans (46).
The Warriors lost the penalty count 11-7 to be the equal-most penalised team in Round 1 with Manly. Adam Blair and Solomone Kata were pinged twice apiece. The Warriors and Storm were the only teams to win after finishing on the wrong side of the penalty count.
David Fusitu’a is the equal top try-scorer in the NRL after one round, with the winger one of seven players to notch a double. With 34 tries in 58 first-grade games, Fusitu’a – the Warriors’ top try-scorer in 2017 – has the third-best strike-rate of any player in the club’s history (0.60 tries per game).
Sam Lisone scored his maiden NRL try in his 64th game for the Warriors – the longest wait in the club’s history for a player to score their first four-pointer. Andy Platt (35 games) now reclaims the Warriors record for most appearances for the club without a try to their name.
Shaun Johnson landed just four from seven with the boot, though most of his shots were from out wide. Johnson has kicked 269 goals at 74.1% in his career to date, including 45 goals at a career-best success rate of 78.95% in 2017.
Johnson was one of 10 players to manage two-plus line-breaks in Round 1, with Sydney Roosters’ Blake Ferguson the only player to make three.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s two try-assists were bettered by only Ashely Taylor (4) and Cameron Munster (3); four other players managed a pair.
Blake Green kicked one of just two 40/20s in Round 1, along with Sydney Roosters recruit Cooper Cronk. Green led the NRL in the stat last season while at Manly.
Issac Luke and Isaiah Papali’i topped the Warriors’ tackle-break count with five, good for equal-16th in the NRL during the opening round.
Luke was equal-second in the dummy-half runs category across the competition with six, behind only opposing Souths hooker Damien Cook (seven).
The Warriors have been given a license to reintroduce their offloading game, but they kept it pretty conservative in Round 1. Peta Hiku and Maumalo both chalked up a team-high two offloads.
A special thanks to Rugby League Project, the greatest rugby league stats and history resource on the planet.
THE PUNT
The following selections paid out after the Warriors’ 32-20 win over South Sydney (via NZ TAB)
-Warriors win @ $2.60
-Warriors 12 & Under @ $3.50
-Warriors +6.5 @ $1.87
-Warriors by 7-12 @ $10
-Warriors by 11-20 @ $8
-Total Points – Over 43.5 @ $1.87
-David Fusitu’a To Score 2 or More Tries @ $6.50
Categories: Team News + Stats, WARRIORS NEWS
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