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Important update on 1476AM'Easy fixes': Warriors' fade against Titans no cause for alarm
Sport Nation •  April 20th, 2026 9:44 am
Jacob Laban | Photo: Photosport
The Warriors shouldn't be sweating their second-half efforts against the Gold Coast Titans, says Sport Nation commentator Blake Ayshford.
The hosts were electric in the opening stanza against the Titans on Saturday, unleashing their outsides with a series of slick setpieces to run out to an imposing 22-0 halftime lead.
But the second 40 was a much different story, as the visitors stuck to their guns to run in 16 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes, leaving the final score at 28-20 and plenty of Warriors' fans feeling slightly confused with their post-game emotions.
According to former Warriors centre Ayshford, any such concerns should be tempered by the impact of a significant breeze at ground level, and the fashion with which the team conceded those tryline breaches.
"That wind was a 20-point wind," Ayshford told Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy on Monday. Â
Erin Clark following the Wahs' home win against the Titans | Warriors Live
"You look at the first half, the Warriors scored 20 points. The second half, the Titans scored 20. The Titans were starting almost every set on the 30 or 40 metre line. No matter how good the Warriors tried to get out of their own end, a kick on the last tackle would just go up and down, and I don't think it's too concerning for the Warriors.Â
"When I look at the tries, the impressive thing about the Warriors is the shape. There was no-one coming out of the line or not trusting their inside. I think it was just poor defence, as in poor one-on-one tackling. There was an offload there. Some of the tries are easy fixes.Â
"There were no Dallin coming in on a wing or a Lofi Khan-Pereira coming in off a wing, or someone turning their shoulders in.Â
"A lot of it is fixable, which is a positive for the Warriors."
Alofiana Khan-Pereira flies in for an early double! | Warriors Live
And in the wake of Mitchell Barnett's super comeback performance off the bench, as well as the imminent return of Adam Pompey and Luke Metcalf, the selection headache is set to become even more telling for Andrew Webster leading into next weekend's Anzac Day clash with the Dolphins in Wellington.
"The decision would be Chanel at No. 6 and then the other two will fight it out.Â
"I think that's what's going to happen with our props and the rest of the squad, because Demitric Vaimauga, he deserved the minutes he got on the weekend.Â
"Mitch Barnett is obviously a State of Origin international forward. You're going to have Adam Pompey back this week, but the edges have looked outstanding. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's looked great in the centres. Khan-Pereira looks great on the wing.Â
"It'll be a tough time for Webby over the coming weeks because you do talk about consistency in the lineup. Well, I think that's going to change again this week."
Listen to the full interview below:
