10/10 for effort across the board, but a mixed bag individually performance-wise.
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK: Cleaned up at the back superbly all night, carried the ball 16 times for 129 metres and scored a brilliant try on halftime that dragged his team back into the contest. 7.5
2 PATRICK HERBERT: Couldn’t ask for too much more, particularly in the conditions. Excellent try, sideline conversion, ran for 115 metres on 15 carries and got a super-quick play-the-ball every time. Ken and Fus should be worried. 7.5
3 ADAM POMPEY: A solid type but modest skill for a centre and low footy IQ. Gave away two penalties, made just four runs and flubbed a chance to put George Jennings away late with a poor pass. 5
4 PETA HIKU: Maintained a rich vein of form, beautifully laying on a try for Herbert for the second week in a row, running strongly for 92 metres and racking up 18 tackles in a solid defensive effort against a Panthers right edge that has terrorised opponents a will in 2020. 7
5 GEORGE JENNINGS: Wholehearted again from our loan winger but play didn’t really go his way. Safe under the high ball in tough conditions and was willing running the ball out of the Warriors’ half. 6
6 KODI NIKORIMA: Tremendous start, making a line break and probing with some great kicks. Went a bit quiet after having his head stood on and was given a torrid time by Viliame Kikau, with most of his five missed tackles coming against the giant second-rower. 6.5
7 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA: Tempting to give him a perfect 10 just for that hit. What a stud. But overall a solid game from CHT, putting in an inch-perfect kick for RTS’s try and putting his body on the line all night, whether it was his running game or his 25-tackle effort. Would have been good to see him take on more of the long kicking load. Will only get better with consistent time in the halves. 7.5
8 JAMAYNE TAUNOA-BROWN: Outstanding effort in a game which the Warriors spent much of on their heels. Eight tough carries for 78 metres and 35 tackles with a miss. Really stood up. 7.5
9 KARL LAWTON: Sound 50-minute dummy-half performance and decent in the back-row later on. Seven runs and a huge 45 tackles, as well as forcing a line dropout with a deft grubber. Still our best rake form-wise by a fair margin. 7
10 LACHLAN BURR: Carried his bench form into his starting stint with four big carries and 28 tackles in 27 minutes, but was not sighted thereafter. Not sure what the go was there. Intercept pass was unfortunate. 6
11 ELIESA KATOA: Responded to his one-run showing last week with six carries for 50 metres, while he made some important stop among a big 37-tackle contribution. Seems a bit lost now without Nikorima alongside him on that left edge. 6.5
12 TOHU HARRIS: Another monster effort. Led the team in running metres with 142 metres from 15 carries and in tackles with a game-high 58. A low-percentage pass to Jazz Tevaga was the only thing we could find wrong with another stellar showing. 8
13 JAZZ TEVAGA: A couple of errors and a penalty, but hard to fault a guy that made 42 tackles – including a wonderful try-saver on James Fisher-Harris – and 13 runs for 119 metres in 40 minutes on the paddock. Always has a massive dig and should’ve played more minutes. 7
TWL RD 14: ALL GUTS BUT NO GLORY FOR WARRIORS AS PANTHERS HANG ON
14 WAYDE EGAN: Again, good enough but not adding a great deal of spark. His busiest running game in a Warriors jersey but is slightly tentative when he does decide to get out of dummy-half. Racked up 21 tackles. 5.5
15 ADAM BLAIR: A bit unlucky not to get the front-row start with Hetherington out, but was superb in 45 minutes off the pine. Racked up 33 tackles without a miss and had six runs for 60 metres. With one glaring exception, the veteran has been magnificent since the NRL’s resumption. 7
16 DANIEL ALVARO: A poor dropped ball and a penalty blotted his performance, but the Eel got through a pile of work in just 24 minutes on the park. Made eight runs for 65 metres and 24 tackles in an admirable outing. 6.5
17 ISAIAH PAPALI’I: A bad handling error ultimately led to the Panthers’ third try while a dumb penalty (he may have been a pinch unlucky with that…but he has form committing those types of infringements) thwarted the Warriors as they chased a late equaliser. Absolutely unfathomable that he could be out of the side yet get 60 minutes of game-time after being recalled, given he’s a ticking time-bomb to make a cock-up. Numbers were good – 10 runs for 75 metres, 34 tackles – but he’s not up to it and the club needs to move the off-contract tyro on. 5
Categories: Previews + Reviews, WARRIORS NEWS
Leave a Reply