We lost last night because Ali and MGT got carved up by targeted set plays to specifically attack our teenage Centers.
As I have said in other threads, this is why Webster in the past has only given these kids sporadic appearances and dropped them out of NRL even when they have a good game.
There is is clear coaching plan to protect them from the kind of exposure and negative attention that being exposed brings, and ruins young Careers.
First of all, as I said in other threads, the Eels tip sheet had attack the kids at center as their main plan for that game.
The moves the Eels used were nice, isolating MGT and Ali.
We should have anticipated that. We should have had a plan to protect those two as best we could.
Admittedly it is very difficult to cover two centers with extra attention by a fullback and your backrowers to protect them, it is a step too far in truth since all Rugby league teams ordinarily rely on their centers being the strong points in the defence rather than what we saw where they added two new weak spots in our line.
Let me be clear about that in saying that MGT and Ali are the future stars of the Warriors despite their epic fail last night.
Those boys got done badly because they faced set up plays by the Eels that they have never seen in the NSW cup. Add to that Ali got caught out by a one on one Dummy half attack on our Try line.
If Webster could use a time machine to play that game over again, he would have altered our defensive structures to defend our centers. Setting your defence to defend a center is a strange position to be in since those Centers are meant to be the defensive strong points in a team.
But I know in me heart of hearts that like me, Webster would have been caught out by seeing our Centers ripped apart when those two have been earnest tacklers in all their (albeit few appearances).
CNK is partly to blame, while he cannot assist both edges, he should have picked a side (probably Moala Graham Taufas edge) and shore up one side.
Had CNK picked a side and a center, and locked down one half of our field, given the Eels won by attacking both sides, would have halved the Eels score....meaning we probably have a chance of winning.
The same blame lands on our Backrowers, they two were there a magic time machine would have adjusted their games to lock in and protect Ali and Moala.
Further more our Wing men carry their own debt of responsibility in tightening the outsides of those Child Centers and protect them.
So in defense of Webster is he had the confidence going into this game that our kid centers hold the line, and are good defenders (because before last night they were solid defenders) therefore he never expected they could be the reason we lose the game.
The criticism of Webster is that after the centers were exposed, the players did not adjust to at least make one edge strong defensively halving the Eels options.
What I would like to see from here now that we are in a rebuild is that those two exposed NSW cup centers get a run in every game from here. I want us to lean into their weakness and give them more exposure even though that will see more losses.
The reason is that the defensive fails by our green centers were the same problems Rocco Berry faced as a noob, there was a time where everyone hated Rocco because of his missed tackles and handling errors, yet he became a cult figure because Webster stuck with him.
What I am saying is it is time to play our cup stars, get flogged, but expose those guys to Apex training and prep and more importantly NRL game time.
Watching Ali and MGT pass balls for try assists demands we soak up their defensive ills to harden them off in the NRL with the one thing they are missing, NRL experience.
For mine they are still stars, they are still the future, the club just needs to ignore week on week thinking and invest in the long term by backing these guys and grinning and bearing it.
I might sound like a cheerleader for the young'uns at the Warriors but any other club in the NRL makes game plans to protect your Sam Walkers and Reece Walsh's knowing those kids have no road miles in the grinding defence of an NRL game. Those names get assigned body guards, it is unfortunate that we are needing body guards for two positions that are meant to be body guards as centers in our team.
