Well that was extremely disappointing and I expected much, much better. We started so well, everything looked really crisp and we were going great. But then as the game went on, we seemed to fall apart defensively and I mean literally fall apart.
That was the biggest disappointment of this game, the defence. I'm gonna be brutally honest here...it was shit house and didn't look any better then last year at all. Our first up contact was poor and the second and third man into the tackle was not very effective all game, this meant the big Warriors forwards could really get their legs pumping and motor on. Our line speed was also way off. On the line we were all over the place and looked really, really shaky at times. The inside defenders didn't do a good job and attackers were easily able to get on their outside, this makes It extremely tough for the outside men. It was just not good enough.
It is concerning, I'm not gonna lie because everyone knows that defence is probably the most important part of footy. As Souths Reborn has said, everything comes off the back of solid defence. That was not even remotely solid defence. I'm really, really disappointed with this and I expected a lot better. The defence we showed in the trials was much better than that so let's hope we can turn it around.
Not all doom and gloom though and I for one thought there was still many positives out there. Our attack imo was impressive. Far more free flowing, ad-lib footy and it looked far more threatening than in the past. We have some really slick set plays which looks promising. I really liked the ball movement.
The forwards are also coming onto the ball much better, probably due to Cookie, and we we were more direct and able to get over the advantage line as apposed to previous years.
I wonder how different the game would've been had that try to Jennings been allowed. It was a try 100% and it cost us dearly. That is by no means an excuse though.
Johnston: Was okay. Started really well and looked incredibly slippery early on. He was pretty busy all game and his running game on general hit ups has improved as he wasn't being ragdolled as much. He did make an error and it wasn't his greatest performance but he wasn't bad.
Kennar: Solid. He rushed in when it wasn't needed which let in a try but that's really the only real fault with his performance. We finally have a big, strong winger with a great running game and he did a lot of the tough yards to help the forwards, this is something we haven't had much until this year. Richie is also a fantastic finisher which he once again proved today.
Gagai: Pretty good. One of our best I thought. Man oh man he had some classy touches to set up Kennar's tries with his quick hands, that was brilliant. His running game was also very strong and like Kennar, he did a lot of work. Defensively he and Kennar were out of sync a few times but this is a new combination and that'll grow. It's such a shame he couldn't take that intercept as that would've changed the game. Anyway, a solid club debut.
Inglis: A bit quiet actually. GI is our biggest attacking weapon but we just didn't get him involved enough, this is something else that must improve. When he was involved, he looked good and I saw glimpses of that old brilliant fend and running over defenders. I guess we can't be too hard on his involvement just yet as he is just easing back into it and if you look at it from that perspective, he did well.
Jennings: A mixed bag. That try he set up for Cody was sheer brilliance as he had a hell of a lot of work to do, it was a great play. After that though, he didn't really do much which was a shame. He needs to do more work imo.
Walker: Brilliant start and he was at his best at that time. The shackles have certainly been released for him and Seibs seems to have given him free reign which is good. However, he seemed to disappear mid game when we needed him. Returned to looking dangerous towards the end but by then, the game was gone.
Reynolds: Not as bad as some of you say imo. Yes, he was bad defensively but on attack, he did well. Seibold has released him a bit too and he did look refreshed, some of the chances he created were brilliant. I wasn't happy with his discipline though, he gave away two penalties on the 40 meter line, both of which lead to tries. His kicking game was okay without being special. Still need more from him.
T.Burgess: I though Tom was good. Ran hard, was really busy and made some great meters, no errors too. A solid Round 1 performance.
Cook: Disappointed in him tbh. Started the game really well and looked electric but just seemed to lose his way half way through unfortunately. He still wasn't bad through this period, just not the dynamic Cook we've come to know. Defensively he was good though, I think he topped the tackle count.
Nicholls: He did his job well, not much else to say really.
Sutton: Was okay. Had some decent runs but didn't stand out much.
Crichton: Not bad. Was heavily involved and had some nice touches . He did make a few errors though which hurt us at crucial times.
S.Burgess: Would've been a great performance had it not been for his errors. Just made a few too many of them. Other than that it was classic Sam.
Murray: Was good. Made an impact when he came on with great runs, the amount of post contact meters he makes are crazy. I think he was brought on way too late though.
Tatola: Not a bad debut. Solid runs and didn't really have any faults.
G.Burgess: Was good actually. Ran harder than I've seen him run in years which is a good sign and he was busy. Towards the end of the game he was brilliant. A little disappointed with his defence at times since he just gave up a few times but other then that he was good.
Hunt: I'm so confused by this. Why was he even there? As a result of him being there our forwards have to play more minutes and he doesn't even get a run anyway. Wtf?
Credit where credits due, that's probably the best the Warriors have played in years, they were really great and I was surprised.
Overall, disappointing. Not the way we wanted to start our campaign. Heaps to work on and it's gonna be a lot of hard Mahi for the lads.
Let's turn it around boys!! Have faith!
