Like doing school reports for a classroom full of delinquents.
1 REECE WALSH: A couple of brilliant last-line saves – and 13 tackles is a lot for a fullback – but attack-wise Walshy has fallen off a cliff in the last couple of weeks. Sighted a couple of overlaps but ruined them with ordinary passes at his wingers’ toes. Just seven runs for 40 metres. 5
2 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK: Two errors, a penalty conceded and just 11 runs for 76 metres. A poor performance masked by an abominable team display – but the early fanfare after his mid-season switch has worn off a bit. 4.5
3 PETA HIKU: A tough won personally and collectively for Hiku to end his decent (slightly overrated, if you ask me) 72-game Warriors tenure. Led the backs with 118 metres on 13 carries but struggled to ignite much and was bundled into touch badly at one point. 5.5
4 ROCCO BERRY: Another who had a forgettable day with the ball in hand but was immense without it, finishing with 31 tackles. 5
5 MARCELO MONTOYA: Some good clean-up work and some shaky moments, ran for 90 metres on 11 carries and finished with an error and a penalty. 5.5
6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA: Looked locked in early on but little of note to get excited about. Kicked the ball just twice in a game you’d hope he’d take a bit more responsibility in. Typically willing in defence with 21 tackles but pretty disappointing overall. 5
7 SEAN O’SULLIVAN: A mammoth 32-tackle contribution was countered by a penalty conceded and a six-again infringement, while his kicking game was pedestrian and had next to no involvement in any constructive attack. 4.5
8 ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE (c): Led the side with 147 metres on 14 runs and made 23 tackles without a miss but not exactly a captain’s knock of note. 5.5
9 WAYDE EGAN: Sharp enough in 56 minutes on the field with the ball, but missed a team-high tackles. Not an easy line-up or game to be a hooker in. 5.5
10 MATT LODGE: Ten runs for 71 metres and 21 tackles – modest returns. Showed plenty of fire and brimstone in the last 20 in a running battle with Jarrod Wallace and earned 10 in the bin. Some positives in that he gives a shit – but needs to channel it better. Two errors and two penalties. 5
11 JOSH CURRAN: His threat as a ball-runner wasn’t on show as it had been recently, but reeled off an equal-team-high 47 tackles and was robbed of a nice try-assist by a BS forward-pass call. Made two errors. 5.5
12 EUAN AITKEN: Bombed a try in the first minute and left the field injured when the game was only 13 minutes old. 4
13 BAYLEY SIRONEN: Matched Curran with 47 tackles but is about the most anonymous starting lock running around in the NRL. Has more to his kitbag but isn’t showing it (or isn’t allowed to). Can’t be anywhere near the starting pack in 2022 based on this season’s performances. 5
15 ELIESA KATOA: Made just three runs in his 31-minute stint on the paddock. A bit of a flourish in the second half of the season but on the whole it’s been a Papali’i-esque decline in 2021 for last year’s rookie sensation…hopefully he doesn’t need to join a Sydney club to fulfil his potential. 4.5
16 KANE EVANS: Come on, Kane. Come on, Browny. Continually picking this pinhead was as confounding as it gets – yet Evans keeps finding ways to make it worse. In 23 minutes of game-time, was put on report for raising both elbows as the ball-runner into a Titans defender’s chops and was binned for throwing punches in just his second game back in first grade after being suspended for the same offence. I’m sure he’s a wonderful bloke off the park, but on-field Evans is the worst and dumbest Warrior of all time…and he’s on our books for another two seasons. Brown’s loyalty to him is the most astonishing selection puzzler I can recall in 27 seasons. 3
17 JAMAYNE TAUNOA-BROWN: Failed to take a good opportunity to prove he should be in the Warriors’ 17 next year. Six nondescript runs in 37 minutes of game-time, an error and a ruck infringement. Purely a back-up in 2022 after a lamentable case of second-year syndrome. 4
18 JAZZ TEVAGA: Didn’t do anything too remarkable but the Warriors look a much better footy team with his ilk out there. A fiery, bustling, determined presence on both sides of the ball and a disgrace he was left out of last week’s do-or-die encounter. Gave Phillip Sami exactly what he deserved during the first kerfuffle in what was a harsh sin-bin call. Made five runs and 25 tackles in 37 minutes. Browny should make Jazz part of his nucleus – as Kearney and Payten did – or he will perish avoiding it and relying on pretenders to drive this team. 5
Categories: Previews + Reviews, WARRIORS NEWS
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