TWL RD 1: KINGZ CONTAINER CREW WARRIORS PLAYER RATINGS
Shit ay, turns out these premiership expectations are a bit tricky to live up to.
The Warriors’ off-season promised Goodbye Pork Pie-esque flair and Cape-to-the-Bluff NZ spirit, but Round 1 ultimately provided Eagle vs Shark-level insular Kiwi awkwardness and disappointment.
Certainly not the first batch of Kingz Container Crew player ratings we were anticipating dishing out.
The title contenders’ 2024 campaign got off to an obscenely easy point-a-minute 12-0 start, before they battled and bumbled their way to a 16-12 loss to Cronulla that has to be a contender as the club’s most disappointing since the club’s transformation under Andrew Webster got underway this time last year.
The Warriors’ ball control and discipline fell away when the Sharks dug in to prevent an impending landslide, while their defence was unable to hold up when the visitors made rare forays to their end.
A packed house couldn’t inspire the Warriors to any sort of cohesion from that point, with a raft of Shaun Johnson forced line dropouts seemingly their only weapon as a succession of opportunities on the Cronulla line were frittered away with ill-conceived and telegraphed attacking options.
Here’s your individual appraisals of a real head-scratcher:
1 TAINE TUAUPIKI: Tallies of 19 runs for 193 metres and seven tackle-breaks look impressive and he did very little wrong, but impact on the game was fairly minimal. Tuaupiki is a livewire and a fine player, but one thing Warriors teams – good, bad and ugly – have always had is a major influence from their No.1. Tuaupiki is yet to provide it. 6
2 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK: Strong game from a ball-carrying standpoint and racked up 132 metres from 13 runs with a line-break, plus some sound defensive plays. Four errors and two penalties were less flattering. 6
3 ROCCO BERRY: For a tyro that has gone missing a bit in rough team performances in the past, Berry can hold his head up for his contribution in this loss. Ran for 120 metres from 14 carries, had a line-break assist and reeled off 24 tackles, with plenty of quality efforts. 7
4 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK: Highly involved early on and ended up with a massive 172 metres from 19 runs, but faded out of the contest when the Warriors needed a spark and duffed a high ball badly that led to a Sharks try. Would be more understandable that the Warriors struggled to get him involved if he hadn’t trialled so outstandingly. 5.5
5 MARCELO MONTOYA: Big first half with some body-crunching plays on both sides of the ball but was barely sighted in the second stanza. Nudged over 100 running metres. 6
6 LUKE METCALF: Initially justified beating a hot field for the No.6 jumper with a sizzling solo try, but that was a rare highlight. Worked hard in defence but struggled to ignite the right edge on attack and was a bit of a non-factor for the last hour of the match. 5.5
7 SHAUN JOHNSON: Not the form in all aspects that should’ve earned a Dally M Medal, but enough there to say SJ was one of the silver linings of a dark cloud evening. Tremendous kicking game was highlighted by a ridiculous five forced dropouts and a host of others that pinned the Sharks on their line. Playmaking-wise, not much to get excited about and the disjointed nature of the attack has to fall on his shoulders to some extent. Ran for 113 metres on 19 carries. 7
8 ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE: Certainly showed his 2025 employers what they are getting with 20 runs for 180 metres, a powerhouse early try from close range, a barnstorming line-break and 23 tackles without a miss. Our best. 8
9 WAYDE EGAN: Toughness is not an issue but durability is starting to be. After 2023’s intermittent absences, managing 35 minutes was not what we wanted to see – and when he was out there, two penalties contributed to the turning of the tide in the first half. Second-half return lasted less than two minutes due to an apparent elbow problem. Put AFB over early and made 18 tackles without a miss. 5
10 MITCHELL BARNETT: Couldn’t ask for too much more – 19 runs for 162 metres and 26 tackles in 52 minutes on the paddock, all of it high energy. Among a disappointing team’s best. 7.5
11 JACKSON FORD: Very familiar stats of 12 runs for 95 metres and 38 tackles, but it’s hard to look past three pretty ordinary handling errors. Warriors fans like to zero in on a punching bag, and in a squad with few contenders Ford is at risk of becoming that target. 4.5
12 KURT CAPEWELL: We knew he wasn’t going to be a stats monster – particularly on attack – and the ex-Panthers and Broncos grand finalists made just five runs for 50 metres. Looked good when injecting himself, though, and was gritty in defence with 32 stops. 6
13 TOHU HARRIS: Probably less noticeable than we’re used to, but the skipper’s incredible numbers demand automatic respect: 232 metres from 26 runs and 38 tackles without a miss despite seemingly toiling away in relative anonymity. 8
14 FREDDY LUSSICK: Played a much bigger role than intended due to Egan’s ailments, but wasn’t overly impressive at dummy-half. Five runs and 30 tackles. 5.5
15 TOM ALE: Not used
16 BUNTY AFOA: Raring to go and made four runs for 32 metres and 13 tackles, only to be pulled off after 15 minutes and ride the pine for the rest of the game. 6
17 DYLAN WALKER: Did exactly what we’ve become accustomed to since he joined the club. Played 57 minutes off the bench and grafted away for 27 tackles and 17 runs for 138 metres. 6.5
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