From flary to controlled: Why the Warriors should get more credit

After a dominant victory against Sydney on Friday, Denan Kemp thinks that the New Zealand Warriors do not get the credit they deserve.

Against a star-studded Roosters side, which saw Daly Cherry-Evans make his club debut, the Warriors played spoiler and won 42-18.

And Kemp believes that the side that has twice finished in the top eight across the last three years should have more respect within the wider NRL for their consistency.

“I don’t think the Warriors get enough credit for how consistent they are,” he noted on SEN’s Saturday League Kick-Off.

“We still have this myth around the Warriors, ‘Oh, they’re these super athletes with all this talent, and they can play really well.’

“But they are one of the more consistent sides in the last couple of years.”

Chad Townsend was in agreement, pointing to the fact that the Warriors have had a consistently high completion rate since coach Andrew Webster took the reins in 2023.

“And they consistently complete above 80%,” Townsend added.

“That’s a margin or target that teams like to aim for. It doesn't guarantee you a win.

“But the Warriors managed 81% completion rate, 36 of 44 sets. They controlled 56% of possession. They just made eight errors.

“Under Andrew Webster, the Warriors have been a team that is patient.

“They have steered away from the old flary style that the Warriors used to play. Now, they play a much more controlled style of football."

The 2016 Premiership player also gave some praise to the performance of Tanah Boyd, who managed to equal the Roosters' score by himself.

“I’ve got to give credit (to) Tanah Boyd,” the former halfback said.

“Tanah Boyd was outstanding, obviously in the absence of Luke Metcalf. We know he’s due back from that ACL injury in Round 6 or 7.

“One try, 6/7 (conversions) with the boot. One line break, two line break assists, and two try assists.

“I thought that was his best game for the Warriors. He really stood out.”

The Warriors will remain in New Zealand for another week as they host the Canberra Raiders at Go Media Stadium.

That match is scheduled for next Friday with kick-off at 6pm AEDT. SEN League’s coverage will begin from 5pm with the Bunnings Build-Up. That can be heard across SEN’s radio network alongside the SEN app.