Richard Agar: Warriors Assistant Coach on their victory over the Dragons

The Warriors have regained their place in the NRL's top four with a thrilling 14-10 comeback victory over a brave Dragons outfit in Auckland. 

The Warriors recovered from a 10-point deficit to snap a three-game losing streak after the visitors lost three forwards before halftime due to concussion. 

Assistant Coach Richard Agar joined Piney for a chat about how pleasing it is to snap their losing streak.  

“I thought we came off the ropes, y’know, pretty well in what were a tight and very tough game.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Ed b into the NRL's Top four after victory over
the Dragons at Mount Smart last night.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
The Warriors each are closer. Boy, those are timeing. They
got on to Harris Tavita shop for Neo turi vetus
away from the line of the Warriors. Here's the last
they hit the shots of It chart the past.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, the second of Adam Pompey's two second half tries
helping the Warriors come back from ten kneel down after
twenty three minutes to win fourteen ten and snap a
three game losing streak. Assistant coach of the Warriors, Rich
Agar is whether, Rich congratulations on the win. How was
the range of emotions in the coaching box throughout the

(00:53):
eighty minutes last night?

Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah? Do some frustrations at times? I think I think
some of our frustrations obviously were self inflicted. You know,
our effort were really really good on might again, but
you know, our game was certainly punctuated with some yeah,
pretty fundamentally easy errors and we spent big time, you know,

(01:17):
both in the first half and the second half at
sometimes the possession swings were sort of sixty forty and
seventy thirty, which you know, he has a fair adverse
effect on your energy levels. And you know, we just
robbed ourselves with a lot of opportunity to play down
their end. But I thought, I thought we did show
good energy, and I thought we showed a good energy

(01:39):
to move the ball at times, and we got out
of his own end pretty well. We just you know,
we were sort of playing on scraps in good ball.
But I thought we came off the ropes after those
sort of possession swings and yeah, some six agains and
some penalties in there. I thought we came off the ropes,
you know, pretty well in what we were tight and

(01:59):
very tough game, the sort of ball in place scores
that have come back today and the intensity scores were
probably the second highest we've had all seasons. So yeah,
it would it would have. It would have pretty tough
and taxing game.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
I want to talk about some of the things you've
mentioned there in terms of the self infliction etcyred of moment.
But after three straight losses, Rich, how important is just
getting a win rather than the manner in which you achieved.

Speaker 4 (02:26):
Yeah, good good question. Well, well, first of all, it's
very important and you know we would away. Last week
I watched I watched the Dragons play and played very
very well again Cronalla and the commentary on the TV,
and that was saying about the Dragons record again again
top eight teams, and I sort of thought, the question

(02:47):
at the moment is what's the top eight team? Because
there's teams that are in and out of the eight,
but there's teams like the Dragons playing exceptionally well. You know,
there's teams when you're going down to almost eleventh and
twelve position that you like, everybody's just capable of beating
anybody at the moment. And you know, we came up
again aside in good form, and I think on back
of three defeats, you know, one of them very close one.

(03:10):
It was just important for us to get the win
for sure, and obviously an opportunity because of the previous
night's results to put ourselves in the top four. So
you know, it's in our hands. It's been it's been
a long season and we've had a lot of a
lot of things to contend with along the way, but
you know, we're in there. We're still fighting and you know,

(03:31):
I know we're a team that we will fight to
the death.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
There are a couple of instances late in the game where
the Dragons made line breaks, desperate scrambling by Warriors defenders.
How proud were you of your players and moments like
that and managing to hold them out, especially given the
fact that you know, a week ago against you know,
or against the Dolphins previously, you know that that scored late.
How proud were you of your team last night in
those in those closing minutes.

Speaker 4 (03:55):
Yeah, I mean, I've got to say, the play that
they put on from their own end, what a good play,
you know, a really well executed, tough play to defend.
But yeah, we had a lot of white shirts back
ready to scramble us online and thought, I thought we
got that through the evening. You know, we conceded a
couple of tries on our right again, and that's an
area that undoubtedly we've We've just got to keep working harder.

(04:18):
You know. I know a lot of I guess criticism
has come down's way, but I don't think that quite
tells the full story, do you know what I mean?
I think it's very much a collective and we've still
got to come up with some better answers than what
we did last night. But I thought generally our scramble,
I think people will point to the hias, but I

(04:40):
think the possession scores, and certainly at second half when
it were creeping up to seventy thirty, So that takes
enormous amount of impact on your energy levels. And with
a ball in play and the intensity game being as
high as it is, I think those last moments to
get so many people back scrambling like they did, you know,
it shows a real good spirit and desire from our guys.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Indeed, so when you when you do a tech the
a week, you hit and you look back at your
review of this as you've seen on this chair and
Andrew Wibster said last night, you know you're making it
hard for yourselves on occasions. What are the work ons, rich,
What will you focus your attention on a hit of
the tit ends next week?

Speaker 4 (05:21):
Oh look, I think I think we've got to double
down on what we're doing well as much as what
we've got to improve. I thought we showed a good
propensity to you know, take ques and play some short sides,
play some off flow move the ball from our own end.
I thought we gained a lot of energy from that,
and we weren't afraid to. You know, we certainly didn't

(05:41):
play in in a pragmatic style. I think importantly we've
we've still got to keep improving our strike, but we
want to get more opportunities down there and back by
staying down there and and some of those errors, unfortunately
we're just fundamental errors. People dropping the ball and dropping
the ball in contact. The one thing I will say,
we're out on the field for warm up and there

(06:03):
way an absence of any wind last night, so what
we found the balls actually were incredibly greasy and sulpy
last night. It were a difficult, real difficult night for that.
But without a doubt those areas which we just got
a wide matter of a game. And I think sometimes

(06:23):
if you look last night, some of those instances that
are purely and simply an individual thing. You know, we'll
work out on our skill and make sure that we're
delivering the ball as well as we can, but sometimes
it's just it's just a little concentration or someone that's
not got the the right goods in contact. But it
certainly hurt us last night. You know, we conceded a

(06:46):
lot of position and positioning. You know that we don't,
you know, we don't, we don't. They're right at that
point to to have a crack at the tie line.
And yeah, we had a couple of guys that probably
probably had one or two areas more than we would
have liked last night.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
Are you expecting any any playspake next week? Presumably? Could
cayple to Molly Martin that the concussion I should be Okay,
rock o'bierry, you see your chance?

Speaker 4 (07:09):
Yeah, I think so. It's still early dogs, but I
think the three guys there that you mentioned, yeah, they'll
all be They'll all be contention. I think Rocco will
certainly after pass some physical tests and tick some boxes
during the week as well. The guys that I had
the head knocks. But to be fair to my to

(07:31):
Mary felt all right last Saturday. You know literally you
got in the changing rooms after the game, you were like, now, fine,
and he will find within you know, within seconds of
it happening. But you know, the protocols are there for
a reason for his own protection. But you know, both
those guys that you know will be backing for training
and good to go for selection next week and fingers

(07:51):
crossed we can you know, we can get Rocco to
the start line as well.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
Good stuff. And just to finish, just back to the
point you made before a bet, what actually is a
top eight side? Because you look at the games that
have been you know, played this weekend the line. I mean,
I'm not sure if you saw the Rooster's Bulldogs game
last night, Rich, but the Roosters did a job on
the Bulldogs. It's really really hard from game to game
to pick what's going to happen, isn't it.

Speaker 4 (08:13):
Well that's my point and there's probably not many sporting
competitions in the world so much parroting it as what
bes in the NRL. So if you're in our positions
as coach, you're support the sport. It's you know, it
makes for you know, an amazing contest. And the finals

(08:34):
have almost been gone, I guess in terms of the
race for the for the top four, and you know,
I think people for a while saying the top four
are done. The top four is far from done. And
if you look at the fixtures over the last storry
over the next three week there could be some real
twists and turns still to go in this competition, yet
not only for top four but top eight as well.

(08:56):
So as we say for the for the competition, it's
it's wonderful for our stress levels, yeah, it's not as wonderful.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, I hope you can relax at least for the
rest of the weekend before you start planning the week ahead. Rich.
Thanks for your time, has always made and well done
on the result last night.

Speaker 4 (09:13):
Oh, I appreciate it, Jason, Thank you mate.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
No, thank you, rich, Rich, I got They're assistant coach
of the Warriors. Look fairly pragmatic, wasn't he. We're not perfect,
we were nowhere close to it, but you get the win.

Speaker 1 (09:25):
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