Warriors Ratings In Melbourne Mauling

1 - Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 3/10

Went off in the 44th minute with an HIA, but struggled to get himself into the game prior to that. Eight runs for 61 metres is underwhelming given how much time we spent carrying out of our own half. On top of that, he made two errors and gave away a set restart, honestly I’m not sure if any of these resulted in a Storm try, but given how they played in the first half it is likely that they did. Will be interesting to see what Webby does without him due to concussion next week, in my opinion if his replacement plays well his spot could be in jeopardy.

2 - Taine Tuaupiki 2/10

His worst game so far in first grade. In his defence, what was he actually supposed to do matched up against Xavier Coates who is almost half a foot taller than him? It was obvious before the game even started that this would be an issue, maybe his defensive performance against Dom Young and the Roosters gave Webby hope, but unlike Dom Young Xavier Coates is more than just tall and athletic, and he showed that on Sunday. Despite this mismatch the effort after the first few Melbourne tries was noticably less than usual. A couple attempted intercepts was frustrating and I thought it was a bit lazy. Made two errors and missed four tackles while only making nine. Looked more threatening when moved to fullback and hopefully he gets a go there next week against the Broncos.

3 - Rocco Berry 4/10

Started the game well and I thought he was good until he was moved out to the wing due to Charnze’s HIA. Got himself a try by keeping himself alive in the play, had 90 metres from 12 carries and had 2 offloads. Despite this, had two errors and gave away a penalty. A 4/10 is harsh. I actually thought he had a good return game and is a really good defender, but when I saw the stats I simply could not put him any higher than that. Hopefully he can stay healthy and string together some performances to remind people how good he is and how important he is to the Warriors success going forward.

4 - Ali Leiataua 6/10

119 metres from only 11 carries, one line break, 11 tackles, including absolutely whacking Jahrome Hughes, with 2 misses. Had an error as well. His threat in the carry draws significant attention which teams are starting to address by throwing multiple defenders at him, something that slowed him down against the Tigers, but not so much this week. Simply didn’t see enough ball but was a consistent threat when he did get the ball. Have to find a way to get him more involved, particularly when a game breaker is needed like it was on Sunday. Was involved in the capitulation of our right edge in the first half.

5 -Adam Pompey 5/10

Had the most metres of the backs with 126 including 41 post contact. Made 10 tackles with only a single miss. Didn’t see much traffic defensively as the Storm sent most of their attack down the left edge targetting the mismatch of Tuaupiki and Coates. Not convinced he is a winger, couldn’t finish a try scoring opportunity because he didn’t have the pace, but despite lacking pace he also isn’t really a power player. Overall he didn’t play bad, it was probably just an average game for him.

6 - Chanel Harris-Tavita 3/10

Thought he had his worst game of the season so far. Disappeared into his shell after the Storm’s fast start, only had five carries for 37 metres which really isn’t acceptable for a five-eighth. Had two try assists but they meant little to nothing in the overall scheme of things. Was lacklustre defensively which is usually such a strength of his, missing seven tackles while making 17. Was actually the dominant half with more passes and kicks than Metcalf, but you wouldn’t have known it watching the game. Starting to think his best spot might be at 14 with Te Maire Martin at six.

7 - Luke Metcalf - 6/10

Despite only getting a 6/10 I actually thought he was good. Was elusive from the opening set with the ball in hand and kept testing the Storm’s defensive line with his running game. Made 104 metres off of 12 carries, had a line break, a try and forced a drop out. Two errors and 1/3 from the tee hold him back from a higher rating, but I feel confident going forward with him at halfback. His kicking game was near perfect, showing he probably doesn’t need a dominant kicker alongside him in the halves anymore, would’ve loved to see him kick even more as his kicks were much more attacking and threatening than Chanel’s. He is looking much more comfortable there after the first few rounds of the season and is no longer forcing himself to play as an “organising half” and is instead playing his natural game. I think a pairing of him and Te Maire Martin could be really dangerous.

8 - James Fisher-Harris N/A

Only played 11 minutes, missed him dearly for the rest of the game. Hopefully he isn’t out for an extended period.

9 - Wayde Egan 7/10

The Storm’s work around the ruck both when attacking and defending is by far the best in the comp, and this really hurt Egan’s game. He was unable to be his creative self around the ruck and markers area and as a result only had seven runs for 58 metres. Also think how much defending we had to do probably had him relatively tired and meant he was less active going forward which is totally understandable given he’s played 80 minutes in all five games this season. Made a whopping 46 tackles with six misses, also forced a drop out with a nice grubber that I personally didn’t know he had in his bag of tricks.

10 - Mitch Barnett - 8/10

Back in the form that saw him playing Origin last year. Had to step up when Fish went off early and did just that alongside playing heavier minutes. 144 metres from 15 carries and made 34 tackles with only a single miss. Definitely rose to the occasion and fronted up in the battle of the middles, unfortunately the game was lost on both of the edges but was still an inspirational performance by the skipper in a tough loss.

11 - Kurt Capewell - 5/10

Made a massive 41 tackles unfortunately missed nine though, had an error as well. It is no lie that the incumbent Queensland second rower has not been playing at the level expected of him through the first six rounds of the 2025 season, and with guys like Leka Halasima and Jacob Laban coming through on the edge it is tempting to drop him, but I’d personally stick with Capewell. It is apparent that his leadership is important for the group and we don’t really have another 80 minute endurance back rower in the squad except for maybe Jackson Ford. He certainly needs to pick up his form though leading into the Origin period.

12 - Marata Niukore - 3/10

Really had very little impact on the game. 74 metres from nine carries isn’t good enough for a guy who’s in the 17 for his rampaging carries. I find the circumstances around Marata incredibly frustrating. At his best there is very few forwards in the NRL like him and he has the potential to fill an Addin Fonua-Blake sized gap in our attack, but we don’t use him? Why??? Part of what Marata does doesn’t reflect in stats and even to the casual viewer, as he does wear down the opposition pack which allows guys like Leka and Demitric to come on and wreak havoc like they do, but I just think Marata is starting to be a passenger on the edge regardless of this. I’d love to see him moved into the middle whether it is off the interchange or starting at prop, I think as we get to the later stages of his career that is where he is best suited and also where he has played his best footy. Playing directly off of Egan and Clark could be what is needed to reignite his form.

13 - Erin Clark 9/10

Unfortunate circumstances to celebrate your 100th NRL game in. But he is a freak of nature and is quickly putting his name into the conversation of best off season signings. 16 carries for 144 metres, two offloads, 31 tackles and a handy fifth tackle kick in our red zone. Is a gritty and resilient player, he came out with a vengeance for his second stint when the game was already well lost, the type of attitude and leader the Warriors have lacked many times in the past. Made an error and gave away a six again but overall was one of the few bright lights in a tough afternoon.

14 - Bunty Afoa 7/10

Had 11 carries for 107 metres, including a trademark back fence carry. 23 tackles with three misses. Overall don’t have a lot to say about his performance, he did his job and did it ok.

15 - Jackson Ford 6/10

Team high 16 carries for 142 metres with a team high 60 post contact metres. Also made 31 tackles with three misses. Definitely provided a good punch off the interchange again, but committed a stupid professional foul in the lead up to Shawn Blore’s try that resulted in Ford being sent to bin. In the ten minutes he spent in the bin the Storm scored three quick tries that absolutely took the game away from us, so it was a costly mistake.

16 - Demitric Vaimauga 7/10

Thought he had his best game so far in his first grade career. 11 carries for 77 metres, an offload and 29 tackles with only a single miss. Had an awesome try save with a one on one strip on the try line. Made two errors and gave away a penalty but overall was much more impactful being given genuine minutes. Hopefully will be given another stint of around 40 minutes with Te Maire named on the bench instead of a fourth forward.

17 - Leka Halasima 7/10

Another good game for Leka. Only had six carries, which is disappointing, as stated earlier I wish our edges could be more involved. Scored a try by beating about four defenders, his explosiveness in the carry and just in general around the park is incredible, will be interesting to see how he goes starting this week against defenders who aren’t already tired from 50 minutes of footy. Certainly his opportunity to cement a starting spot with Capewell in the centres.