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Warriors ISP CUP 2018

Cold Roses

Juniors
Messages
1,793
https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2018/05/19/vodafone-warriors-climb-ladder-with-sixth-win/


Vodafone Warriors climb ladder with sixth win
The Dragons began with the majority of the ball and field position, but the Warriors' goal-line defence continually turned them away. This resistance was rewarded with points at the other end of the field, when a smart pass from dummy half by Karl Lawton had Ligi Sao charge onto a ball and through a gap to open the scoring.

The magical halves for the Dragons combined on Magic Weekend; Darren Nichols put in a grubber for Jai Field who was charging through the line, and he easily won the race to the ball to take the lead for the first time after the try was converted.

Sam Cook then dominated the back end of the first half, instrumenting the Warriors to a 14-6 half-time lead with two quick-fire tries. The first was pure brilliance by Sao, who took the ball to the line and threw a remarkable flick pass into the hands of Cook who strolled over, before Manaia Cherrington made a break from dummy half and passed to a supporting Cook, who scored under the posts untouched.

The Warriors began the second half as quickly as they finished the first, with Pat Sipley crashing over for a try before Lewis Soosemea showed his speed with a dash down the left sideline and passing inside to a Chanel Harris-Tavita, who increased their lead to 24-6.

With the margin getting away from them the Dragons simply had to be next to score, and Jai Field had a hand in that coming true when he ran across-field and passed to fill-in fullback Steven Masters, who had plenty of work to do before planting the ball down.

Down by 12, the Dragons desperately tried to score quick points to get themselves back in the contest, but once again the Warriors defence held strong, before the game was put out of reach when Harris-Tavita slotted a field goal to put the deficit beyond two converted tries.

There was a small glimmer of hope in the dying minutes when Jordan Pereira scored in the corner, but Soosemea picked up a loose ball and scored a runaway try against the run of play to make the final score 29-16.
 

Cold Roses

Juniors
Messages
1,793
https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2018/05/22/isp-and-jersey-flegg-teams-named2/

ISP and Jersey Flegg teams named
Versatile Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has been switched to fullback for the Vodafone Warriors’ 12th-round Intrust Super Premiership clash against the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles at H E Laybutt Reserve in west Sydney on Saturday (1.00pm kick-off local time; 3.00pm NZT).

Nicoll-Klokstad, who has been used predominantly on the wing this season, has been called on to replace outstanding teenager Hayze Perham.

The Rotorua schoolboy star’s first campaign has been interrupted by a leg injury which forced him off after 33 minutes of last Saturday’s 29-16 win over St George Illawarra.

Nicoll-Klokstad’s switch results in Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck coming onto the right wing while the side will boast a highly-experienced centres combination in Blake Ayshford and Anthony Gelling, the latter returning from an ankle injury which kept him out of action last week.

There’s also a seasoned look about the pack with second rower Matiu Love-Henry the only player who doesn't have NRL experience. And named on the bench is 72-game NRL front rower Sam Lisone, who’s returning to action after being side-lined with injury last week.

Last week’s win over the Dragons lifted the Vodafone Warriors to sixth on 12 points but the Sea Eagles are only one point behind in ninth place on a congested points table. When the two sides met in Auckland in the sixth round, the Vodafone Warriors won 34-4.

INTRUST SUPER PREMIERSHIP

VODAFONE WARRIORS v BLACKTOWN WORKERS SEA EAGLES

1.00pm, Saturday, May 26
H E Laybutt Reserve, Sydney

VODAFONE WARRIORS

1 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
2 JOHNNY TUIVASA-SHECK
3 BLAKE AYSHFORD
4 ANTHONY GELLING
5 LEWIS SOOSEMEA
6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
7 TEVIN ARONA
8 LIGI SAO
9 SAM COOK
10 ALBERT VETE
11 MATIU LOVE-HENRY
12 JOSEPH VUNA
13 JAMES BELL (c)
Interchange:
14 MANAIA CHERRINGTON
15 SAM LISONE
16 PATRICK SIPLEY
17 KING VUNIYAYAWA
18 MATIU STONE-DUNN
21 PAEA MANUKIA

COACH | JOHN TEINA
 

Blair

Coach
Messages
10,083
I went to today's game, great day out. I'll make a more detailed post when I can type undistracted by dinner, beer and the first grade game on the radio.

20-16 to Blacktown.
 

Blair

Coach
Messages
10,083
As mentioned I went to the game yesterday, and I'm glad I did. It's always a big hike getting to these suburban grounds and Blacktown is no different (although, apart from Penrith, it's the closest ISP ground from me).

It was such a contrast to last year at the same venue. Being a Saturday, and sunny, the sporting complex was full of sporting teams, occupying all the grounds, but there was only one team I'd come to see, yes, the NSW Cup Warriors.

The field was firm (another change from last year) and there were 30-40 Warriors fans (including family and friends of many of the players, I'd guess) present.

I wish I'd taken a notebook (ala R & S) as you really do need one if you intend to write a proper report on the game. Hence, this is just a 'post' to a forum, from memory.

I saw a massive forward for Blacktown wearing the number 10, who wasn't named on the official program. It took me a while to realise it was none other than Big Tof. I was both pleased and disappointed to see that, as he might've been 'dropped' from first grade (albeit just three minutes worth last weekend, Manly v Storm). I particularly looked forward to some brotherly 'love', as our own 'Big Pat' was in the Warriors line-up (and both Sipley boys are biiiig).

Blacktown had an angry Jackson Hastings (but he was also very angry in last year's game) in the halves and they looked to have the bigger forward pack.

Our boys turned the ball over three times in the first 12 minutes (definitely once but maybe twice by Vete in ptbs - see if I'd had a notebook I'd be certain) in the opposition twenty. Blacktown really didn't deserve to race out to their 14-0 lead but with the Warriors ball control lacking it was a gift to them. Their opening try was textbook Tof, barging over under the posts.

It was a game played with spite and, subsequently, stoushes between players and, at times, teams. Play was stopped several times as the refs/touchies sorted things out. One incident in the first half resulted in Ayshford and Blacktown's back-rower, James Hasson, being binned for striking each other. That happened right in front of me and I gave it to both the touchie and Hasson (who was trying to hide from the ref!) when Ayshe got binned first (his 'strike' was very mild, Hasson's, in retaliation, was hard and nasty).

At 14-0 down, and no chance of swinging momentum back our way due to errors, I thought it'd be like last year again, an easy win to Blacktown.

However, with minutes to go in the first half, we got some points. It was actually another loose carry in the ptb immediately prior to the try (me and others saw it, touchie didn't) but we'll take that! (Some of us had come a long way to see the boys play). It took good footwork by Chanel to make it to the line and score, so 14-6 at the break, and it's a game after all. Highlight of the half for me was a massive legal hit by Warriors centre King Vuniyayawa on the Blacktown winger, who was shaken badly and had to leave the field for an HIA (I enjoyed the hit, not the head stuff, of course).

We owned the second-half, including when we had a man down in the bin. We soaked up several minutes of that period with a penalty goal right in front to make it 14-8. We were 'coming home' as they say, but culled our momentum (and chance of winning) with errors in the attacking twenty.

Big Albert (who had a great game, despite the earlier error/s) was held up over the line, after barging over it. As I told them myself (!), Blacktown looked rattled, they were confused and were arguing with each other, particularly when they were stuck in-goal after repeat-sets. On one of those Matiu Love-Henry, our second-rower, dropped the ball early in the count when we were looking to roll over the top and lock it up at 14-14.

I believe it may have also been him who dropped the ball over the line, early in the tackle count, during another opportunity to score. I actually leapt in the air during that one, so certain we'd scored. During this time we also passed up the chance to bang over another certain two points, as we earned a penalty in front of the sticks. However, we all felt a try was inevitable such was our dominance.

It was at this point of the game that the aggression boiled over, with both packs needing to be separated. Tof was always trying to smooth things over, and I wouldn't argue with him either, nice guy or not. There were some decent moments with ‘bro on bro’, Tof on Pat, with points shared on this occasion. Pat limped off with a knee complaint in one tackle and Tof was the concerned younger brother, as you'd expect.

Blacktown had been pinned in their twenty for what seemed ages but, therefore, against the run of play and with luck (as I told them - it really is an intimate ground, you're standing just a metre or two from the sideline) went end-to-end to score, making it 20-8 and I expected Blacktown to close it out from there, which they did, despite a late end-to-end try in the final play by the Warriors.

It was great 'park footy' (the setting) but obviously one step below NRL first grade with its intensity and professionalism. These guys are ready to step up after such a hard, compeitive workout. The collisions are enormous in such an intimate setting.

I was going to heckle Tof ('Wrong colours, Tof!') but thought he'd have heard that one before, and I made a point of thanking the refs/touchies as they left the field at the end (I think I gave one touchie some unwanted comment during that binning incident). They seemed fair with their calls.

There's an Australian woman called Vera, who is the reserve grade's number one fan (sorry, R &S, but she gets it because she's Aussie) and I'm not sure of her connection to the side. The players love her and always make a point of coming over and chatting. She's the loudest fan you'll ever hear (I even heard her in the maelstrom of noise in Warriors first grade fan bays this year). I also chatted to a few other fans. 'Steve' moved to Sydney twenty-odd years ago and it was his first time at a reserve grade game. He loved it, it's his local ground that one, so good on him.

The Blacktown coach wouldn't shut up the whole the game, micro-managing his team from the sideline (in contrast to us). I would've told him to put a sock in it too, but he was on the other side of the field. I'd prefer a coach to have some faith in his on-field captain and team to know their jobs. Is it a coincidence that the Blacktown side lost their cool so quickly in the second-half when the Warriors were on top?

The players were down after the loss, but they gave it their all and I told them so. They thanked me for coming and Vete actually apologised to me when he heard how far I'd travelled to see them play. No need for that, big fella, and it’s not that far really, just an hour down a freeway and then two short left-hand turns, to get off it then into the ground. He was the player of the day for me. All power and purpose up the middle. In contrast, I thought both Sao and Lisone were relatively ineffective. If I was picking first grade spots I'd know whom I'd call up out of those three.

One criticism of the Warriors yesterday was that the wingers, particularly the in-form Lewis Soosemea, didn't really get their hands on the ball. We didn't spread it enough, particularly when we had them defending desperately in their twenty, whereby a try would've likely meant we came out winners.

upload_2018-5-27_12-42-54.jpeg

Wright didn't play, by the way.
 
Last edited:
Messages
11,151
As mentioned I went to the game yesterday, and I'm glad I did. It's always a big hike getting to these suburban grounds and Blacktown is no different (although, apart from Penrith, it's the closest ISP ground from me).

It was such a contrast to last year at the same venue. Being a Saturday, and sunny, the sporting complex was full of sporting teams, occupying all the grounds, but there was only one team I'd come to see, yes, the NSW Cup Warriors.

The field was firm (another change from last year) and there were 30-40 Warriors fans (including family and friends of many of the players, I'd guess) present.

I wish I'd taken a notebook (ala R & S) as you really do need one if you intend to write a proper report on the game. Hence, this is just a 'post' to a forum, from memory.

I saw a massive forward for Blacktown wearing the number 10, who wasn't named on the official program. It took me a while to realise it was none other than Big Tof. I was both pleased and disappointed to see that, as he might've been 'dropped' from first grade (albeit just three minutes worth last weekend, Manly v Storm). I particularly looked forward to some brotherly 'love', as our own 'Big Pat' was in the Warriors line-up (and both Sipley boys are biiiig).

Blacktown had an angry Jackson Hastings (but he was also very angry in last year's game) in the halves and they looked to have the bigger forward pack.

Our boys turned the ball over three times in the first 12 minutes (definitely once but maybe twice by Vete in ptbs - see if I'd had a notebook I'd be certain) in the opposition twenty. Blacktown really didn't deserve to race out to their 14-0 lead but with the Warriors ball control lacking it was a gift to them. Their opening try was textbook Tof, barging over under the posts.

It was a game played with spite and, subsequently, stoushes between players and, at times, teams. Play was stopped several times as the refs/touchies sorted things out. One incident in the first half (resulting in Ayshford and Blacktown's back-rower, James Hasson being binned for striking each other). That happened right in front of me and I gave it to both the touchie and Hasson (who was trying to hide from the ref!) when Ayshe got binned first (his 'strike' was very mild, Hasson's, in retaliation, was hard and nasty).

At 14-0 down, and no chance of swinging momentum back our way due to errors, I thought it'd be like last year again, an easy win to Blacktown.

However, with minutes to go in the first half, we got some points. It was actually another loose carry in the ptb immediately prior to the try (me and others saw it, touchie didn't) but we'll take that! (Some of us had come a long way to see the boys play). So good footwork by Chanel to make it to the line and 14-6 at the break, and it's a game after all. Highlight of the half for me was a massive legal hit by Warriors centre King Vuniyayawa on the Blacktown winger, who was shaken badly and had to leave the field for an HIA (I enjoyed the hit, not the head stuff, of course).

We owned the second-half, including when we had a man down in the bin. We soaked up several minutes of that period with a penalty goal right in front to make it 14-8. We were 'coming home' as they say, but culled our momentum (and chance of winning) with errors in the attacking twenty.

Big Albert (who had a great game, despite the earlier error/s) was held up over the line, after barging over it. As I told them myself (!), Blacktown looked rattled, they were confused and were arguing with each other, particularly when they were stuck in-goal after repeat-sets. On one of those Matiu Love-Henry, our second-rower, dropped the ball early in the count when we were looking to roll over the top and lock it up at 14-14.

I believe it may have also been him who dropped the ball over the line, early in the tackle count, during another opportunity to score. I actually leapt in the air during that one, so certain we'd scored. During this time we also passed up the chance to bang over another certain two points, as we earned a penalty in front of the sticks. However, we all felt a try was inevitable such was our dominance.

It was at this point of the game that the aggression boiled over, with both packs needing to be separated. Tof was always trying to smooth things over, and I wouldn't argue with him either, nice guy or not. There were some decent moments with ‘bro on bro’, Tof on Pat, with points shared on this occasion. Pat limped off with a knee complaint in one tackle and Tof was the concerned younger brother, as you'd expect.

Blacktown had been pinned in their twenty for what seemed ages but, therefore, against the run of play and with luck (as I told them - it really is an intimate ground, you're standing just a metre or two from the sideline) went end-to-end to score, making it 20-8 and I expected Blacktown to close it out from there, which they did, despite a late end-to-end try in the final play by the Warriors.

It was great 'park footy' (the setting) but obviously one step below NRL first grade with its intensity and professionalism. These guys are ready to step up after such a hard, compeitive workout. The collisions are enormous in such an intimate setting.

I was going to heckle Tof ('Wrong colours, Tof!') but thought he'd have heard that one before, and I made a point of thanking the refs/touchies as they left the field at the end (I think I gave one touchie some unwanted comment during that binning incident). They seemed fair with their calls.

There's an Australian woman called Vera, who is the reserve grade's number one fan (sorry, R &S, but she gets it because she's Aussie) and I'm not sure of her connection to the side. The players love her and always make a point of coming over and chatting. She's the loudest fan you'll ever hear (I even heard her in the maelstrom of noise in Warriors first grade fan bays this year). I also chatted to a few other fans. 'Steve' moved to Sydney twenty-odd years ago and it was his first time at a reserve grade game. He loved it, it's his local ground that one, so good on him.

The Blacktown coach wouldn't shut up the whole the game, micro-managing his team from the sideline (in contrast to us). I would've told him to put a sock in it too, but he was on the other side of the field. I'd prefer a coach to have some faith in his on-field captain and team to know their jobs. Is it a coincidence that the Blacktown side lost their cool so quickly in the second-half when the Warriors were on top?

The players were down after the loss, but they gave it their all and I told them so. They thanked me for coming and Vete actually apologised to me when he heard how far I'd travelled to see them play. No need for that, big fella, and it’s not that far really, just an hour down a freeway and then two short left-hand turns, to get off it then into the ground. He was the player of the day for me. All power and purpose up the middle. In contrast, I thought both Sao and Lisone were relatively ineffective. If I was picking first grade spots I'd know whom I'd call up out of those three.

One criticism of the Warriors yesterday was that the wingers, particularly the in-form Lewis Soosemea, didn't really get their hands on the ball. We didn't spread it enough, particularly when we had them defending desperately in their twenty, whereby a try would've likely meant we came out winners.

View attachment 20352

Wright didn't play, by the way.


Love it bro, magical write up
 

Rich102

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,524
Good report Blair. Harris-Tavita has made a big improvement in the off-season. Interested in your report on the props, Vete has looked slow to me this year. Maybe he is now aware, with Ah Mau coming, someone is going to get culled. And Lisone not standing out in Reggies doesn't say much about his effort.
 

Blair

Coach
Messages
10,083
No doubt a cold, grey stadium today at Homebush. Such a contrast to the warmth of last week, and such a small ground.

Our NSW side is playing a warm-up to the Eels v Knights NRL clash.

I'm not there today but hopefully R & S is.
 

Cold Roses

Juniors
Messages
1,793
https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2018/05/29/isp-and-jersey-flegg-teams-out-for-13th-round/

ISP and Jersey Flegg teams out for 13th round
More NRL experience has been called on for the Vodafone Warriors' 13th-round Intrust Super Premiership clash against Wentworthville at ANZ Stadium on Saturday (5.15pm kick-off local time; 7.15pm NZT).

With the NRL side having a bye this weekend, Anthony Gelling is named in the centres after being with the first-grade squad for last week's clash against South Sydney.

Also included on the bench is prop Chris Satae, who was used off the interchange by the NRL side against the Rabbitohs.

Halfback Mason Lino and fullback Hayze Perham have a chance of making their return from injury.

Meanwhile, there are numerous changes to the Vodafone Junior Warriors for their Jersey Flegg Cup match against Parramatta on Saturday.

INTRUST SUPER PREMIERSHIP
VODAFONE WARRIORS v WENTWORTHVILLE MAGPIES

5.15pm, Saturday, June 2
ANZ Stadium, Sydney

VODAFONE WARRIORS

1 HAYZE PERHAM
2 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
3 BLAKE AYSHFORD
4 ANTHONY GELLING
5 LEWIS SOOSEMEA
6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
7 MASON LINO (c)
8 LIGI SAO
9 SAM COOK
10 ALBERT VETE
11 MATIU LOVE-HENRY
12 JOSEPH VUNA
13 JAMES BELL (c)
Interchange:
15 CHRIS SATAE
16 PAEA MANUKIA
17 SAM LISONE
18 KING VUNIYAYAWA
20 TEVIN ARONA
22 JOHNNY TUIVASA-SHECK

COACH | JOHN TEINA
 

Cold Roses

Juniors
Messages
1,793
No doubt a cold, grey stadium today at Homebush. Such a contrast to the warmth of last week, and such a small ground.

Our NSW side is playing a warm-up to the Eels v Knights NRL clash.

I'm not there today but hopefully R & S is.

Just managed to hit the couch. Looking forward to this. I'm hoping being back in Australia and being able to see games every week coincides with a return to form by the top team next week. In the meantime, I'm interested to see how Satae goes. Seems like he's putting in big performances in ISP but that they are not really translating to First Grade. Lisone seems to be out of favour as well.
 

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