Warriors Kruse by Arrows
The Toronto Arrows traded blows with the Utah Warriors for the first hour of their match on Saturday. The Arrows led 12-8 at halftime and a Ross Braude try (followed by a Sam Malcom conversion) gave them a 19-18 lead after the 63rd minute. Then the Warriors’ attack exploded for 5 tries in the final 17 minutes of the match to hand the Arrows a 47-19 defeat. The Warriors were led by a Joe Mano hat trick, with Paul Lasike, Mika Kruse, Onehunga Havili, and Caleb Makene each adding a try. Meanwhile, despite the loss, the Arrows had their biggest try output of the year with Lolani Faleiva, Gene Syminton, and Ross Braude all dotting down.
The biggest story coming out of this game was certainly the Arrows continued injury situation. Heading into the game, the Arrows already had an extensive injury list featuring 10 total players, most of which are regular starters. Brenden Black and Hank Stevenson were called up to the squad from the High Performance Academy. Black was immediately placed in the starting XV, becoming the youngest MLR player in history. Stevenson made his MLR debut off the bench.
The injury woes for the Arrows continued even before the match started with Adrian Wadden, Will Grant, and Jack McRogers all becoming unavailable. Owain Ruttan moved from the bench to blindside flanker for his first MLR start, while Mason Flesch shifted from blindside flanker to replace Wadden at lock. Ultimately, this left the Arrows shorthanded with only 5 players (Gene Syminton, Conan O’Donnell, Isaac Salmon, Hank Stevenson, and Cole Brown) on the bench.
Unfortunately, things kept getting worse. Ramon Ayarza was forced to leave the game in 17th minute and Flesch left the pitch in the 29th minute. Syminton and Stevenson entered the game leaving the Arrows with just 3 available subs for the final 50 minutes of the match.
Despite the injury struggles, the Arrows battled hard throughout the match. However, the injuries continue to be the story when you think about when the Arrows lost this game. Not necessarily how or why, but when. As mentioned above, the Arrows had a one-point lead after 63 minutes. Up until this point the match was pretty even. Both teams went blow for blow, constantly finding a response when the other would put points on the board. They also traded shots in the set piece with scrum penalties and lineout steals going to each side. Braude and Malcolm did manage to give the Arrows an edge in territory and possession though.
In the last 16 minutes of the match, the Warriors completely took over the game. Many of their reserves had a big impact in the final stages of the game. Lasike got the ball rolling with a huge try in the 64th minute. Lasike followed up a big run from Lance Williams after he steamrolled Malcolm. Lasike then ran over Black to score in the corner. Lasike replaced Logan Tago, but it was Kruse who went to the wing. As a result of this strategic decision, Kruse scored the try of week as he reeled in a one-handed catch on Joel Hodgson’s 2nd crossfield kick in 3 minutes. The first was Mano’s hat trick try. Kruse then set up Havili for the 2nd try from the reserves, before Makene eventually ended the game. Olive Kilifi and Bailey Wilson both had massive runs in the build up to some of the tries. Connor McLeod did well to get quick ball and keep the Arrows on their back foot as well. Ultimately, the Warriors bench made a huge impact in the final moments of the game, when the Arrows did not have many options after being forced to use what few subs they had early on.
As the season has gone on, one of the more exciting Arrows to watch has become Lolani Faleiva. He got the ball rolling for the Arrows as he picked up the first try scored by an Arrows’ forward in 2023. It was a great try too. The Arrows had a scrum right on the 22. The scrum created a good platform to attack and Braude passed to Kobe Faust on the wing. Ayarza and Mike Sheppard would both get carries before Faleiva got the ball and ran through Jeremiah Noaese’s tackle then dragged three more Warriors with him as he grounded the ball on the line. The stampeding runs have become a trademark of Faleiva’s game and they frequently bring Arrows fans out of their seats. His running style really reminds me of the Juggernaut. Once Faleiva or the Juggernaut gets moving, you are probably better off just getting out of the way. This lesson applies to X-Men and MLR defenders alike.
The forwards also managed to push over a rolling maul following a lineout as Syminton picked up his first try for the Arrows. The pack was also crucial in some great attacking phase play that ultimately, drew the penalty that Braude quick tapped for the Arrows’ third try of the match. The Arrows’ forwards finally managed to get on the board in this game and the club as a whole doubled their try output on the year. However, there were still a handful of opportunities and trips inside the 22 that went unrewarded. Execution within the 22 will still need to remain an area of focus for this club as they continue to build throughout the campaign.
A few other performances that deserve a shoutout. Fabian Goodall stepped up and played a major role in a back line that featured three of the Arrows’ younger players and a forward. Goodall did well to support Mitch Eadie in the middle of the pitch and also frequently linked up with Malcolm. As a result, he had the most carries and metres in the match for the Arrows. Owain Ruttan looked right at home as an MLR starter. He (along with Avery Oitiomen) led the Arrows in tackles and was a constant presence at the breakdown. He made strong tackles too and was able to force a knock on for a nice turnover. The injury situation is obviously a nightmare for the Arrows. However, it is great to see that players like Ruttan, Black, and Stevenson are capable of playing quality minutes in the league. The Arrows are off to a rocky start in 2023, but Ruttan’s performance is certainly a positive sign for the future.
The Arrows will look to get back in the win column next Saturday against the winless Dallas Jackals. Hopefully, the Arrows are able to get a few healthy bodies back.