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Home / Sport / League / Warriors

<i>Richie Barnett</i>: Warriors strong in key positions

NZ Herald
31 Mar, 2010 03:00 PM4 mins to read

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James Maloney has been a revelation and his teammates know exactly what they are going to get. Photo / Getty Images

James Maloney has been a revelation and his teammates know exactly what they are going to get. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion
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Cleary's men have the commitment to back up from Suncorp with a win against Manly on Sunday

Last week's victory over the Broncos was a truly outstanding performance by the Warriors.

It may have been an equal record score but the way they went about it was the most impressive thing.

The Broncos were at home, coming off a loss and there was 30C heat. The Broncs
would have been really aiming up for that game. So for the Warriors to destroy them the way they did was absolutely exceptional.

I thought they would try to use Canberra's performance the week before as a blueprint, but the way they started, throwing passes in traffic and coughing up the ball, I thought "what are they doing?"

But they kept pushing the pass and that turned out to be the way to beat the Broncos, pushing passes and going wide.

A lot of the talk this week has been about whether the Warriors can keep it up or whether people are reading too much into the one performance.

But what I have seen is a team that have brought their attitude and preparation from the pre-season into the season proper.

They look like they have prepared very well physically and mentally they are all on the same page. They look like a really committed side.

I picked them to make the top eight and I've seen nothing so far to make me change my mind. Before the season started, I said the Warriors would go well if individuals performed to the best of their ability. So far that is happening.

It's hard to think of a time when the club was so well served in the key halfback, hooker and fullback positions. But this year you've got James Maloney, Aaron Heremaia and Lance Hohaia all performing at a very high level.

You always talk about those key positions and that is an area where the Warriors have really excelled.

Losing Manu Vatuvei and Simon Mannering is a big blow. Manu is so important to the side, not just for the tries he scores but the work he does bringing the ball off his own line. He makes 10-15m every carry.

But right across the paddock everyone seems to have improved and made an impact. The yardage of young props Sam Rapira and Russell Packer is way up on last year.

They are now running for over 100m a game. The same with Tatey, Jerome and Lance. Their yardage is way up.

It was noticeable on Sunday that Tate thought he had Alex Glenn's number.

He beat him with a right-foot step to make a break early on and after that he kept demanding the ball and he was getting pissed off when they didn't come back to him. That's great to see. It's that type of competitiveness that was badly missed last year.

It was a tough game, but I still think the Warriors can back it up with a win against Manly on Sunday. They now look like a side with genuine resolve. I sense this year that even if they play poorly they will stay in matches and still be in with a chance of winning.

Maloney has been a revelation. This year the kicking game is averaging 36m a game more than last year and a lot of that is down to Maloney. He looks like a real competitor.

To me he plays a lot like Cooper Cronk, which is no surprise given his time in Melbourne. He plays a consistent style of football that allows others to play off him. His teammates know exactly what they are going to get.

The Warriors may have injury problems but they have made a great start and they still have the massive plus of Steve Price to come back.

So far, so good.

WHAT: Warriors vs Manly Sea Eagles
WHERE: Mt Smart Stadium
WHEN: Sunday 4pm
TV: Sky Sport (live), Prime (delayed)

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