Reasons to be proud

[GoSouths]

Got the double against Sharks, Dogs, Cowboys and Raiders this season. Unprecedented partly because of the way the draw works, but still an amazing achievement.

 

[Meth]

AFB is the form prop of the comp.
Harris inspirational, playing on one leg.
Walker must be close to the best 14 and the potential combo between he and Tevaga is still promising, coming into the finals.
Johnson happy and playing career best.
Egan is a superstar.
CNK doing the job and as has been alluded to, his style fits us fine.

I have said it before- I would be happy with a Warriors team who aims up and plays a style of football that we can be proud of, showing improvement on previous years. We’ve got that big time this year. The fact that we’re playing finals is a (big) bonus for me.

 

[JJ]

Glad to see the growing love for Egan, like to think I was ahead of the curve a little there - superstar might be a wee bit strong though @Meth

 

[Meth]

Superstar in the sense that I really value him. Not that I think he is a future immortal.

 

[Meth]

Also, I feel like Egan’s game has really gone to a new level this year. Not sure why? Webster? Walker, maybe? AFB’s form? His craftiness is on point.

 

[JJ]

Also, I feel like Egan’s game has really gone to a new level this year. Not sure why? Webster? Walker, maybe? AFB’s form? His craftiness is on point.

He just needed time I think, always had it in him.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Hooker is definitely a position where you peak a bit later than many others I think because it requires a lot of football intelligence- maybe more so than any other position on the field. The other spine positions need it too but can also get by on instinct and raw talent more, but t so much if what makes an effective dummy-half is the decision making. Wade has just really honed his ability to know when to run or pass to an elite level now.

 

[Matua]

Also, I feel like Egan’s game has really gone to a new level this year. Not sure why? Webster? Walker, maybe? AFB’s form? His craftiness is on point.

Egan's turnaround into a bloody good player has been awesome, I've had to eat my hat as I didn't think he could get better from the initial dud he was when arrived here - I was wrong. At least he turned good before he left unlike say a Chad Townsend.

@JJ Nah, you're not that special there were lots on here hyping him - obviously before he deserved it in my opinion.

I think Egan's biggest improvement outside of running is his pass accuracy. When he first arrived I swear my dead Nan had a better passing game.

Man, maybe the Warriors really are turning a corner when we have guys coming over here and becoming good, instead of the reverse.

Hopefully I'm wrong about Metcalf too, another who gets hyped on here, but he really only looks like a good runner at this stage.

 

[sup42]

Metcalf gives me a little of that vibe, too. The second try he scored against Parramatta being an example. Massive overlap, just needed to send it from dummy half for someone to go over 2 out from the ruck untouched but ran it instead. It came off, but he made it way harder (and therefore more highlight reel) than it needed to be. But hey, he's doing all the other stuff too, so a little flash here and there is all good, right?

You sound in two minds about the Metcalf try, as am I.

After the passage of time, with the heat of the game out of the way, I ended up landing on Metcalf showing some greed is okay.

Put it his way, if he does it again, and he scores, then I will adjust my thinking to seeing him as equally entitled (as a fast over twenty meters guy) as Lance Hohaia was-to put on the blinkers and gun it for the chalk inside the red zone at every opportunity.

He is quick enough from a standing start to get away with it and use it as a legitimate scoring move on its own merits.

He does have the aura of star quality because of his speed, so the coaching staff my even encourage him to roll the dice and go...the thinking being he is going to nail it nine times out of ten like Lance did.


So....I am waiting here to see what happens the second time he does it, if he gets through tacklers who are ready to stop him the next time then I say GO SON GO.

 

[sup42]

In case you missed it, we just came through one of the greatest regular season patches in this clubs history.

This is July we are talking about, the month where the battle for the ladder becomes an elimination death match.

6th of July Warriors Vs Eels round 19

Post Origin the time where the Warriors historically flat track bully sides we play the Eels who are seriously depleted.
Often times this is a game the Warriors bank before the ball is kicked, and they get a hiding for it.

As we all know we destroyed the Eels, but if you watch the start of that game it was played at finals speed (called by the commentators also) and we absorbed the pressure then flat out killed them.

Our for and against now looks safer than it was, we have a shot at getting away from the lower eight if we can keep winning and snag more big victories.

16th July Warriors Vs Sharks.

This game is fresh in all our minds so I will spare the hyperbole. We blitzed the Sharks after the same kind of brutal start where the Sharks were in kill mode.

A genuine top four win.

21st July Warriors vs Canberra

Many fans made the mistake of thinking this would be easy after we thrashed the Raiders.

Were they factoring in the 5 day turn around? Raiders coming in fresh off a bye with two weeks of video on nothing but Warriors?

The probable Rona outbreak at the club?

The loss of one player to HIA meaning we had a 3 man bench?

The Raiders arriving on Tuesday and Sticky picking 5 props in the dirtiest game of the year?

Did we consider that when Walker came on Stickies brutes found three different ways to injure him in tackles?

That was a filthy game, which is why the blow up saw Walker flying in and his mates to meet the Raiders at the scratch line.

Golden point semi final intensity game, Warriors fight off the Raiders who had the first drop goal set ups. Then we played the smartest set of the season to line Shaun up in the middle.

CHECKMATE Sticky, out thought, out coached, out enthused.

When you take all three games Eels Sharks Raiders, and their top eight positions, how badly those clubs waned to take us down....you have to start thinking this is one of the best regular season runs where we might lose all three in living memory.

And the fact that the Warriors thrashed two top four contenders in that mix?

The fact that the Warriors backed up and did the triple in a row?

The Fact that the Warriors probably for the first time in forever beat two top four candidates for a second time in a row in the same season?

Reasons to be proud?

The last three games.


No Warriors coach has built such a tough side...none of them.

Ivan and Daniel defo drop one of those three games and pick it up later with upsets in other games.

This side isn't being called the upset Warriors is it? This side the commentators and media expect to be there or there abouts without an miracles needed.

Webster is an amazing coach.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Glad to see the growing love for Egan, like to think I was ahead of the curve a little there - superstar might be a wee bit strong though @Meth

I see him as a superstar in our context. He is so good for us. No, his signed trading card is never going to be the most valuable, but he's just such a high quality guy. Leader, fearless, skillful, he is the full package. I absolutely love the bloke.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Glad to see the growing love for Egan, like to think I was ahead of the curve a little there - superstar might be a wee bit strong though @Meth

haha I've always felt your love for him was a bit OTT (seems to get your 3 points every time he goes half-decent) but you have definitely been proved right in a massive way overall

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Also while Egan literally is not a superstar (doesn't have the press) I think his style of play is becoming increasingly superstar-ish. He is a proper attacking weapon. I think he was widely seen as quite ponderous early on because he doesn't have the explosive speed off the mark of some dummy halves, but he is a genuine line-breaker and linebreak-assister these days because of his clever option taking and variety in his game around the ruck.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

On Metcalf - I'm not necessarily sold on him long term (and I hope this comes back to bite me). He really hasn't shown a lot apart from a running game yet and our left edge attack with him there is definitely going to continue to be the poor cousin to our right edge.

Nevertheless, just having him in the team for his running game and support play might be good enough for the time being with SJ running things.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Got the double against Sharks, Dogs, Cowboys and Raiders this season. Unprecedented partly because of the way the draw works, but still an amazing achievement.

Funny how earlier in the season the double over the Cowboys looked a bit meh (looked like they were slumping this year) while the two losses to the Roosters were unsurprising. One now looks an impressive feat and the other the low point of the season.

Sorry that's way too many consecutive posts from me...

 

[Penrose Warrior]

On Metcalf - I'm not necessarily sold on him long term (and I hope this comes back to bite me). He really hasn't shown a lot apart from a running game yet and our left edge attack with him there is definitely going to continue to be the poor cousin to our right edge.

Nevertheless, just having him in the team for his running game and support play might be good enough for the time being with SJ running things.

I'm not convinced by Metcalf yet either,but I will say one thing - he hasn't been at all exposed on D for a small man. He's been solid. I don't know if he's been covered well by his 2nd rower or not but I can't remember any issues there.

But yeah,I think he fits into our structure and way of playing well. He backs up well and has strong toe in a gap. His ball playing skills aren't that flash, but do any teams have two ball players in their halves?

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Metcalf was my starting 7 in my Preseason top lineup.

 

[JJ]

Metcalf was my starting 7 in my Preseason top lineup.

Yeah in many ways Johnson has been the bigger surprise

Metcalfe coming along nicely imo

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Yeah in many ways Johnson has been the bigger surprise

Metcalfe coming along nicely imo

100% bro
After last season i just couldnt justify picking SJ as a starter.

 

[Scott]

100% bro
After last season i just couldnt justify picking SJ as a starter.

Honestly, I think we all felt that way. The way he has played this season has been nothing short of stunning. Another feather in the cap of the Webby coaching performance this season.