Season 2024 in Review

[Penrose Warrior]

Shaun Johnson- F- His retirement was a year late and Webster's persistence with him was absolutely ruinous

I have to say, I've really struggled when I've read this from people on here. It's not based in reality. OK, so he's been completely ineffectual this year, but he was never retiring last year off the back of all he did. And up to the draw in round 6, no one thought he'd gone on a year too long - there is no mention of that in any game-day threads.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

OK, here's my cobbled together quick out of 10s. I probably don't agree with Meth on some, but that's cool.

CNK - 6.5. I think CNK gets a bum rap because RTS exists. I actually think he's really copped a raw deal for a guy who's shown up week to week and played his arse off. He's played 16 games but is 13th on the list of most metres gained in the NRL, would be top 5 per game average.
Montoya - 6. Low-ish skill and pace, but I think he's been really good this year. He's shown up every week and tried his arse off. One of a few to fulfill his potential.
DWZ - 3. I get so many things wrong on here but one thing I will pump myself up on, and was shouted down, is that DWZ is an awful defender. He is. Still scored 12 tries but how many more did he let in? And how did he affect the guy next to him?
Pompey - 5.5. Gets a pass, seems to shut down good players when he marks up on them, great goalkicker, if not a bit slow. Candidate for the back row in the future?
Leaitaua - 5. Think there's a gun in here, but we haven't seen enough yet. Hope he's not injury prone. Seems to go really well on both sides of the ball, good attitude.
Berry - 5. I'm a Berry fan and I still think he's going to be high NRL quality if he can stay fit. Actually forgot he existed the last few weeks.
Kosi - 3. Depth player but could be NRL quality if he had a better attitude. We don't need players like that.
RTS - 4. I don't think you can grant a pass for him, it's been easily his worst year in league, for whatever reason you choose. Feel for him that he's had to be Mr Fix It, when his quality deserves the chance to lock down a spot. No idea what the future holds
Tuaupiki - 5. Stepped in well when required, including the Panthers miracle. Not sure he's NRL quality but does a job, and has been a vital part of the NSW Cup resurgence.
CHT - 4.5. I don't think he's a pass, I just haven't seen enough. Good defender, can run the ball, but doesn't look like he'll develop into a regular starter. Wasting a bench spot for him if he can't play 9, too.
Metcalf - 4. More so because his body let him down, again. Definitely has a place in a fully functioning and firing backline. Can he team up with TMM? I hope so. Ps, he isn't a 7.
TMM - 7. I got this one wrong, completely wrote him off before Magic Round. I can't see any world where he doesn't get the whole year at 7 in 2025. Showed so much this year, and will only get better with a full year at it, which he's really never had in his NRL career.
SJ - 3. Probably generous. Not his fault his body went to the pack, but I really haven't enjoyed the hoopla over the last couple of weeks, and Webster refusing to see what we all have for ages. Classic mishandling of a star player who shouldn't have been playing.
AFB - 8.5. Would be 9.5 if he didn't dick us around mid-season. But he came back from that, and produced consistency no one thought he'd conjure up. 4th in the NRL on run metres, always bent the line, the Sharks are getting a beast. We'll miss him.
Bunty - 3. Shame that he hasn't got a regular spot, but Webster clearly doesn't rate him. Great defender, obviously not deemed to offer enough on attack
Barnett - 9. Legend. Incredible season and leadership, such a great thing that he's re-signed long-term. Massive influence to have around our younger guys + JFH coming in, too.
Egan - 4. Hurts, because I love Wayde. But he hit his peak in April, when people were calling for a NSW jumper, then by August it was more likely a NSW Cup jumper. What the hell has happened? Hasn't been running at all, and isn't effective when he doesn't. Sub-par year.
Lussick - 4. Decent depth hooker but I question the value of him on the bench when often he's there just because Egan is injury-prone. Would prefer Erin Clark to cover both.
Harris - 4. Looks cooked, which again doesn't thrill me to say. Really lost the pep in his step, body is aging, isn't that ball playing lock as he made his name as. Huge dropoff in 2 years.
Ford - 4.5. I thought about giving him a pass, but I'm not sure I can. Had some big games on effort but makes way too many errors. Probably too small to be effective, which is crazy considering he was picked at prop through the middle of the season. Should be depth.
Tevaga. 5. I'll give Jazz a pass, on heart alone. Again, like Ford, the difference between his best game and worst is too wide. Someone is getting a decent player, but we don't need him
Capewell - 4. So bizarre to give a guy 4 who played Origin. But I just didn't see it, for most of the year. I still think he'll come right, I saw signs last weekend...but this signing has not worked out at all this year. Was complete plod at times.
Walker - 6.5. Full effort guy who still has the skill. Does a lot of good work in the middle of the park. I hope we hold onto him, because we need guys like him who have ball playing ability
Niukore - 5. Such a hard one to mark. Could be a beast, and probably tires out defenses by hitting them hard, but he seems so predictable to me. Drop under, get taken to ground, play the ball, repeat. Think we need more from someone that big. Not sure we'll get it.
Ale. 3.5. Totally unsure about this guy and what we get from him. Feels like Webster has no idea whether he rates him or not, either.

Webster - 2.5. Again, hurts. Love the bloke. But really, if we're honest, it's been a horrible year of coaching. I can remember so many things that haven't worked, and that's off the top of my head without even trying: Irrational backing of SJ, moving Walker to an edge, playing Ford at prop, weird use of the bench, inconsistent use of RTS, inability to move away from a game plan that is predictable, small man style doesn't work, even starting Jazz last week on 'ceremony' when he's clearly not suited to that role.
I still back him that he's going to get better in the future, because he's a quality person. But I think he needs better mentors, people to help him, because it seems like he might be struggling for strong sounding boards that have significant experience in this competition.

 

[Meth]

I have to say, I've really struggled when I've read this from people on here. It's not based in reality. OK, so he's been completely ineffectual this year, but he was never retiring last year off the back of all he did. And up to the draw in round 6, no one thought he'd gone on a year too long - there is no mention of that in any game-day threads.

oh definitely. At the end of the last season, I wasn’t calling for him to retire. This is a hindsight being 20-20 thing.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

I have to say, I've really struggled when I've read this from people on here. It's not based in reality. OK, so he's been completely ineffectual this year, but he was never retiring last year off the back of all he did. And up to the draw in round 6, no one thought he'd gone on a year too long - there is no mention of that in any game-day threads.

Yep was never going to go anywhere, especially after having another crack at it after an atrocious 2022, personally I was always hesitant about him. Since 2014 he has probably only had 2-3 above average seasons so I wasn’t convinced he would back it up again. This stint at the club sadly probably sums up his career, 1 9/10 season and 2 2/10 seasons

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I think I rate Capewell's season higher than most because I had lower expectations. I always thought he was a bit of a plodder and, as a specialist edge player, he's not really a high work rate player either. Plus he's clearly past his best.

I actually think with some of his tries and his line breaks in the back half of the season in particular that he's shown he can be deceptively effective on attack despite quite a languid (i.e. slow-looking) running style.

Still don't really rate him though but I think it's more a case of his ceiling being overrated because he's an Origin player, rather than him actually underperforming relative to his ability. We all knew about Dane Nielsen and did it again anyway.

 

[Big Marn]

CNK - 7.5 Heart as big as himself. Whether it was Websters game plan, a lot was put on his shoulders this season (maybe subconsciously by Webster) to justify RTS not playing at fullback. Can whiff on defence at times. If he developed a kicking game, i wouldnt mind seeing more of him at 6 as we have few options there right now.
Montoya - 5. average. we could do better. but hes a journeyman that we have on the books to keep within the cap. need young ones to play better to force him out of the team.
DWZ - 2. He is on ridiculous money and exposed as a one trick pony. Defense is 50% of the game and he gets a zero on that part. Also turned into a milking machine which most times slowed down Warriors momentum. Happy to ship him out to someone desperate.
Pompey - 6. Still slow as quicksand but was missed due to his goalkicking and defence. depth piece is all he will ever be
Leaitaua - 5.5. Showing glimpses on attack. Defence has slipped from last season. Just needs reps. Stay healthy man.
Berry - 5. Not a fan. Penalised too much and can fail at fundamentals. Overrated.
Kosi - 1. Attitude is wrong and shows in his game. Ultimate flat track bully. We didnt have that many games where we were the bully.
RTS - 5. Got mucked around all year but definitely showing signs of slowing down. RTS from 5 years ago is gone forever. We had prime RTS for 3 years. Get used to a lesser version going forward. At an age where players start to fall off a cliff.
Tuaupiki - 7. Dont have an issue with his size and shows all the hallmarks of a quality fullback. Needed to see more of him. Goalkicking is a bonus.
CHT - 2.5 Should have stayed away from league. His defence was atrocious this year and doesnt do much on attack that a journeyman aussie import couldnt do. Flog him off to reserve grade or UK. not NRL standard.
Metcalf - 2. Cant stay healthy. Complete risk to base your gameplan around around him.
TMM - 6.5. Still struggling with inconsistency but when hes hot, hes hot.
SJ - 4. What a waste of a roster spot he turned out to be. Although hindsight is a wonderful thing...Webster is also implicit in his wretched season. last game of his career showed what might have been if things had been different.
AFB - 8 Turned up most weeks and played to his ability.
Bunty - 4. Always been bog average and the depth meant there was no place in the team for him, especially on a smaller bench.
Barnett - 8.5 Game went to a new level but still question marks over his ability to motivate others to follow his lead.
Egan - 4. Who knows what happened after round 6 but we saw 2 different Egans this year. Maybe all the headknocks have caught up with him.
Lussick - 4. has a delivery as slow as mud. Brave defender even if he does get run over from time to time. Surely theres better in the lower grades?
Harris - 4. worst season ever for him but its been coming. Probably about to fall off the cliff. Hope theres machinations at work to get a quality replacement.
Ford - 5. Most divisive player on the forum. Does a lot of dirty work but refs have to get the pea in their whistle replaced due to him. The teams' fortunes did not improve one iota when he was gone from the lineup though.
Tevaga. 4. Form drop from last years Bald brothers but maybe due to a Webster gameplan change with him and Walker. Probably has had less errors in the last 2 seasons than historically, but still not really an impact player off the bench.
Capewell -5. For the money hes on, should have delivered more. Jury out due to late season uptick in form,but hes only getting older.
Walker - 7. Lot on his plate this season with Harris out. Tried hard. Also another year older.
Niukore - 4. Compared to last season, its night and day, 2023 is probably his peak year for his entire NRL career when all said and done.
Ale. 4.5 Seemed to be keeping the bench warm for the younger players in NSW cup. But thought he was livelier and less error prone than 2023. Maybe he would be a star in UK.

Webster - 3.5 Hard to figure out what happened after the Storm game early on. We looked exciting in that game and then it all petered out. Not sure what advice he listens to or does he only keep his own counsel. If its the latter, stop doing that. The SJ debacle haemorrhaged the whole season and his use of the bench was befuddling to say the least. Lets hope its not a sign of things to come.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

I won't review the individual players but the team as a whole.

Team Season. = C-
Coach Season. = D
The Fans. = A

We failed this season due to 3 major reasons:

1. Injuries.
2. Bad coaching decisions.
3. AFB.

How do we turn it around?

We parted ways with AFB, who had become a disruptive influence on the team. While I admired his talent and what he brought to the table as an elite prop on an individual level, his actions were detrimental to the team environment. His unrest caused significant tension among the playing group. The signing of JFH has more than compensated for his departure, and I believe AFB might have been unhappy with how well we managed his exit, especially since he likely thought he had the upper hand when we didn't release him to the Sharks earlier this year

I’d like to see us adopt a more effective approach to improving our players' physical readiness. This includes enhancing their durability, learning better methods to prevent self-injury, and focusing on their overall welfare. By doing so, they’ll be better equipped to last through an entire season and participate in as many games as possible.

And finally.

We need to surround Webby with better staff, including senior figures who can guide him and help optimize his bench usage. Additionally, we should develop more attacking options beyond the predictable 2023 template. While it’s fine to keep that strategy in our arsenal, we should also have alternative plans ready.

The solutions I’ve mentioned, along with those I included in another thread for the 2025 season, should be our primary focus.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

We failed this season due to 3 major reasons:

1. Injuries.
2. Bad coaching decisions.
3. AFB.

We parted ways with AFB, who had become a disruptive influence on the team. While I admired his talent and what he brought to the table as an elite prop on an individual level, his actions were detrimental to the team environment.

What evidence do we have of this? I know he caused a kerfuffle before Magic Round, but then we won, and he played the house down from mid to late season, the odd game apart. Can we really say our shit form and attitude was due to AFB, when his own form was red hot? If it was that bad, wouldn't we have got rid of him?

I just don't buy this as a reason we sucked this year, unless he dragged a lot of people down with him.

 

[hitro]

AFB is on track to be Daly M prop and him and Barnett are the only players in the team to be considered top shelf players by Ozzies. This season is not on him, the props dept were excellent it was just the rest of the kooks who couldn't do much once they got them down the right end of the field.*TMM not included as kook that couldn't do anything, he actually could. I am all for Tuaupiki getting a proper shot at 1 this week and next year cos he has a good short kicking game and passing game in red zone. So does TMM but they are both injury prone unfortunately. Charnze to centre and stand-off and FB when TT is injured for mine. I am relieved SJ has retired and the team won't need to revolve around him anymore. I hope they can sign at least one good player with his and Jazz's salaries who is a kicker.
The worst thing about this year is it seemed coach had a number team written in ink before the start of the season and always picked those guys if he could, regardless of results.

 

[JJ]

Would be interesting to see the salary cap breakdown, some players (DWZ we know is ott) not good bang for buck. AFB is a huge loss, JFH a different beast, but the middle will still be strong, questions everywhere else though, and of course losing AFB’s little bit extra of footwork and ball playing…

On topic, season has been a disaster, be lucky to make the 8 next year too

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

What evidence do we have of this? I know he caused a kerfuffle before Magic Round, but then we won, and he played the house down from mid to late season, the odd game apart. Can we really say our shit form and attitude was due to AFB, when his own form was red hot? If it was that bad, wouldn't we have got rid of him?

I just don't buy this as a reason we sucked this year, unless he dragged a lot of people down with him.

This is a calculated guess, not based on hard evidence. As a fan, it's difficult to truly know what happens behind the scenes. In a team environment, everyone needs to be a team player. If someone acts entitled just because they're highly skilled, it can cause tension and affect team performance. We should also remember that there are young players eager to prove themselves and make their mark on the field.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

AFB is on track to be Daly M prop and him and Barnett are the only players in the team to be considered top shelf players by Ozzies. This season is not on him, the props dept were excellent it was just the rest of the kooks who couldn't do much once they got them down the right end of the field.*TMM not included as kook that couldn't do anything, he actually could. I am all for Tuaupiki getting a proper shot at 1 this week and next year cos he has a good short kicking game and passing game in red zone. So does TMM but they are both injury prone unfortunately. Charnze to centre and stand-off and FB when TT is injured for mine. I am relieved SJ has retired and the team won't need to revolve around him anymore. I hope they can sign at least one good player with his and Jazz's salaries who is a kicker.
The worst thing about this year is it seemed coach had a number team written in ink before the start of the season and always picked those guys if he could, regardless of results.

We need to separate his atheltism and form from his attitude with the team. I loved his performances this year it's been the one light in our shit attack. What players has AFB made better since he's been with us? Ask that question and you will see where a select few of us are coming from. JFH signing is sorely needed to galvanize the core team and start to make others shine around the joint. It's amazing what encouragement and confidence can do to the whole team

AFB is a very good but SELFISH player.

JFH is a very good AND SELFLESS player.

Some fans only focus on AFB's great playing ability and turn a blind eye on his shitty attitude. Sharks team are gelling well and look good without AFB. Let's see how things go in the shire 2025.

 

[Blair]

I'm not sure we can carry Dallin in defence any longer. We know he scores tries but we know he lets them in too.

He's not Pelé ('who cares how many goals they score? We will score more').

 

[sup42]

Off the ball work or lack thereof is why we are not playing in the finals. A real shame after off the ball work was a hallmark of 2023.

You have to start with the personnel, the playing group are the only ones who can do the extras, coaches and training regimes can only physically prepare them for the toughness of working off the ball, the players have to mentally dig in, from within, it is personal and mental - not something that is taught.

Typically we start strong, we dominate field position, and we play disciplined and look as good as any team in this comp for about fifteen to twenty minutes. So the good news is we are potentially as good as the rest, the bad news is unlocking the mystery of why we fall away and lose the games before half time. Basically in most games we are out of it by half time, you can see it, there is a clear pattern, even if we are still ahead on the scoreboard, as a fan you get this sense of foreboding that we are hanging on rather than settling in.

And it is not something that has come about through us running out of gas, because the bench kicks in around about that period and our defence seems to fall apart. It is tempting to think that we need a much stronger bench, to maintain that dominance of the opening twenty, a stronger bench might work, but I do not think that is fundamentally where the problem lies. And there is the thing called the Salary cap, unless you are cheating like the Roosters we cannot have some Star forwards sitting on our bench.

The issue for mine, is that while we are good at setting the tempo from the opening, it tends to hide the fact that we cannot deal with momentum swings, we cannot cope with back to back sets against us. Ergo, having a stronger bench is helpful but it will not fix the fundamental issue that is a lack of resilience (hate that word in this era, somewhat overused) but resilience applies in this case.

And you can see this is the correct way to look at a the Warriors when we do not get all the running at the start of some games this year, in those starts, while our great forward pack are out there and our best line up, we fall apart anyway....so I say again, a stronger bench is not the issue Per Se.

So one must ask why the Warriors fell off the cliff when it came to showing grit this year, after being the grittiest underdog only a year ago. The reasons are likely multiple, a lack of a consistent roster through injury, the being hunted in year two syndrome, the complacency that comes with being good and living off your last season.
And then there is the specter of the players in that dressing room being bumbed out all season knowing their star role model wants to leave and is not there for them. That one really does a lot of damage to a the culture of a team, and it is the culture of the team that determines an NRL teams resilience, not the coach, not one player, not a roster full of tacklebots, but the brotherhood of a group that drives each other to put bodies on the line, dive on loose balls, make desperation tackles one after the other on the try line, the showing up for your mates stuff.

And you could really see this was missing from the Warriors this year, look at last nights games, how many times did we see our forwards being easy targets as one out runners? Last year we have bodies in motion...classic off the ball work, so it was quite amazing to see us construct a win when hamstrung by guys like Niukore getting cut down after five meter runs, Ale, Sifakula getting horrid ball and not a lot of it, chopped down and neutralized. Yet despite this our backs compensated for that by setting themselves in formation frequently to run the ball, draw and pass, make a V shape with some depth, in other words doing their own working as a pack to counter the forwards lack of team work, and it kept us in the game. The backs forming set up shapes for SJ is what won us that game, and the same is true of the left edge backs being live from deep in our half when Metcalf used the threat of Ali to try to get us out of trouble. Team work, off the ball awareness and preparedness.

There are signs there that next year will be better with some luck in terms of injury. Webster would have learned a bunch from that game. He clearly gave the keys to SJ for his last game and told them to go out there and enjoy SJs last, he very obviously told them that SJ is going to drive the game plan and to back him up - let him be the star one last time.
And as part of that the team were in a mood to offload and that second phase game was very effective. Webster looked pretty relaxed we saw shots of him at half time spending a lot of time with TT, then walking over to a dejected looking Walker and patting him on the shoulder.

I think the TMM and Metcalf option are potentially exciting for next season, hats off to Metcalf for using his passing game last night, we could do with some pace on that left wing with those early long range shift attempts we saw Vs the Sharks, a new string to the bow of the Warriors, perhaps Setu Tu comes in there or Pasikala.

On a positive note a few guys got their wings this season and looked like they have NRL potential, MGT had a great game and a poor game, understandable at his stage of development, Ali looks promising, Leka is a special and will only get better, Dimitric looks a bit big and slow for mine this season post injury, I think the Warriors should put him on a lean down regime, he is a good player, just needs opportunity.

Without AFB and SJ there, the young forwards will likely see some of the better ball where they have been starved to date.

Year three is where the Andrew Websters of the Warrior verse get sacked, so he really has a job on his hands in the off season. I think the priorities should be that the team open with his successful game plan, then when they are settled switch up to the free flowing attack, and lastly spend all of the off season on getting defensive positioning and communication correct and running decoys, a crude list but the right list for where we need to start off imo.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Johns and Cronk on the Warriors


WARRIORS

The expectations were high for the Warriors heading into 2024 as the club sought their maiden premiership after making it to last year’s preliminary final.

But the Warriors of 2023 were nowhere to be seen as they put together a forgettable season filled with ill discipline and wasted opportunities.
“This was my greatest disappointment simply because I would have loved to have seen them win the competition,” Johns said.
“A lot of expectation and a lot of things didn’t happen. I thought Luke Metcalf being absent for a long stretch really upset the balance of their attack and was a contributing factor.”
Cronk blamed the Warriors’ stunning slide on complacency.
“I think the Warriors got comfortable. They played some really predictable and slow-moving football and lacked intensity,” he said.
“But then that last game against the Sharks showed that they can do it. No where’s that been 15 weeks prior?”
“I think with James Fisher-Harris (joining the club in 2025) is more a signing about spirit and being an example of what winning looks like as opposed to adding value to the way they play.
“I think what he’s done to that forward pack at Penrith ie Moses Leota he will do to that next front rower.”

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Johns and Cronk on the Warriors


WARRIORS

The expectations were high for the Warriors heading into 2024 as the club sought their maiden premiership after making it to last year’s preliminary final.

But the Warriors of 2023 were nowhere to be seen as they put together a forgettable season filled with ill discipline and wasted opportunities.
“This was my greatest disappointment simply because I would have loved to have seen them win the competition,” Johns said.
“A lot of expectation and a lot of things didn’t happen. I thought Luke Metcalf being absent for a long stretch really upset the balance of their attack and was a contributing factor.”
Cronk blamed the Warriors’ stunning slide on complacency.
“I think the Warriors got comfortable. They played some really predictable and slow-moving football and lacked intensity,” he said.
“But then that last game against the Sharks showed that they can do it. No where’s that been 15 weeks prior?”
“I think with James Fisher-Harris (joining the club in 2025) is more a signing about spirit and being an example of what winning looks like as opposed to adding value to the way they play.
“I think what he’s done to that forward pack at Penrith ie Moses Leota he will do to that next front rower.”

Cronk not mentioning the Warriors were the 2nd worst affected team from injuries this year is the reason why the good players don't always make the best media guys.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

'Not in right headspace': Jones says off-field issues plagued Warriors

Assistant coach Stacey Jones discussed the club's recently completed season review.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Stacey mentions some off field stuff and an apparent neck injury TMM was carrying.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

'Not in right headspace': Jones says off-field issues plagued Warriors

Assistant coach Stacey Jones discussed the club's recently completed season review.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Stacey mentions some off field stuff and an apparent neck injury TMM was carrying.

The impact of players not being in the right headspace and off-field issues is fascinating. Prioritizing a mental skills coach should be a top priority. It feels amateurish that this hasn't already been addressed.

As for the off-field issues, I wouldn’t be surprised if AFB was involved. However, it sounds like multiple players were affected, so it’ll be interesting to see if any details get leaked. Tevaga might be the best person to open up about it. I know there were concerns beyond just injuries, and I still have my suspicions—mainly because many are overlooking certain things due to a good season for some players.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

The impact of players not being in the right headspace and off-field issues is fascinating. Prioritizing a mental skills coach should be a top priority. It feels amateurish that this hasn't already been addressed.

Any other clubs have a mental skills coach?

AB's had Enoka for years but can’t say I’ve ever heard of them used at club level, for either code. I hear about welfare officers and the like, but never an actual mental skills or psychiatrist on staff.

Agree makes sense though.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Any other clubs have a mental skills coach?

AB's had Enoka for years but can’t say I’ve ever heard of them used at club level, for either code. I hear about welfare officers and the like, but never an actual mental skills or psychiatrist on staff.

Agree makes sense though.

I'm not sure about the other clubs, but the Warriors have historically struggled with the mental side of the game. It's evident in our history—we’ve often been unable to sustain momentum. In 2023, we showed real mental toughness, but suddenly that disappeared. While injuries can disrupt combinations and impact the attacking game plan, the 'next man up' should be able to follow the blueprint and keep the team functioning smoothly.