Warriors take stock at half-way point of season

BEN STANLEY
Last updated 18:06 25/06/2012

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It's past the half-way point of the NRL season, but a bye week allows Warriors to take stock of the year before heading into the tough home stretch.

Ben Stanley runs his eyes over the path taken and the path ahead for Bluey and his men in 2012.

Standout player: Ben Matulino

After a superb 2011, Matulino has established himself as one of the top front rowers in the NRL. While the 23-year-old prop leads the Warriors in total runs, average runs, total metres and average metres, it's his sheer presence on the footy field that makes him such an asset. A hard-working ball carrier with the ability to make game-defining tackles, Matulino has turned in one of the Warriors' greatest success stories.

Rookie of the year: Konrad Hurrell.

Hurrell, a barnstorming centre, tore up Toyota Cup last year, with tries galore, freakish offloads and strength few 19-year-olds should possess. Yet many wondered if he could translate that on the first-grade stage. He has – and how. Along with eight tries in just 10 matches, Hurrell leads the Warriors in both tackle breaks and line breaks this season, proving himself a massive offensive weapon in Brian McClennan's backline.

Player who must do better: Feleti Mateo.

While the former Eels star turned in one of the team's top individual performances of the year against the Panthers, Mateo's form hasn't mirrored his sublime 2011. Once the unmatched offload king, Mateo sits eighth on the NRL's list this season. The spark is still there but the big back rower needs more carries and more opportunities to do those magic one per-centers the fans love. Giant winger Manu Vatuvei hasn't exactly been flash either but will hope to turn it around after his injury break.

Best try: James Maloney v Eels (round two).

Coming in the first win of McClennan's first-grade reign, Maloney's try was straight out of the "undefendable" files. The pill went through eleven pairs of hands, with Mateo, Krisnan Inu and Kevin Locke all offering incredible offloads. Maloney grasped Locke's pass to seal the movement. Superb.

Best team performance: Warriors v Broncos (round nine).

Coming to Mt Smart Stadium, the Broncos were one of the NRL's hottest teams, with six wins on the trot. Yet they were stopped in their tracks by a absolute team effort by the Warriors, inspired by hooker Nathan Friend, who played 75 minutes with a broken jaw. The kicking game of mercurial halfback Shaun Johnson was brilliant, with tries off two of his bombs, in the five-try effort. The Warriors' loss to the Storm in round eight deserves a special mention, with the Warriors playing 70 minutes of great footy against the NRL's best.

Worst performance: Warriors v Tigers (round 11).

Ask McClennan, this one still stings the Warriors. Bluey's men dominated the first half, leading 10-0 at the break, before Benji Marshall sparked his side in the second stanza. Though Hurrell would bag a second-half brace, the Warriors lacked penetration and were error-prone (four costly mistakes compared to none by the Tigers) as Benji's boys ran in four tries in the thriller. A crucial loss, stopping a two-win run and momentum heading into the first bye.

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The run home and what needs to be done:

Following the bye this weekend, the Warriors have the Cowboys (home), Titans (away), Broncos (away), Knights (home), Sea Eagles (away), Sharks (home), Cowboys (away), Panthers (home), Dragons (away), and finally the Raiders back home at Mt Smart Stadium. Realistically, the Warriors will need seven wins to ensure a place in a tight top eight. The home games will have to all be two-pointers, while the Titans and Dragons clashes across the Ditch are eminently winnable as well.

Prediction: The Warriors to finish seventh and win their first game of the playoffs under the new format (where they would play the fifth-ranked team). While Bluey's boys will lose their second playoff encounter, it will give the club plenty of positives to build on for 2013.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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