Offload - Issue 3, 2007

Humbling Loss Reveals Hidden Insights

The Warriors have an opportunity to bounce back against the Manly Sea Eagles this weekend after stumbling against one of the early form teams of 2007 in Melbourne last week. The Auckland-based franchise were simply outclassed by last year's Minor Premiers, and the result was essentially decided inside the first twenty minutes.

But Warriors fans can take heart from their team's turnaround. Coach Ivan Cleary recognised the need for a bit of extra power in the forwards, and brought Epalahame Lauaki onto the field, moved lock Simon Mannering to centre, Lance Hohaia to standoff, and Michael Witt was shifted to the bench. Even though Witt returned to the field at a later stage, the initial changes solidified the team and the defense against a very elusive Melbourne Storm backline.

If nothing else, this positional switch proved that Cleary isn't afraid to recognise when the initial game plan isn't working, and that he is prepared to make the big calls during the game. It also highlights his ability to read the game, to analyse where the team's strengths and weaknesses are, and to decide what needs to be done to bolster the side where it is needed.

Too many coaches would have stood back and thrown their hands up in frustration after conceding almost a point a minute early on, but once Cleary had changed his tactics, the points scored thereafter totalled a narrow 16-10 lead in favour of the Storm.

An interesting aspect of the match against the Storm was the statistics. They usually tell a fairly conclusive story, but in that match, the Warriors were either on par or had the upper hand in almost every department, including metres gained and penalties conceded. Errors were made by both sides, but those committed by Warriors players proved to be at more crucial times, and ultimately proved to be more costly. Cleary will be aware of this, and will have drilled the appropriate concentration and tactics into his side.

The Manly Sea Eagles will witness firsthand just how much of a turnaround the Warriors have been able to make on the training ground during the week.