The Warriors’ 26-4 defeat of Wests Tigers on Saturday night represented the third time in just nine games this season they have kept their opponents to less than 10 points. The club’s record for restricting teams to single-figure scorelines in one season is four (2007, 2008 and 2010).
The outstanding effort without the ball moved the Warriors up to sixth in the NRL’s defensive rankings (17.6 points per game), while they are also the competition’s sixth-best attacking team, averaging 22 points per outing.
The 22-point victory on the back of their 50-10 loss to Melbourne in Round 8 was the third-biggest turnaround in the club’s history. In 2013 the Warriors countered a club-record 62-6 loss to Penrith with a 28-12 win over Newcastle a week later – a 72-point turnaround – while the following season they buried the shame of a 46-12 defeat to Sydney Roosters with a 42-0 shutout of Gold Coast for a 76-point reversal.
The Warriors’ 7-2 start equals their best-ever performance after nine rounds. In 2002, the Warriors lost two of their first five games before going on an eight-match winning run to sit 11-2 at the end of Round 15.
The Warriors completed at an outstanding 82 percent (to the Tigers’ 63 percent), made 10 line-breaks to three, while the missed tackle count was 40-23 in their favour.
David Fusitu’a added another try to extend his season tally to 11 in just nine games, but Josh Addo-Carr has joined him at the head of the NRL’s leaderboard after bagging a hat-trick in a losing Melbourne effort.
Fusitu’a also produced his first try-assist of the year and ran for a season-high 124 metres against the Tigers.
David Fusitua has scored 11 try’s in 9 games this year which is tied for the most withJosh Addo-Carr.
Can Fus finish the year as the leading try scorer? #WarriorNation #SportsTalkNZ pic.twitter.com/vKMpAlegiF— SportsTalkNZ (@NZ_SportsTalk) May 7, 2018
Ken Maumalo once again topped the Warriors’ running metres tally with 157 from 17 carries in an outstanding display. The big winger has moved up to sixth in the NRL in the metres gained category – second amongst wingers after competition leader Blake Ferguson.
Maumalo marked his 50th NRL appearance with the 12th try of his career.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is second amongst fullback for running metres (seventh in the NRL overall) and a mere eight metres behind Maumalo after racking up 145 metres against the Tigers. The skipper also leads the Warriors’ tackle-break count with 34 – 11th in the NRL.
Starting props Bunty Afoa and Agnatius Paasi combined for 30 carries and 286 metres at the Tigers’ expense. Afoa is the Warriors’ most prolific running forward, featuring in all nine games so far this season averaging 100 metres per game.
WARRIORS ROUND 9 PLAYER RATINGS
TWL gives da boyz a mark out of 10 for their efforts in beating the Tigers 26-4.
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c): Standard from the skipper – which means brilliant. Flawless… https://t.co/BGCDgk0On7
— ERLEAGUE (@ERLEAGUE) May 5, 2018
Meanwhile, only five-eighth Blake Green (28 metres) and interchange hooker Karl Lawton (32 metres) managed less than Adam Blair’s meagre total of 41 running metres from five carries.
Lawton became just the fifth player to score two tries in their maiden first-grade match for the Warriors after Denis Betts (1995), Michael Crocket (2007), Ryan Shortland (2008) and Kevin Locke (2009).
Isaiah Papali’i (29) led the tackle count ahead of Simon Mannering (27) and Tohu Harris (23). Issac Luke (225) leads the season’s tackle tally at the club, just ahead of Afoa and Blair (both 222), with Harris – who missed a game through concussion – in fourth spot for the team (200). Jazz Tevaga and Mannering are the only Warriors averaging more than 30 tackles per game.
Shaun Johnson has chalked up six try assists in six games this season, the equal-highest in the team with Tuivasa-Sheck, who has played all nine games.
Johnson’s second-half try was his 61st for the Warriors at NRL level, taking him to outright fourth ahead of Francis Meli and just two behind the third-placed Mannering. The halfback tallied 10 points to take his Warriors record to 825 points, also moving into 65th place in premiership history by leapfrogging Chris Sandow.
Player of the Round on NRL 360 #Warrior 168 Shaun Johnson pic.twitter.com/QQCvKHwH0j
— Joyce Putohe (@JoycePutohe) May 7, 2018
THE PUNT
The following options paid out after the Warriors’ 26-4 win over the Tigers in Round 9 (Via NZ TAB)
-Warriors Win @ $1.55
-Warriors -5.5 @ $1.87
-Warriors/Warriors @ $1.90
-Warriors 13 & Over @ $3.40
-Under 38.5 @ $1.87
-First Tryscorer – David Fusitu’a @ $9
The Warriors look to get back on track against the Tigers tonight.
Back any Warriors outside back to score first at $5 with today's Footy Feature: https://t.co/3RaBCnRFqf
— TAB Sport (@TAB_Sport) May 5, 2018
Lam scores first for the Canes, Fusitua scores first for the Warriors, grass is still green and the sky is blue. #Freaks
— TAB Sport (@TAB_Sport) May 5, 2018
We'll put @GlenLarmer down for a "No" on Fonua's hair then.
— TAB Sport (@TAB_Sport) May 5, 2018
Categories: Team News + Stats, WARRIORS NEWS
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