Big spending Gold Coast Titans tamed by gutsy Warriors
The Warriors called the signing of Addin Fonau-Blake ‘one of the most important in the club’s history’. After just one game, it’s easy to see why.
NRL
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Warriors coach Nathan Brown nearly fell off his chair when he was told the club was a chance of signing powerhouse Addin Fonua-Blake from Manly last year.
One game into the new season and it’s clear other teams better buckle up when they take on the Tongan behemoth after he led from the front to guide the Warriors to a 19-6 win over a Titans side featuring their own pair of high-profile recruits.
Fonua-Blake finished with a game-high 177 metres from 19 runs as he dominated the middle third of the field in a performance that matched his pre-season expectation.
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After surprising Manly with a request for a release last September, the prop forward was quickly snapped up on a three-year deal, prompting Warriors recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan to say at the time that his signing “could be one of the most important in the club’s history”.
It was the perfect gift for Brown who has been able to shape his game plan around arguably the best front-rower in the world.
“I still remember getting the call from Peter O’Sullivan saying we were a chance of getting this bloke, and I didn’t really believe him. I nearly fell off the chair because players like that don’t come along every day,” Brown said.
“We were fortunate to get Addin. Recruitment is the key to any successful club, and if you don’t recruit well, you don’t do well. Being able to get someone of Addin’s skill and talent was very important. He’s only 25 or 26 so his best years are coming.”
Fox Sports analyst Michael Ennis couldn’t speak highly enough of Fonua-Blake’s performance, and his worth to a club was made more evident when Manly’s middles were completely outclassed by the Roosters just two hours later.
“To be able to get someone of that quality so quickly in your recruitment drive is a huge bonus for the Warriors,” Ennis said.
“The impact of Fonua-Blake and what he has on that whole side is enormous, and you could see the difference in the Sea Eagles without him. It was alarming.
“He put a real fear factor into the opposition and he got through a mountain of work in the middle.
“For a big man, he was just instant presence in the middle of the field. He became a big attraction for Chanel Harris-Tavita, who played short to him a number of times and he had a number of offloads that created second-phase play that brought in Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Kodi Nikorima.”
Fonua-Blake’s next assignment has added spice as it will be the first time Brown has coached against the Newcastle Knights since they let him go in 2019.
But next Friday’s clash in Gosford will be decided in the middle, not in the stands, with the Warriors’ general set to take on a pair of barnstorming big men who have also started 2021 with a bang.
Daniel Saifiti scored a rare double in his side’s win over the Bulldogs, while fellow front-rower David Klemmer ran for 200 metres to set up a mouthwatering clash in Round 2.
“Next week will be a great challenge for us because the two Saifiti boys (Daniel and Jacob) and ‘Klem’ dominated the advantage line on Friday,” Brown said.
“When Newcastle’s got those big boys dominating the advantage line, it really brings ‘Pearcey’ right into the contest, so our big boys will need to be even better than what they were (against Gold Coast).”
NRL’s million-dollar man flops
- Travis Meyn
The NRL’s most hyped team is feeling the heat after the Gold Coast’s $1.2 million man David Fifita flopped in his Titans debut against the resurgent Warriors.
The Titans were ambushed by the Warriors at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday as New Zealand recorded a 19-6 win in a fast-flowing affair which raised questions about the NRL’s new rules.
Fifita couldn’t train during the week due to illness and looked far from the game-breaking sensation he was at the Broncos.
He was hooked with 10 minutes to go as the Titans failed their first test following a pre-season of optimism.
After finishing ninth last season with a five-game winning streak, the Titans were expected to contend for this year’s NRL finals series.
They will have to produce a much better performance in Fifita’s first match against former club Brisbane in Friday’s Queensland derby at Cbus Super Stadium to get their season on track.
David Fifita spent 2 days in hospital before today’s #NRLWarriorsTitans game with a bacterial infection in his left ankle... Justin Holbrook reduced his minutes as a result @FOXNRL
— Hannah Hollis (@hannahhollis_) March 13, 2021
FIFITA’S FIZZER DEBUT
Fifita became one of the NRL’s highest-paid players after the Titans splurged $3.5 million to poach him from the Broncos on a club record three-year deal.
The 21-year-old is capable of blowing games open with his freakish talent and power, but he could not get going after switching sides with fellow back-rower Kevin Proctor.
Fifita made only five runs in the first half and while he was busier in the second stanza, finishing with 13 runs for 110m, there was no match-winning play when the Titans needed a moment of brilliance.
His defensive lethargy was exposed when hard-running Warriors prop Bunty Afoa charged through Fifita and fellow big-name recruit Tino Fa’asuamaleaui in the 69th minute for the match-sealing try.
Fifita was dragged by coach Justin Holbrook after the Afoa try and said he had been battling illness in the lead-up to the game.
“It was good to get the cobwebs out,” he said.
“Me and Justin had a conversation during the week. I had a little infection so I had to look after myself.
“I’ll be right. It was good to get out there. I’ll be ready for next week.
“We didn’t capitalise on our opportunities. We weren’t good enough defensively, including myself.”
The Titans’ 12 errors proved to be the difference against a Warriors team that completed at 93 per cent.
ONCE AGAIN WARRIORS
New Warriors coach Nathan Brown kicked off his New Zealand career with a win against the odds.
The Warriors looked a much more disciplined team than New Zealand outfits of the past, controlling possession well and playing a low-error (four) style which proved too much for the Titans to combat.
While all eyes were on Fifita and Fa’asuamaleaui, it was Manly recruit Addin Fonua-Blake that proved the difference in midfield.
Fonua-Blake racked up a massive 177m from 19 carries to prove he could be one of the NRL’s buys of the year.
The Warriors were not expected to be finals contenders in 2021 but they will give plenty of rivals trouble if they can keep playing like that.
“We earnt everything out there,” Brown said.
“We had a lot of defence to do and lost a few players but the boys kept turning up for each other.
“We were very gritty. We played a simple game and our effort earnt us the win.”
NRL HITS BACK
The NRL has hit back at criticism of its new rules after players were left gassed during the opening games of the season.
The Titans-Warriors game was played in 31-degree heat and the players looked exhausted after the first 20 minutes.
Friday night’s Broncos-Eels game descended into a Rugby Sevens style contest in the dying minutes.
The NRL has introduced more six-again rules instead of penalties and wrestling looks to have decreased.
But the NRL insisted the game is not any faster.
“The quality of the football has been excellent considering they’ve all only played one trial,” said NRL head of football Graham Annesley.
“The fears of the game being massively faster than last year haven’t eventuated. We have seen less ball-in-play and it’s been no faster or more continuous than it was last year at this stage.
“We’re not seeing more play-the-balls than we did last year. It’s not like they’re squeezing a lot more football into the same amount of time.
“Stats need to be monitored over a period of time, not a couple of games. No one has played themselves into match fitness yet and it is hot.
“There is a perception things are different based on the rule changes but we’re not seeing that statistically.”
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