TWL RD 21: KINGZ CONTAINER CREW WARRIORS PLAYER RATINGS
The first section – and seemingly the easiest – of the Warriors’ six-leg tightrope walk towards an unlikely NRL finals berth was wobblier than we would’ve liked…but where there’s life, etc etc.
The best bits of a 28-16 Mt Smart defeat of under-strength triple wooden-spooners-in-waiting Wests Tigers were tempered by a long, bumbling period of failing to capitalise on an avalanche of good ball during the first half and a five-minute lapse in the second stanza that allowed the visitors back into the contest.
A lively burst during the final quarter to put the game to bed after teetering at 14-10 was enough to leave the average Wahs fan somewhat satisfied, while a handful of genuinely outstanding individual displays among this troupe of funambulists provides cause for optimism for some much harder assignments ahead.
Some of the Warriors’ biggest names and an up-and-comer dominated this week’s Kingz Container Crew player ratings.
Match Highlights
A barnstorming performance from Addin Fonua-Blake led the Warriors to victory over the Wests Tigers! pic.twitter.com/OWZSQqDks1
— NRL (@NRL) July 26, 2024
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK: Vintage Roger back in the position that earned him Warriors icon status. A colossal 293 metres from 26 runs – including a searing late line-break and six tackle-breaks – but equally impressive was his desperation and timing to save three tries, two from dangerous Tigers kicks and another with a tremendous tackle on his opposite number. If he could ball-play we’d be set. 8.5
2 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK: Probably his best game for the club where his trademark finishing wasn’t the overriding factor. Hungry for carries and bumped off defenders with almost run, finishing with 200 metres from 18 runs and a game-high eight tackle-breaks. Capped a wonderful game by putting MGT away down the sideline and backing him up to score the match-sealer. 8.5
3 ALI LEIATAUA: Mighty first half in his fourth NRL appearance, displaying brilliant hands to send big Ed over and scoring a powerful try in heavy traffic, along with a succession of dangerous runs. Bit quieter after the break aside from a line-break and finished with 116 metres in a more than satisfying performance. 7.5
4 MOALA GRAHAM-TAUFA: Bit of a mixed bag in the first half, looking much better when he tucked the ball under his arm and played direct rather than going the kick or pass. Great finish to the game with a sideline break and try assist for DWZ, while he worked super-hard for his 111-metre and 21-tackle tallies. 6
5 ED KOSI: Negated a solid start with a terrible first-tackle error on the Tigers’ line, but made up for it with good hands and a strong finish to bag the Warriors’ second. Made a poor defensive decision as his opposite Staines scored in the second half but was otherwise relatively sound and put in for 123 metres on 14 runs. 6
6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA: Firstly, great to see CHT bang over three straight goals after missing the first couple from the sideline. Big hand in the first two tries and did the bulk of the general play kicking for the second week in a row, with reasonable results. 6.5
7 TE MAIRE MARTIN: A nice touch in Kosi’s try and laid on one for Leiataua, both on the left, but the attack on the right side of the field was a mess, as were the last-tackle options and execution down the Tigers’ end after the first five minutes. Took the line on well (13 tackles for 81 metres) and defended his nuts off (27 tackles), but the buck has to stop with the No.7 for steering the team around smoothly. And as a buddy of mine put it so eloquently in a group chat during the game, ‘No surprises that TMM isn’t the second coming of Joey like a few dumb cunts were making out’. 5.5
8 ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE: Very much the million-dollar prop he’s billed as tonight, terrorising the Tigers through the middle from the outset. His 225 metres from 20 carries and six tackle-breaks were every bit as menacing as those statlines sound, while he powered over for the decisive try with 11 minutes left – his eighth of the season. Fonz will love it that the score was 28-0 to the Warriors with AFB on the park and 10-0 to the Tigers during the 17 minutes he was off. A fumble in the set following his try was the only black mark. 8.5
If Addin played for the tigers would they have beaten us tonight?
— Fonzie
(@fonzieswarriors) July 26, 2024
9 WAYDE EGAN: A serviceable if not particularly notable performance from the silky rake. Had a line-break assist and made 29 tackles before leaving the field following a head clash with 23 minutes to go. 6
10 MITCH BARNETT: The skipper steadied the ship like Kane Williamson’s aggro cousin from the wrong side of the tracks, particularly during his second stint when the match was in the balance. Lives for a tough carry and a big defensive effort, and duly churned through 16 runs for 138 metres and a team-high 36 tackles without a miss. 8
11 MARATA NIUKORE: Solid enough again with 91 metres on nine carries (several of them line-bending) and 27 tackles (several of them bone-rattling), without having quite the sort of impact on the right edge he might have with SJ back in the team. Conceded a pair of set restarts. 6.5
12 KURT CAPEWELL: Superb try to get the Warriors off the mark and made another long line-break in the second half (which he foiled with an ill-conceived offload), accounting for a high proportion of his 97 metres and six tackle-breaks. Also made 25 tackles but gave away two penalties. 6.5
13 DYLAN WALKER: Another big shift at lock for D-Walks and was rarely out of the action in 72 minutes, toiling for 157 metres on 21 runs and 35 tackles, while his 25 passes included a hand in Capewell’s opener and the dummy-half pass to send AFB over for a crucial try. Hell of a replacement for Tohu. 8
14 FREDDY LUSSICK: Helped the Warriors get home by entering the fray when the match was tenuously poised at 14-10, doing his job at dummy-half and making 16 tackles in 23 minutes. 5
15 JACKSON FORD: Industrious 40-minute contribution from Ford with nine runs for 74 metres and an impressive 32 tackles, while got through his stint without an error or penalty. 6.5
16 JAZZ TEVAGA: Only 18 minutes off the pine this week but was typically thirsty for work, making four runs for 38 metres and 16 tackles. Also conceded a ruck infringement before making way for Fonua-Blake’s return. 5.5
17 LEKA HALASIMA: Just the nine minutes on the paddock for the rookie sensation and didn’t get his hands on the ball at all, but did come up with one big defensive play down the Warriors’ end. 5
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