A cathartic edition of TWL Warriors player ratings after a Sunday afternoon shocker on the holiday strip.
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c): In a banner season for the skipper, this was his least impressive performance. Stood up twice for Titans tries – though he can hardly be blamed for the bad front-line misses that put him in those positions – and came up with a couple of handling errors. Still topped the running metres count with a modest 124. 6
2 DAVID FUSITU’A: A couple of good touches in the first half and got through a bit of work, but his lower-profile opposite grabbed a late double. Needs to find ways to get more involved when play isn’t heading his way. 5.5
3 GERARD BEALE: Ran the ball just four times and came up with some questionable option-taking on attack when the obvious choice was linking with ‘Fus’. Decent defensive effort on Konrad Hurrell but a couple of notches down from what the Warriors get from Peta Hiku offensively. Quite the conundrum for Stephen Kearney. 5
4 SOLOMONE KATA: A diabolical one-on-one miss on opposite Brenko Lee sparked the Titans’ second-half landslide. Credited with just five runs for 35 metres. Racked up a hefty 22 tackles as the hosts identified a Warriors weak link. Form has fallen off a cliff since his season-best display against Brisbane. 4
The @GCTitans start the second half on a high and re-gain the lead!#NRLTitansWarriors 14-12 after 44 minutes.#TelstraPremiership #NRL pic.twitter.com/DskOzkmHbA
— NRL (@NRL) July 29, 2018
5 KEN MAUMALO: A few strong carries to chalk up 118 metres on 14 runs but seemed a bit off the pace in comparison to the standard he has set all year. The Titans rushed him and it did the trick, with Big Ken struggling to adjust. 5.5
6 BLAKE GREEN: Ordinary kicking game, pulling the trigger early in the count on multiple occasions but executing poorly. The nice touches on attack became scarcer as the game wore on, perhaps impact by his heavy 20-tackle workload. 5.5
7 SHAUN JOHNSON: A class above every one of his teammates, who couldn’t match their halfback’s intent and energy. Brilliant opening try, almost laid on what would have been a crucial score on halftime and threatened with virtually every touch, while he was magnificent putting his body on the line in defence. Would have been nice to see him take the line on more when the Warriors were chasing points. 8
What a try by Shaun Johnson. Step, step, boom 💥. Over he goes #NRL #NRLTitansWarriors
— WEEKEND KING RACING (@WeekendKingRace) July 29, 2018
Fancy footwork from @Shaun_Johnson90!#NRLTitansWarriors 6-6 after 12 minutes. #TelstraPremiership #NRL pic.twitter.com/mDOP3GeM5y
— NRL (@NRL) July 29, 2018
8 JAMES GAVET: Went off early with a neck injury but returned to top the run metres count for the Warriors’ forwards with 96 from 11 carries. 6
14 JAZZ TEVAGA: Decent opening stint at hooker before switching to his customary middle forward role. Threw a vital intercept pass when his side were only trailing by two, spilled the ball on the Titans’ line when the Warriors were still a chance of a comeback, ran the ball only six times, and topped the tackle count with 42 but came up with a couple of telling misses. Jazz’s worst in a great year to date. 4.5
Lee with an intercept and the @GCTitans are sneaking away!#NRLTitansWarriors 20-12 after 49 minutes. #NRL pic.twitter.com/vpw8OsCAlF
— NRL (@NRL) July 29, 2018
10 AGNATIUS PAASI: Another who has slipped since a headline performance in Brisbane. Stats of 24 tackles and eight runs for 90 metres were near enough to par but more was needed from the Warriors’ No.1 front-rower. Couple of late errors. 5.5
11 ISAIAH PAPALI’I: Big defensively with 38 tackles and carted the ball up 11 times, the equal-most among Warriors forwards. Hard to fault. 6.5
16 JOSEPH VUNA: Not the most auspicious game to make your initial NRL start in but the teenager looked the goods, getting through 29 tackles and nine runs for 79 metres, including some dangerous charges. A real prospect. 6.5
13 SIMON MANNERING: Slotted into Adam Blair’s spot and took the jersey’s modest attacking work-rate in 2018 to new depths, running the ball four times for 26 metres. Made 28 tackles but undeniably one of the great man’s most anonymous performances of his career. 4.5
15 SAM LISONE: Gave away an infuriating penalty that put the Warriors under the pump straight after conceding the first try of the second half sullied any of his subsequent solid work. Tallied 20 tackles and eight runs for 70 metres but still hard to fathom the timing of his recall at the expense of an improving Chris Satae. 5
Sam Lisone is rubbish
— Troy (@ktdcampbell) July 29, 2018
17 BUNTY AFOA: Got an early boarding pass with Gavet going off but contributed just eight tackles and four runs. A head-scratchingly quiet performance from one of their best this season. 4
20 KARL LAWTON: Great energy after coming on midway through the first half and scored a wonderful dummy-half try against his former club to put the Warriors on the front foot. Couldn’t replicate Issac Luke’s authority (which is hardly surprising) in the role when things went pear-shaped for the visitors in the second half. 6
21 LEIVAHA PULU: Making his first top-grade appearance since Round 6 after a long injury layoff, Pulu had a huge impact in the first half. Had four tackle-busts from seven runs and got through 24 tackles. A fine return. 7
The @NZWarriors lost after leading at halftime for the first time this year in an inexplicable second-half implosion to rank alongside any in the club's history. #NRLTitansWarriors #ThisWarriorsLifehttps://t.co/4erEaHKBcz
— This Warriors Life (@thiswarriorslyf) July 29, 2018
Categories: Previews + Reviews, Uncategorized, WARRIORS NEWS
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