NRL 2020 | New Zealand Warriors hold St George Illawarra Dragons scoreless as pressure piles on side
The New Zealand Warriors were close to perfect on the Central Coast but fans have turned on the Dragons after a horrific display.
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The New Zealand Warriors will be every fans’ second team for what they have sacrificed to make the 2020 season possible but few expected the side to make any real waves.
They may be rethinking it after destroying the St George Illawarra Dragons 18-0 on the Central Coast, the first time the Warriors have kept a team to nil since 2014 and the first time since 2006 they have kept the opposition scoreless in Australia.
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Having had a training camp in Tamworth, the Warriors will play their home games on the Central Coast and appear to like their new surrounds.
When Warriors half Kodi Nikorima forced his way across the line in the 53rd minute, which pushed the lead out to 18-0, the “home” side were 33 from 33 in completions.
Fox Sports commentator Steve Roach was blown away by the performance.
"It's unbelievable, I've never seen any side do that, let alone the Warriors," Roach said. "They usually get tired and make mistakes in the back end of halves but not this afternoon, they've been outstanding. itching to play and they've proven it."
Soon after, the Warriors were closing in on the record when Warren Smith chimed in.
“Something I never thought I’d see before at this level of footy,” Warren Smith said when the Warriors got to 39 from 39 completions.
The perfect game ended in the 75th minute when the Warriors made their first mistake, dropping to 44 from 45 when new boy Jack Murchie dropped the ball but it couldn’t deny the Warriors.
45 from 47 was the final count.
Warriors haven’t kept their opposition to zero since 2014.
— Dan Ginnane (@DanGinnane) May 30, 2020
Only ever done it once in Australia (2006 v Souths)
But while the Warriors were near perfect to get on the board for the 2020 season, the Dragons left a lot to be desired.
“Paul McGregor and his team are under all sorts of pressure now,” Ben Ikin said on Fox League. “I saw a team today that appeared to be nothing more than coaches instructions.
“There was no energy when they needed it. They couldn’t push themselves to do things beyond the game plan. Even some of their fundamentals, their completions to sets were poor and put them at a disadvantage.
“This was the game where the Dragons needed to bring the intensity. They needed to bring the desire, they needed to bring the discipline and their opposition and all they’ve been through that brought it. It was so unexpected, the result, and they way the two teams played in my view.”
But scorn fell on million dollar halfback Ben Hunt, who joined the Dragons on one of the richest deals in NRL history beginning in 2018.
Speaking on Fox League after the game, Michael Ennis said Dragons coach Paul McGregor’s job could be in jeopardy after a third straight loss,
“It was extremely disappointing,” Ennis told Fox League’s Super Saturday.
“With the experience they’ve got in their side, with the key playmakers that they’ve got in their side, you expect a lot more than what they delivered this afternoon.
“James Graham said to (Fox League presenter) Megan Barnard in pre-game ‘I’ve got boys in there that are excited, we want to show what we’re made of today’... they didn’t bring that. They simply just didn’t bring that.
“He’s got some huge decisions to make, Paul McGregor. Under enormous pressure coming in to the season but to lose this afternoon, to have lost three straight now, and the performance of the high profile players - none more than Ben Hunt - he has got some big decisions to make if he is going to remain as head coach of this club.
“It’s as simple as that. I honestly believe Ben Hunt needs to be taken out of that No.7 jersey.
“I really think that’s an option for Paul McGregor. Not to take him out of the side, I would love to see him go back into that No.14 jersey, give him some freedom, allow him to play like he does when we see him play for Australia, when we see him play for Queensland.
“At the moment they’re not getting what they need out of those key positions. They need to improve.”
Social media slammed the Dragons’ performance.
Mary has to be done, surely... every was tipping the Warriors to struggle hard in the reformatted #NRL but they're running rampage over a star-studded Saints lineup. Embarassing #NRLWarriorsDragons
— Isaac McIntyre (@isaac_mcintyre6) May 30, 2020
Wow. This is very, very bad from the @NRL_Dragons #NRLWarriorsDragons. Like, really bad. #bad
— Mathew Thompson (@MathewJThompson) May 30, 2020
It’s hard to win a game when your opponents are completing at 100%, but the Dragons haven’t put the Warriors under any pressure today
— Cameron Mee (@cameron_mee1) May 30, 2020
Dragons. Yiiiiiiikes #NRLWarriorsDragons pic.twitter.com/p3QpgQH44W
— Sam Phillips (@samphillips06) May 30, 2020
On this, there are big questions to be asked at St George-Illawarra. NZ have been close to perfect, but even so... #NRL
— Gary Carter (@GaryCarter_1979) May 30, 2020
Dragons coach Paul McGregor wasn’t happy either and said the emotion of the Warriors camping in Australia was a factor but it shouldn’t have affected his side.
“Attitude is a by-product of belief and at times they looked like strangers out there,” McGregor said.
“There are not secrets here, we’ve got to be better and today wasn’t good enough.”
Asked if he worried about his future now his side was 0-3, McGregor said he was “three games into a two-year contract”.
“I’ve got good staff, I’ve made a lot of changes, I’ve got good people around me, I’ve got a football team I believe in, we’ve just got to go out there and play well,” he said.
Originally published as NRL 2020 | New Zealand Warriors hold St George Illawarra Dragons scoreless as pressure piles on side