Warriors Fail to Overcome Sharks
I’ve just come back from the pub after watching the Warriors get beaten by the Cronulla Sharks. The Warriors won the 2nd half 6 – 0 but that doesn’t mean much when you lose the 1st half 18 – 4. Something just isn’t clicking within the team at the moment and the most worrying thing today, for me, was the fact they could obtain good field position for lengthy periods without converting opportunities into points. I think Ivan Cleary is right when he says it’s a confidence issue but it’s hard to imagine why they are not confident.
Warrior dropped balls and poor defensive reads contributed to the Sharks jumping to an 18 – 0 lead. The Warriors got back on top late in the first half and well into the second, until dropped balls once again wrecked any chance of turning things around. Manu Vatuvei’s try was a beauty. The attack leading up to Stacey Jones’ kick looked a bit desperate though. The commentators had to comment on how much Manu has improved his handling. That never gets old, does it?
It was good to see Lewis Brown score a try today. He has really shown a lot of enthusiasm when he’s come on to the field from the bench. It was a shame for Lance Hohaia to be greeted with an 18 – 0 scoreline when he finally got a chance at dummy half. I think the time has come to bring Ian Henderson back into the fray. Two games for the Vulcans should’ve shaken any complacency out of him.
All in all, I can still see the promise of better things to come for the Warriors. I’m looking forward to seeing them smash the Knights at home next Friday night. After that they can have a rest with the bye, and then start winning a bunch of consecutive games together in order to scrape into the bottom of the Top 8! Once they’re there, anything can happen!
Tags: Auckland Vulcans, Cronulla Sharks, ian henderson, ivan cleary, lewis brown, manu vatuvei, New Zealand Warriors, Newcastle Knights, Stacey Jones