Round 7 vs Raiders - #Faither 5: Pre Game

The Rd 7 match vs the Raiders in Canberra this weekend looms as what could potentially be a season defining game for the Warriors. Although the NZ based side has come away with 5 wins from their previous 10 clashes against the Green Machine, alarmingly their record in Australia's National Capital is less than to be desired, with only 2 victories from their previous 5. Looking back further, the Warriors have struggled to adapt to the conditions at the Raiders home stadium where they went 13 years without a victory, stretching from 2001-2014.

Round 22 - Faither 5 Pre Game vs Gold Coast Titans

Another must win match is on the cards for the Vodafone Warriors as they clash with the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Stadium in Robina. Both teams will be desperate for the 2 points as they sit precariously on the edge of the Top 8, a win would see one side move one step closer to playing finals footy in 2016 while a loss could have serious ramifications on their quest for glory this season.

Round 21 - Faither 5 Pre Game vs Penrith Panthers

Coming off the 2nd heart breaking golden point loss in as many weeks and the 3rd in the previous 4 matches, as a fan it's hard not to dream about what could have been. If we just got a lucky bounce of the ball or a referee decision went our way we could be heading into the Panthers game with 7 wins on the trot, leaving us sitting comfortably in 6th position with a real chance of cracking the top 4.

Late Fightback not Enough for Warriors

Written by Brad Inger

NRL 2016 Round 20 Review: Late fightback not enough for Warriors

The Warriors lost 26-22 in their second Golden Point defeat in a row in what was their third Golden Point loss in Four Games. The 26-22 scoreline was flattering for the Warriors as the Raiders were on their way to a large victory until Thomas Leuluai and David Fusitu’a clawed the Warriors back into the game. Unfortunately, the Warriors continued their recent trend and could not close out the game and succumbed to the third try of a Jarrod Croker hat trick.

Round 20 - Faither 5 Pre Game vs Canberra Raiders

The Warriors went 17 years without a victory against the Raiders in Canberra. Coincidentally, it was a team coached by a man that cops plenty of criticism by fans that guided them to a drought breaking victory in his 14th  game as an NRL head coach. 2014 proved to be a fruitful year for the Warriors playing against the Raiders with the club managing to score a combined total of 108 points while only conceding 30 in the process. Since breaking the Canberra hoodoo the Warriors have now won 2 games on the trot in the nations capital and look to make it a trifecta as they head into this Round 20 fixture.

Round 19 Faither Five vs Manly Sea Eagles

The Manly Sea Eagles have certainly become a thorn in the side of the NZ Warriors and are undoubtedly the clubs bogey side with the club winning just 1 game from the last 12 meetings stretching back to 2010. While the Warriors continue to show plenty more pride in the jersey and a willingness to be able to compete for an entire game instead of switching off after 60 mins, it's 2 points that have gone begging and with plenty of teams fighting for those last few spots in the 8 it was a game that needed to be won and may come back to haunt them in their quest for finals footy this season.

Victory in Mannering Milestone

Written by Brad Inger

NRL 2016 Round 17 Review: Victory in Mannering Milestone

Round 17 saw the Warriors face the Gold Coast Titans in a hard fought encounter. In a match that was not only Simon Mannering’s 250th game as a Vodafone Warrior but also the 250th game played at Mount Smart Stadium, the Warriors came from behind to defeat the Titans 27-18.

Warriors Pushed to Limits Against Roosters

Written by Brad Inger

NRL 2016 Round 15 Review: Warriors Pushed to Limits in Messy Performance

After back to back impressive results, the Vodafone Warriors had a lot of momentum going into their Round 15 clash with the Sydney Roosters. The last time these teams faced each other resulted in a Golden Point victory to the Warriors and this match up proved just as tight with the Warriors holding on to win 12-10.

Fusitu'a Shines in Newcastle

Written by Brad Inger

NRL 2016 Round 14 Review: Fusitu'a Shines in Newcastle
NZ Warriors 50 def Newcastle Knights 14

After an impressive performance in Round 13 against the Brisbane Broncos, the Vodafone Warriors made the journey to Newcastle to play Newcastle Knights.

The Warriors were expected to continue in the same form they displayed last round but with some early errors made in the first half the Knights were keeping themselves in the game and by halftime were only behind the Warriors 22-14.

The second half started and David Fusitu’a arrived with three tries back to back and the Warriors put their foot down and ran away with a 50-14 victory.

Well, what can I say about this result?

The Warriors were always expected to come away with a large victory over what has been a woeful Knights team but I think what impressed me more was the defense. In the first 40, the Warriors made some errors and silly penalties in their own territory but kept the Knights from scoring. The line speed was impressive for the second week in a row; the team shifted sideways as a unit and did not leave gaps for the Knights to target and by the time the second half had started the Knights were completely out of options and to the Warriors credit, they did not let the pressure off and continued to score.

Was it a perfect performance? No, definitely not. The NZ based side still continue to have handling errors in their game and if they don’t eliminate those they could find themselves in trouble against the top four sides in the NRL.

The missed tackles and penalties have reduced dramatically and I think this is an ongoing sign of the attitude change this team has had. Attitude makes a huge difference and if the Warriors keep this attitude on board, I feel that the playoff-bound clubs will be watching over their shoulders as a confident Warriors team is a dangerous team.

My player of the day goes unsurprisingly to David Fusitu’a.

After scoring two tries against the Broncos last week, David turned it up a notch and bagged four tries in this match.

With Manu Vatuvei nearing retirement age for a League player David is putting his hand up to take the Beast’s try-scoring heroics over. He is fast, strong and his ability to score in the corner continues to amaze me, unfortunately, injuries have plagued his short career so far but if he can keep healthy he will be a key contributor to the Warriors for years to come.

And for the second week in the round I could not pick a player that needs to improve. I have watched this game countless times now and I find it hard to nitpick a player that let the team down simply because right now this team is playing for each other and I'm hoping this is a trait that is going to stick around.

Round 15 sees the Warriors return to Mount Smart Stadium and play the Sydney Roosters.

The Roosters have been uncharismatically poor this season but this does not mean that they will be easy beats for the Warriors, just remember it took a Golden Point try by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for the Warriors to defeat them in Round 5 earlier this season. The Warriors need to be prepared for a tough physical battle in the forwards and need to bring the same defensive mindset from the past fortnight if they are to come away with the victory.

I'm expecting a Warriors win here but I don’t see it being a blowout like the past two rounds and the Warriors will win by around 10 points.

What are your thoughts on this performance?

Is David Fusitu’a going to be the Warriors new Beast?

How do you see this weeks game going, A Warriors blowout, close win or a loss?

Comment below and let me know.

Vodafone Warriors Turned Horse Whisperers

Written by Brad Inger

NRL 2016 Round 13 Review: Warriors too much for Bumbling Broncos
NZ Warriors 36 def Brisbane Broncos 18

The Vodafone Warriors turned Horse Whisperers in their round 13 match-up with the Brisbane Broncos running away with a 36-18 victory at Mount Smart Stadium.

Andrew McFadden stated during the week that the Warriors needed to have a more positive attack in order to increase the team’s confidence which will, in turn, improve their defensive efforts.

The boys were granted a free licence and they took it with both hands. Right from Albert Vete’s first hit up you could clearly see that the team’s attitude had vastly improved. The attitude and commitment shown from the playing group in this match has been something the fans have been begging for since the beginning of the season.

No longer did this side look lost in attack. The forwards were chewing up the metres through the middle allowing Issac Luke to get a roll on from the play the ball causing the broncos to constantly be on the back foot. With the forwards dominating the battle up front, Shaun Johnson finally had the room to attack the line and be the devastating attacking player that he is known to be.

Everything seemed to work for the Warriors in this game, from the bounce of the ball to most of the offloads sticking and in what was a welcome change we were even awarded those 50/50 calls from the referee. They gave themselves plenty of attacking opportunities and after 21 minutes they were 18-0 up after some clever plays from Shaun Johnson, scoring a try himself and setting Bodene Thompson up for another, Jacob Lillyman scored the third from a nicely placed grubber from Issac Luke.

The Broncos tried to get themselves back into the match with a try to Alex Glenn and before the end of the first half they had two tries pulled back for forward passes to go into halftime 18-6 down.

We've seen many games where this side would have folded in the past but two minutes into the second stanza the Warriors were over again through an amazing diving try by David Fusitu’a. The NZ based side scored three more tries through Ryan Hoffman, David Fusitu’a who bagged himself a double and Solomone Kata. Brisbane could only manage two more tries to Jordan Kahu and Tevita Pangai but the Broncos were never in this match and were possibly lucky to only have lost 36-18.

The line speed shown from the home team was the best I have seen for month’s, maybe even years, missed tackles were few and far between and importantly those silly errors and penalties that have plagued this side this season were gone.

My player of the day goes to Shaun Johnson, with the forwards doing the hard yards up front he had free reign in this game and he took full advantage. An attacking Shaun is a dangerous Shaun and the fans will be hoping that this version is here to stay this season.

As for my player who needs to improve, well I cannot pick a player who needs to improve this week as I can’t point out anyone who let the team down, this was the first complete team effort we have seen this year.

Have things started to click with the Warriors? Did Konrad Hurrell’s exit last week help realign this team as a unit and/or perhaps the players open honesty session last week helped the players get onto the same page. In all honesty, I think it’s a little from column A and a little from column B.

Whatever was said in the honesty session seems to have helped this team actually buy into what this club is trying to become. Does this mean that the season is saved? No, possibly not. This is just a step in the right direction and the team needs to continue to bring the right attitude each and every week.

The Warriors face the Newcastle Knights in Round 14. Although the Knights have only managed the one win this season, the Warriors cannot afford to let their guard down. Their current points differential is not going to do them any favours come seasons end if they stay deep in the negatives so they really need to put some big performances in to bring them into contention with the top 8.

Who were your key players in this victory?

What do think was the reason for this change in performance and is this a permanent change for the season?

Comment and let me know.

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Faither: It's not just a slogan, it's a movement