The First Day of the Rest of Your Season

 
This was an important one.  We needed to go into Newcastle and come out with 2 points.  It was typical Warriors football, and we got away with it 32-24.  The Raiders, Broncos, and Roosters are between us and that number 8 spot - Raiders had a 'mare on Saturday, Broncos hopped into the time machine again and smashed the powerful Rabbitohs, and hopefully Melbourne can take care of the Roosters on Monday night.  With the bye coming up next for the Warriors, followed by a possible sell-out crowd in Christchurch on June 27 to inspire them against the Roosters, the season is suddenly back in good shape.

• The team seems to finally have gotten its head around a rush defence - we're managing to defend second-man plays and not giving opposing halves years to make their decision anymore.
• It has happened. I saw it. In the 67th minute, on the 13th June 2010, the New Zealand Warriors defended back to back sets on their line.
• Don't you love it how every year, we seem to have an outstanding goal kicker?  James Maloney is hitting 92% of his shots.  Ivan Cleary must chuck on his boots for half of every training session and school his latest protege.  I'd like to think his lessons go something like this:

• There is still a hesitation on offence that won't cut it against good teams.  Either we are attacking the line and have no idea what to do, so we end throwing it back inside to a 'charging' Micheal Luck, or we are trying to get out of our half and there are no runners ready for our halves to pass to.  It's not a lack of fitness, it just seems like we aren't organised - you can see team 'physio' Ruben Wiki on the field half the game yelling instructions.  Someone (Mannering) needs to take over.
• Ivan Cleary said what we were all thinking before the game - accusing refs of having a subconscious anti-NZ bias against the Warriors that influences the penalty count.  It seemed to work, with the count only being 6-5 in the Knights' favour, and with a lot of the 50-50 calls falling in the Warriors' favour.  $10,000 well spent, Ivan.
• Fijian Flyer Flavour of the Month Akuila Uate could become Fijian Flyer Face of the Franchise Akuila Uate.  Jared Mullen has so far failed to live up to the Andrew Johns heir hype, Uate looks like he is the next big thing in Newcastle.
• 'Cheating Scum' Wes Naiqama decided to stop Lance Hohaia's one good attacking run of the game by foot tripping Lance when he fell over in front of him.  Deserving of a week on the sideline?  Kiwi Sports Blog thinks so.

Here's some player grades:

• Apart from successfully defusing most of the high kicks sent his way Lance Hohaia was crap.  It's not that he takes forever to make a decision when he has the ball, or that he wastes tackle after tackle running straight into defenders, or that his kicks are always the worst option.  It's the fact that he thinks he is ten feet tall and the best player on the team.  We need a fullback that hustles to every kick, not one that jogs around lazily.  When he is at first receiver, he needs to play facilitator, not hero.  And he must never, ever, go near the sideline on kick returns like he did with his first touch - when you are 60kg soaking wet any NRL player can shotput you out of bounds with ease.  Two tries could have been saved by him as well - he missed the grubber deflected off Lewis Brown and was made to look like a fool by Fijian Flyer Flavour of the Month Akuila Uate.  Grade: D
• Simon Mannering was a brick wall on defence and not much of threat on offence.  So, the same old Simon.  But he had one moment of madness just before the half when he lazily stuck out an arm and blocked Jared Mullen's chase of his own kick.  Maybe he wanted to keep up the Warriors' tradition of letting in a momentum building try just before the half?  Thankfully they didn't score.  But Mannering did the same thing last week on Soward.  Does he realise he is the captain?  His brain explosions cost us because they lead to several more brain explosions from the less experienced players.  That alone would get him a D rating, but he redeemed himself with a season saving tackle on Isaac DeGois late in the game.  Grade: C
• Lewis Brown is such a heartening player to watch.  He is smart on defence and makes all the right plays, as well as charging all over the field after the ball.  I get the feeling if he has a bad game and someone chews him out in the paper, Ivan Cleary will react like this.  A great line bust to set up Manu's second try, essential pinching on defence to fill the trademark Warriors hole behind the play the ball, and quick hands when required.  Grade: A
• Here at KSB, there was much gnashing of teeth when Brent Tate broke his jaw because of the poor depth we have at centre.  But Joel "Injury Call Up" Moon looked like an NRL player today.  His try was solo brilliance.  After an initial lapse, he suffocated Junior Sau on defence.  Apart from The Beast, he was probably the best Warriors back.  Maybe he will be a handy fill-in for Brent Tate for a few weeks.  It probably still won't justify what we've paid him for the last few years.  Grade: A
• The Warriors also got good A games from consistent performers Aaron Heremaia, Micheal Luck, Russell Packer, and, of course, Manu Vatuvei.  Plus developing young players Kevin Locke and Isaac John looked good.

The boys are back on track, and that makes KSB very happy.