Blog with Buzz: What we learned from Round 1 of the NRL

BLOG with Buzz from 1pm on the woes of the New Zealand Warriors and the rest of the action from a massive Round 1 of the 2016 season.

Blog with Buzz: Round 1 NRL reaction

WARRIORS coach Andrew McFadden must have a death wish.

Why else would you pick Blake Ayshford in the centres over the game’s most blockbusting outside back, Konrad Hurrell, for round one of the competition?

Ayshford played solidly, as he always does. Nine runs, 95m, but there were four missed tackles against Wests Tigers.

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At the same time, Hurrell was running around in NSW Cup on Saturday afternoon against Illawarra at WIN Stadium. What a waste of a sensational talent.

If for any reason Hurrell wasn’t ready to play in round one, that’s the coaching staff’s responsibility as much as that of the player.

The Warriors had everything going for them on Saturday against a Tigers side without halfback Luke Brooks and hooker Robbie Farah.

Warriors coach Andrew McFadden is feeling the heat.

Sure, they played well in the second-half comeback in what turned out to be the most exciting game of the weekend.

McFadden knows he has only six weeks to save his coaching career. He has to win at least three of the next five games and the Warriors play the Broncos and Storm in the next fortnight.

Surely, Hurrell has to be in the side.