As the injury-hit Warriors attempt to snap a six-match losing streak on Saturday against South Sydney, if there’s one thing that can boost belief it’s the form of their new-look front-row.
In just two games since Matt Lodge made the move from Brisbane, he and fellow enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake have already showed the makings of a formidable partnership and one coach Nathan Brown can build the squad around.
As the injury-hit Warriors attempt to snap a six-match losing streak on Saturday against South Sydney, if there’s one thing that can boost belief it’s the form of their new-look front-row.
In just two games since Matt Lodge made the move from Brisbane, he and fellow enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake have already showed the makings of a formidable partnership and one coach Nathan Brown can build the squad around.
The addition of Lodge has given opposition defences another imposing body to worry about and Fonua-Blake says they have quickly started to feed off each other.
“Obviously Lodge is a really good player. He was one of the Broncos’ best and coming here he brings a lot of experience,” the Tongan international said. “He’s very tough, does all the little things well so it’s very easy to work off the back of Matt.
“He gets the sets started well and he’s very loud and very physical in [defence]. I’m really loving having him here at the moment and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and Matty here.”
It wasn’t just the metres the two bookends churned through that stood out against the Panthers.
Lodge finished with eight offloads and whether it was passing in the tackle or before the defensive line, both he and Fonua-Blake created opportunities to attack through their skill.
It doesn’t stop with the starting props. Brown wants all his forwards to be comfortable promoting the football and believes it’s a style they need to master if they want to become a contender.
