Wayde Egan acknowledges the fans after the loss to Canberra in Las Vegas. Photo / Photosport
Wayde Egan acknowledges the fans after the loss to Canberra in Las Vegas. Photo / Photosport
By Michael Burgess in Las Vegas
This wasn’t how Las Vegas was meant to unfold, not from a Warriors perspective.
Around an hour after the final whistle on Sunday, coach Andrew Webster and captain Mitch Barnett were walking through the bowels of Allegiant stadium, heads bowedas they tried to digest what had just happened.
The Warriors struggled to get anything going, as the Raiders dominated the ruck, tormented with their offloads and found space on the edges. It felt like the Warriors were in catch-up mode from the start and never really settled, struggling with both the occasion and the pace and power of the Raiders.
It was a massive anti-climax. The contest was all but over just after halftime – when Canberra scored their fourth try to extend their lead to 22-4 – and the result was sealed with 25 minutes to play, when Matt Timoko finished off a long-range break.
“Plenty went wrong – it is hard to take,” said Webster. “The occasion, being away, round one, there’s lots of emotion that goes into the games like that. Obviously you’ve got a lot of travelling fans, so there’s lots to play for and we got beaten to everything.”
It was, obviously, a novel situation. The Warriors have never faced a round-one scenario like this in their history and probably never will again. But Webster was content with the preparation and refusing to make any excuses.
“I came here tonight very confident and the schedule – downplaying the fact the Raiders arrived in Las Vegas two days earlier – that had nothing to down with it. We feel like we have been here for ages,” said Webster.
But there was no doubt the Warriors struggled to adjust and weren’t really themselves, while the Raiders were an efficient, effective machine.
Jackson Ford and the Warriors were repelled by the Raiders. Photo / Photosport
“We’ve got to look at everything the way we normally would and then we can move on to our next task,” said Webster. “We can’t just sweep it under and say, ‘Okay boys, that was Vegas, now the real comp starts’, because that was two points on Sunday.”
Despite the bitter result, Webster believes the experience has been valuable for both the club and the sport.
“We got to be part of a great occasion for our club and for the NRL and we didn’t get it right,” said Webster. “We get an opportunity in big build-ups like this. We can handle them better because of the experience. There’ll be plenty to look back on that’s positive, but at the moment there’s that sour taste in your mouth, to come all this way to get beaten.”
Assessing the match, Webster said the team had lacked defensive intent and were too often focused on the next play, instead of wrapping up the current one. The attack was too lateral, too early while he also rued the micro-moments that were turning points, like Canberra’s intercept try late in the first half – with the Warriors hot on attack – or the controversial early penalty against Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, which initially went the other way.
But he conceded the Warriors were “100% outclassed”.
He was reluctant to pass early judgment on halves Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris – given their lack of a platform on Sunday – but it was obvious that the spine struggled to click.
It will be a long journey home with lots to ponder. However, Webster said the army of fans that had followed the team to Vegas would be a lasting memory, especially their constant noise in the second half, despite the scoreline.
“To walk around this week and see all the jerseys – you see them everywhere,” said Webster. “We know we’re well supported and loved. I know they’ll be disappointed in the result but to hear them still cheering and supporting our boys is always special. I can’t wait to get home to Mount Smart and give them something to be happy about.”
Michael Burgess travelled to Las Vegas courtesy of Air New Zealand
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
