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What we learned from perplexing Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers
What we learned from perplexing Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers

RNZ News

time15 hours ago

  • Sport
  • RNZ News

What we learned from perplexing Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers

Hands on hips, as the Warriors try to figure out what went wrong. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Analysis : The Penrith Panthers arrived at Go Media Stadium with a losing record and five State of Origin stars missing, but walked away with an unlikely win over the NZ Warriors and a new spring in their step, as they chased a fifth consecutive NRL crown. They took control of the contest in a 15-minute spell during the second half that produced three consecutive tries, as the high-flying home side struggled to find an answer . The encounter may prove pivotal to the season for both teams - one showed they are ready to shrug off their early-season lethargy, while the other now face some soul-searching, as adversity mounts. Here's what we can take away from the Warriors' 28-18 loss to the Panthers: For the second time this season, the Warriors were unable to pick up the pieces after a bye week. In April, they had resurrected their campaign with three straight wins, but after a week off, they produced their worst half of football this season to fall 36-0 behind Melbourne Storm before the break. This time, they had put together back-to-back wins, including their best half of footy, outscoring Cronulla Sharks 28-0 in the second half, heading into the bye. During the week, Warriors coach Andrew Webster played down the lost opportunity to build on that showing. "We've got a chance to build on it now," he insisted. "It only seems like the other day we played, not like a month ago or six weeks ago." Panthers celebrate Thomas Jenkins' opening try. Photo: Brett Phibbs/Photosport As they conceded three straight tries to fall 16 points behind, that performance seemed like a long time ago indeed, and maybe we now need to start talking about the curse of the bye. Last season, the Warriors had a bye in the final round, but split their other two post-bye encounters, thumping North Queensland Cowboys 42-12, but falling 20-18 to Canberra Raiders six weeks later. In 2023, when they reached the preliminary finals in Webster's first season, they actually came out ahead of the 'curse', losing 26-22 to Brisbane Broncos, but beating St George Dragons 48-18 and Gold Coast Titans 28-18. Perhaps it's too early for pessimism, and they have a grand opportunity to get one back when they host Wests Tigers in three weeks, after their next bye. The Warriors' fate was not helped by a series of injuries that left them scrambling to regroup at half-time. After just 12 minutes, front-rower Marata Niukore fell victim to a head clash in a tackle, and wasn't sighted again. Afterwards, Webster couldn't report whether he had failed a head check or had a suspected broken nose that curtailed his further involvement. In his absence, Jackson Ford logged 65 minutes off the bench, scoring a try, running for 111 metres and making 42 tackles. Just before the break, winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak went down with an ankle injury, and while he was being treated Panthers second-rower Scott Sorensen exploited the hole in the defence to score their second try for the half-time lead. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak writhes in pain with an ankle injury. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ In his 100th NRL game, Te Maire Martin came off the bench and into the centres, alongside promoted reserve-grader Moala Graham-Taufa, with Adam Pompey moving out a spot. In his fourth game, Graham-Taufa would score his first NRL try, but also missed the tackle that let winger Thomas Jenkins in for the game's opening try. Watene-Zelezniak looks likely to miss some time and Taine Tuaupiki was knocked out in reserve grade last week , so Ed Kosi - the last man dropped from the gameday squad against Penrith - may end up on the wing next week. Kurt Capewell will be well clear of Origin duty by then, but Rocco Berry may also have recovered enough from his hamstring niggle to reclaim his midfield position. The other injury concern is halfback Luke Metcalf, who played the second half with a heavy bandage on his left thigh and surrendered goalkicking duties to Pompey. Metcalf has an extensive injury record, but Webster shrugged the complaint off as a 'cork' and played down any risk of him missing time. Webster knew it was coming. "I deadset knew the questions walking over here were going to be did we take them lightly?" he admitted. "Is it concerning they had their best players out and we couldn't beat them? "At the end of the day, when you see complacency, it's when our players turn up and don't try. They tried, they tried so hard and got things so wrong. "If anything, they were probably [trying] too hard." Penrith were missing arguably their five best players , so they were vulnerable. Those are games you must win, but sometimes, that's hard to play against - the replacements have nothing to lose and are often unknown quantities. Only the Warriors players can look inside themselves to answer that dreaded question. "I knew the line of questioning before I got here and the answer is they trained really well, they came here with real intent to work hard for each other and they got it wrong - just didn't execute it," Webster said. Let's leave it at that. The phrase has probably become overused in the context of a season that has seen the Warriors repeatedly pulling from their reserve team to cover key absences. Against the Panthers, they were simply out-next-man-upped. Scott Sorensen scores a try for the Panthers. Photo: Brett Phibbs/Photosport Penrith have had to deal with more than their share of Origin interruptions over the years and while they have seen a plethora of talent scattered among other clubs - including the Warriors - they always seem to find a way to fill the void. "They are experienced during this period of Origin and they know the next-man mentality," Webster observed. "They probably invented it, to be honest, so we knew what was coming." That makes sense - it's something Webster probably brought with him from his time as Panthers assistant. If there's any comfort for league fans on this side of the Tasman, it's that many of those that stood up for Penrith were Kiwis, starting with Sorensen. "Funny how it works like that," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary mused. "It's cool and we needed them to." Another was prop Moses Leota, who admitted to nerves during the week, as he lined up opposite great mate - and former teammate - James Fisher-Harris for the first time. The Panthers have struggled so far this season, losing five games in a row to land at the bottom of the table. They're now on a three-game winning streak and have entered the top-eight playoff picture, but this is a massive result that could - and should - give them immense self-belief. The Warriors represent easily their biggest scalp since the Sharks in their season-opener, and it comes as they prepare to face top-of-the-table Canterbury Bulldogs next week. The Bulldogs include two of Penrith's biggest-name defections in Matt Burton and Stephen Crichton, so that clash will show whether they have indeed turned a corner on the road to their fifth crown. The Warriors travel across the ditch again next Saturday to face a Brisbane Broncos outfit with their backs to the wall. Given the quality of their roster, the Broncos (6-7) have grossly underperformed this season, but steamrolled bottom-placed Gold Coast Titans in their last outing to give fans some hope, perhaps falsely. We'll know more after they face Cronulla Sharks on Sunday. Coach Michael Maguire has been criticised for being too hard on his players after predecessor Kevie Walters was accused of being too soft which makes you wonder when the players will take some responsibility for their own performance. Maguire's appointment to the role continues to puzzle. Twelve months ago, he masterminded Queensland's Origin downfall - now he has the reins of the state's NRL flagship. Awkward. That said, the Warriors needed a Golden Point penalty to beat them at home in April, so let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, especially after this result. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

NRL: The Man Behind NZ Warriors' 'Next Man Up' Philosophy
NRL: The Man Behind NZ Warriors' 'Next Man Up' Philosophy

Scoop

time14-06-2025

  • Sport
  • Scoop

NRL: The Man Behind NZ Warriors' 'Next Man Up' Philosophy

, Digital Sports Journalist Only a few hours out from kickoff, NZ Warriors hooker Wayde Egan succumbs to a niggly hip injury and his understudy is thrust into the starting line-up to face Cronulla Sharks. This is where David Tangata-Toa earns his salary. Halfway through a season when the Auckland club hovers near the top of the NRL table, igniting hopes that this may finally be that elusive championship year, the secret to its success lies far beyond its star-studded premier team. "One of the best things is the boys made a pact themselves that they wanted to be a squad this year," coach Andrew Webster said last month, as he surveyed a roster depleted by injuries. "It's going to be a squad that wins this, not just 17 players that play Round 1. We're certainly finding that out." With Egan gone, newcomer Sam Healey received the call-up from reserve grade and a chance to show his junior club, where dad Mitch played more than 200 games in the 1990s, just what it let slip through its fingers. In 47 minutes, he ran for 71 metres - all but four from dummy half - and made 27 tackles, as the Warriors produced their most complete performance so far for a 40-10 win over Cronulla. Healey's seamless inclusion epitomised the 'next man up' mentality that has served the programme so well and, as 'transition coach', Tangata-Toa has been one of the drivers of that philosophy. Earlier in the day, he guided his reserve side to victory over Newtown Jets, avenging their only defeat so far this season and maintaining their five-point advantage atop the NSW Cup competition. "We all want to be successful and, at the end of the day, coaches get judged on results," Tangata-Toa said. "Where I get my satisfaction from is seeing guys debuting, and then going up and doing a really good job. "On the weekend, Sam Healey was such a great story, playing against his old club, where he couldn't quite get an opportunity and relocated to New Zealand - he jumps in and does a really good job. "I've only coached Sam this year and have played hardly any role in that, but just to see a kid step up like that… it's great to see these kids realise their dreams and, if you can be around that, it's pretty cool." In his second NRL game, Healey was not the only one of Tangata-Toa's proteges on display against the Sharks. With co-captain Mitch Barnett sidelined by ruptured knee ligaments for the rest of the season, forward Tanner Stowers-Smith also made his second appearance off the bench, after debuting against the Dolphins last month. He'll likely build on that opportunity, as the campaign progresses. Through 14 rounds, others like Taine Tuaupiki, Ed Kosi, Ali Leiataua, Rocco Berry, Bunty Afoa and Te Maire Martin have played for both premiers and reserves, where they wait in the wings for their next chance to step into the spotlight. Whenever they are promoted, their replacements in reserve grade are often drawn from the Jersey Flegg (U21) programme. Tangata-Toa's role is threefold - he's hired to win games and prepare his players to perform at first grade when required, while helping develop the 'next' next wave of teenagers for the future, but not necessarily in that order. "Reserve grade I see as a development team," he said. "My role is to develop these players and get them ready for first grade, when they're called upon by Webby. "Obviously, if you can win some games along the way, that's development as well, because you have to teach the young kids how to win, so when they do get to first grade, there's that expectation of winning games. "The development side of it is super important around that 'next man up' mentality, so when they're called upon, they can do a job in the top grade." Tangata-Toa held similar development roles at Penrith Panthers, North Queensland Cowboys and Canterbury Bulldogs, but was summoned to Auckland, when Webster became head coach at the Warriors. The pair had crossed paths at Hull Kingston Rovers 15 years earlier, when Webster was an assistant and academy coach, and Tangata-Toa was ending his playing career. "Webby was actually my coach at Hull KR, but he was a year younger than me," he said. "We became friends there, and always coached against each other and kept in touch. "There was a position open up here so he rang me, as I was coming off contract at the Bulldogs, to see if I would relocate. We nutted it out and moved the family over here - it's been a good move." The Warriors reserves have reached the NSW Cup semis over the previous two years, but have been depleted when injuries to the top side pull players from the next level down. Last season, only Barnett and Jackson Ford played through the first 14 rounds. Halfway through this year's schedule, the Warriors have had eight players turn out in every one of their 13 first-grade games - centre Adam Pompey, halves Chanel Harris-Tavita and Luke Metcalf, second-rower Kurt Capewell, and forwards Marata Niukore, Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima. That continuity has helped both teams maintain standards and build combinations, without dipping too deeply into the depth chart. "We've been really lucky this year," Tangata-Toa said. "Compared to last year, first-grade haven't had a whole lot of injuries, so we've been pretty lucky in reserve grade to keep the majority of our squad together. "There are a few changes every week, but last year, we were changing up to six players a week through injury and performance." During its three-year Covid-enforced exile across the Tasman, the club had to abandon its supplementary teams - including the NRLW side - as it focused on core business without the benefit of revenue from home games. Since returning home, the Warriors have fielded teams in the major New South Wales competitions, taking back-to-back Harold Matthews Cup (U17) at their first two attempts. "This is only the second year we've had all the junior pathway teams in the NSW competitions," Tangata-Toa said. "NSW Cup [reserves] have been in for three years now and the club's done a really good job around that. The first year back, they made the semis, last year they made the semis and this year, halfway through the season, they're sitting on top. "The club invests quite heavily in trying to keep those Kiwi kids at home, so we're starting to see some rewards around that." With former first-grade coach Andrew McFadden guiding the club's pathways, homegrown players can now see a route from school and club footy into NRL, without having to leave New Zealand. "The transition, you're starting to see it in the reserve grade competition," Tangata-Toa said. "Only four years ago, the age of the reserve competition, you'd see a lot of 26-27-year-olds still playing and they would make up the majority of reserve grade teams, whereas now, you're probably only seeing one or two of those players in the competition, and the rest are 20-21-year-olds." The Warriors reserves are still well served by veterans with considerable first-grade experience. Half Tanah Boyd, 24, crossed the ditch this year from Gold Coast Titans, where he logged 68 NRL games, while centre/winger Morgan Harper, 26, has made 64 appearances at Canterbury Bulldogs, Manly Sea Eagles and Parramatta Eels. Both are still awaiting their Warriors debuts. Since arriving in 2022. hooker Freddy Lussick, 24, has played 40 games for the club, but has tumbled down the pecking order to the point where he sometimes has to wear the unfamiliar No.10 jersey to start in reserve grade this season. Front-rower Afoa, 28, is the club's longest-serving player, after making his NRL debut in 2016, and has since amassed 145 games, including seven this season. He's become a fan favourite for returning kickoffs from the back fence and is still more than capable of stepping into top grade when required. Afoa probably has several years left in his playing career, but his most important role now may be as mentor to the young forwards trying to supplant him. That creates a delicate balancing act for Tangata-Toa, who must keep these journeymen motivated, while younger prospects are promoted around them. "It's potentially a tricky one, but it probably comes down to the individual and their attitude around it," he said. "As a coach, you've got to keep an eye out for that, but I've been really impressed with the guys. "There's a real connection, not just with the NRL and reserve grade, but the club in general, and that comes from Webby up top. "There's never been once this year where I've had to question a bloke's attitude, because they were a bit filthy they weren't getting called upon - they were just really happy for their teammates. "That's a rap on Webby as a head coach, that he's able to create this environment where everyone's in it for the right reasons." The reserves train alongside - and often against - the premiers each week, measuring themselves against those they are trying to replace. When one limps to the sideline, another instantly fills their spot. "It's good to see these young boys coming through and getting the opportunity," lock Erin Clark said. "You never know when it comes and, when it does come, they're definitely ready, so that's good for us as a club. "From the lower grades up, we all train the same system, so we definitely know the man that steps up is ready." Last time the Warriors made the NRL Grand Final in 2011, club affiliate Auckland Vulcans also reached the NSW Cup final, while their U20 side won the National Youth Competition in extra time. They seemed on the verge of a dynasty then, but while the juniors won again in 2014 - Afoa was part of that team - the reserves and premiers have never returned to the finals since. Harold Matthews success may be an omen that reign may not be far off. The Warriors have suffered a variety of body blows this season - they've lost Addin Fonua-Blake, Marcelo Montoya, Jazz Tevaga and Dylan Walker across the Tasman, captain Tohu Harris and superstar Shaun Johnson to retirement, and now skipper Barnett to injury - but so far, they've found a way to keep moving forward. Much of that comes down to the job Tangata-Toa has done to prepare their replacements to answer the call.

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