NZME rugby league writer Dale Budge breaks down last night's Warriors win.
The Blake Green/Shaun Johnson combination is the goods
Blake Green did everything the Warriors would have hoped when they signed him to a three-year deal over the off-season. He controlled the game without over-playing his hand and took
all the pressure off Shaun Johnson, allowing the Kiwis playmaker to run the ball more and pick and choose his moments. It paid instant results with Johnson having a cracking game while Green was faultless himself. They got some help with some front foot ball so we probably need to wait and see how the combination goes when they don't get such quality possession but the early signs are very promising.
The unheralded forward pack got the go-forward they've lacked the past few seasons
We all had our concerns about the lack of a powerful ball-running prop acquisition heading into the 2018 season. It didn't matter against a very big and highly regarded forward pack in the South Sydney Rabbitohs though. The Warriors forwards did a sterling job on Saturday night. Teenage back-rower Isaiah Papali'i was superb while Ligi Sao, Sam Lisone and Leivaha Pulu all played their role strongly. James Gavet remains their best go-forward merchant and he did not disappoint in his first stint. This all allowed hooker Issac Luke to have his best game in a Warriors jersey. Luke looks particularly fit this season too – as do most of the Warriors players.
