We’re already a month in the 2019 NRL season – and it’s been a rollercoaster for Warriors fans, with convincing home wins over poor Canterbury and Gold Coast outfits bookending back-to-back thrashing at the hands of Wests Tigers and Manly.
The Warriors sit ninth with a -12 points differential. They have kept two opponents to 10 points or less in their first four games for just the third time in the club’s history (1996 and 2018 were the other occasions).
Any win would have done after a dismal fortnight for the @NZWarriors, but the 26-10 victory over a poor @GCTitans was a clear step in the right direction. #NRL #NRLWarriorsTitans #wearewarriors https://t.co/px56KNoSSj
— This Warriors Life (@thiswarriorslyf) April 5, 2019
But they have also conceded 32-plus points twice in their opening four games for the first time since the Warriors’ 1995 debut campaign. The results against the Tigers and Sea Eagles represented the team’s first consecutive losses by more than 21 points since their late-2015 slump.
The Warriors sit equal-second in the NRL for completions (80 percent), equal-third for line-breaks (16), ninth for all run metres (6,295), fourth for post-contact metres (1,865), second for offloads (52), seventh for most missed tackles (128) and sixth for penalties conceded (26).
David Fusitu’a has plenty of work to do to retain his NRL tryscoring title, crossing just once so far this season – after dotting down 23 times in as many appearances in 2018. Ken Maumalo, Peta Hiku and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck are the only Warriors with more than one ‘meat pie’ to date, scoring two each.
Take a bow Roger Tuivasa Sheck!#9WWOS #NRL #NRLWarriorsTitans pic.twitter.com/JBXWz7bVId
— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) April 5, 2019
Fusitu’a, Tuivasa-Sheck and Blake Green lead the Warriors’ try-assist charts with two apiece.
RTS and Big Ken are also the Warriors’ top metre-eaters. Tuivasa-Sheck is fourth in the NRL with 783 total running metres, while Maumalo has slipped to 19th in the competition with 614 after a quieter couple of outings. Hiku (551) and Fusitu’a (510) are the only other Warriors to top 500 metres across the first four rounds.
But Maumalo is impressing in the post-contact metres category, racking up 216 in four games – eighth in the NRL and second among backs. Tohu Harris (27th with 175), Hiku (31st with 172), Tuivasa-Sheck (37th with 167) and Bunty Afoa (41st with 160) are also performing strongly in this area.
RTS continues to steam ahead in the TWL Player of the Year standings, but big marks for Hiku, Kakariki, CHT, Tohu and Bunty. Great dummy-half double-act from Lawton and Jazz, too. #NRLWarriorsTitans #ThisWarriorsLife #WarriorNation #wearewarriors #nrl https://t.co/6m5D0oT32u
— This Warriors Life (@thiswarriorslyf) April 5, 2019
All-round stud Tuivasa-Sheck is also leading the Warriors for line-breaks (equal-second in the NRL with 4) and tackle-breaks (equal-third in the NRL with 23). Hiku is equal-14th in the league with 17 tackle-breaks.
Harris (123 per game), Afoa (110.8) and Leeson Ah Mau (103.6) are leading the Warriors’ forwards for metres gained.
Harris leads the team in the key effort area of support runs with 51, which places him equal-18th in the NRL and second in the competition behind Jake Trbojevic among forwards. Lachlan Burr is next with 39 (equal-48th).
Tohu Harris charges over! #NRLWarriorsTitans 26-10 with seven minutes to go. #TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/qVaCF8P9cG
— NRL (@NRL) April 5, 2019
Despite coming off the bench in all four games, Jazz Tevaga has been easily the Warriors’ top tackler with 145 (22nd in the NRL). Burr is also second in this department with 117, scraping into the competition’s top-50.
Hiku resumes his familiar place in the unwanted top spot on the Warriors’ missed tackles leaderboard with 14 – equal-19th in the NRL and equal-third among outside-backs. Green and workhorses Tevaga, Harris and Burr are the next most prolific offenders with 11 misses each.
Adam Blair leads the team for offloads with 10 (equal-sixth in the NRL), but the 293-game veteran continues to come under scrutiny for his work-rate. Blair is averaging 27 tackles (including only 17 against the Titans) and 75 metres per game, while also giving up the most penalties by a Warrior (4).
Tevaga holds the unflattering distinction of having made the equal-most handling errors in the NRL so far (7).
NRL: Warriors set to lose Jazz Tevaga to one-match ban https://t.co/njLp5UEZij pic.twitter.com/59Fa5Pn893
— Stuff.co.nz Sport (@NZStuffSport) April 7, 2019
Adam Keighran (90 percent) Chanel Harris-Tavita (83 percent) are among just 10 goalkickers with a success rate above 80 percent so far in 2019.
Keighran averaged 39.5 running metres and 20 tackles across the first three rounds before being demoted to reserve grade. Harris-Tavita’s totals of 74 metres and 24 tackles in his Round 4 debut were both season-high tallies for a Warriors half in 2019.
Consistency key for Chanel Harris-Tavita after impressive debut for Warriors https://t.co/9g0gdmrjqr pic.twitter.com/a6IwXaM1ao
— Stuff (@NZStuff) April 5, 2019
Categories: Team News + Stats, WARRIORS NEWS
Leave a Reply