Warriors only going backwards until they adopt a new direction

THE Warriors have a roster that should win multiple premierships. How then, asks MATTHEW JOHNS, can they get it all so wrong?

Dissapointed Warriors Ryan Hoffman during the round 1 NRL game between the Wests Tigers and the New Zealland Warriors at Campletown Stadium.Picture Gregg Porteous

THE style of football the New Zealand Warriors are attempting to play has them on a path to another season of sackings and disappointment.

In round one, the teams who made the greatest impression were the ones who attacked the middle defenders with speed and footwork.

The rule adjustments and speeding up of the rucks has made the big, middle men sitting ducks.

The Warriors stumbled to yet another opening round defeat.

Yet, against the Tigers last Saturday, the Warriors went out and played hopelessly sideways.

Here’s the thing; how can a team containing the attacking spine of Shaun Johnson, Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, a combination perfectly designed for direct, penetrative football, get it so wrong?

Their opponents, the West Tigers, were excellent. They went out, rolled up their sleeves, played physically and were up for a fight. The Warriors on the other hand wanted to play touch football.

The season may only be one round in but these aren’t new problems for the New Zealanders. The Warriors, after appearing to be positioned for a finals finish in 2015, lost their last eight games, most of those floggings, where they displayed no fortitude whatsoever.

After a big summer of recruitment, heading into 2016, expectations are high, but in this year’s final trial against the Dragons, the same fragility in defence and frivolity with the football was on show.

The dreadful trial performance should’ve seen an adjustment in attitude and playing style for the Tigers match, but it didn’t.

The Tigers upset the Warriors in their first match of the season.

Warriors chief executive Jim Doyle has come out in support of coach Andrew McFadden and his staff, but how could they not be under extreme pressure?

The selection of Blake Ayshford ahead of Konrad Hurrell is puzzling.

The Tigers’ outside backs must have punched the air in relief last week on hearing of Hurrell’s non selection. Konrad has his flaws but nothing gets a set of six rolling forward like the combination of big Manu Vatuvei and Konrad Hurrell on early tackles.

This is a team who will be one of the major benefactors of the rule changes, if they revert to playing power football, which allows their key creative men to play direct.

But rather than play to their strengths, the Warriors continually force the ball sideways, it produces errors and is keeping two of their most important players out of the football game.

Luke was the focal point of the Souths Sydney attack, at least he was when the Rabbitohs were playing their best.

Souths’ big men would pound forward and once the roll started, Luke would explode out of dummy half and trigger the likes of Greg Inglis into action.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has looked out of sorts all during the season.

Luke is the best momentum footballer in the NRL. With him in the team, the Warriors forwards need just run hard, play the ball fast and good things will start to happen.

Yet last week, he was almost totally absent.

Luke couldn’t get into the game because there was no forward momentum, only sideway passing.

Tuivasa-Sheck has looked lost in a Warriors jersey. He came through a system at the Roosters where he knew his role and knew where he had to be on every play.

He made more metres than any other player in the game last year, and made more defenders miss, than anyone I’ve ever seen.

But at the Nines, through the trials and in round one, Tuivasa-Sheck just hasn’t looked himself.

He is missing his former side’s structure, and like Luke, he is suffering from his current team’s sideways nature.

Roger may be only a few games into his Warriors career but the club needs to heed the warning signs. Let’s not forget Sam Tonkins arrived at the Warriors as a genuine superstar of the English game but never ever looked comfortable and left after two years of utter frustration.

A lot has been said about a culture problem at the Warriors. Legendary Kiwi coach Graham Lowe, blamed a “bro culture”. I’ll be honest, I don’t have a clue what that means.

The Warriors need to make some changes.

A major problem I see, which may explain their sideways football, is an over reliance, and too much focus on Shaun Johnson.

They can’t wait to get the ball into Johnson’s hands. This needs to change.

The Warriors’ fortunes will change overnight if they make Luke the focal point of their football team and simplify their attack to the middle third of the field.

Hard, straight power running at the start of sets of six, complimented by the creativity of Isaac Luke, the speed of Johnson and the footwork of Tuivasa-Sheck on tackles four, five and six

Luke has to be the Warriors’ most important player. Johnson is a brilliantly gifted visual player. If Luke is able to consistently get out of dummy half, Johnson will see more opportunity than he knows what to do with.

In turn, it will get Tuivasa-Sheck back in the middle, targeting tired defenders rather than floating around the fringes of the field.

If the Warriors get their attack right, their defence will follow.

At the moment their style of attack, which produces far too many errors, is putting untold pressure on their defence.

Warriors Issac Luke tackled by Tigers Aaron Woods.

Fix the attack, reduce the errors and naturally watch the defence improve.

To find the solution to getting their football right, you have to ask, who’s to blame for them getting it wrong?

Fingers are always pointed at the coach, and who knows, maybe McFadden is getting it wrong tactically.

But maybe he’s getting it right and his game plan is being hijacked once out on the field.

Whatever the reason, the Warriors need to identify it and rectify it fast.

A side which carries such expectations can’t afford a bad first month of results…..otherwise there will be sackings.

Tonight they face a mighty challenge in the competition favourites, the Brisbane Broncos.

But for the Warriors, Brisbane aren’t the greatest challenge.

Their greatest challenge is themselves.

When this Warriors side finally get it right, they’ll beat everyone.

Originally published as Warriors only going backwards until they adopt a new direction