Credit / nrl.com-Sky Sports
The Warriors play the "top end of town" this afternoon, up against a Sydney Roosters side that has plans to up their tempo, starting today at the SCG.
At halftime in the game, the Warriors lead the Roosters 8-6, through a try to winger Edward Kosi.
However, despite a second-half try to Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak the Aotearoa side could not peg back the Roosters who ran out 22-14 winners.
After last week's golden-point victory over the Cowboys, coach Nathan Brown said the Warriors will see what they are made off this next fortnight.
"We play the top end of town in the next two weeks on the road. We've got the Roosters and Melbourne who have been the two best footie clubs, probably sporting clubs, in Australia for the past 20 years.
"So, that'll give us a real good look at actually how much growth we've had and how much more we need to get."
The Warriors and Roosters have both had three wins and two losses over the first five rounds, with the Sydneysiders sitting a place ahead of the Aotearoa team in 8th on the NRL ladder on points differential.
But Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who says he is "happy" with how his side is developing, plans to take things up a level now.
"We've decided to shift some combinations around a little bit there at the start of the year and we've developed some good ones in the first five rounds. So I'm happy with that but we need to go up a gear," Robinson told media Saturday.
The Roosters coach said lifting their level of performance is their target over the next couple of months and they are "looking forward to getting out there and doing it" against the Warriors on Sunday.
Just as the Warriors coach has said he is focusing on getting the basics right, such as the team's defence and critical decision-making at key moments, before giving the side licence to play more of the exciting trademark football his team is known for, Robinson says the Roosters also have their "secret" plan of how they want to progress and develop over these early rounds.
"Everyone has their method I think on how they approach a season and how they attack different parts of it, we're no different.
"There's certain signs you look for in your team at the start of the year and some of them, yeah, they're really good. They're not flashy. For us at the moment, they're not what will get people really excited but they're good building blocks for a new combo team."
"That's the secret of each team or the coaching staff about what we're looking at at different times," Robinson said.
The Sydney coach did not hold back on the tactics the Roosters need to employ to take the game to the Warriors.
"We need to attack them from the start, we really feel like we want to start fast. At home, we want to be able to go after a physical style of footie. They've got lots of guys that will ask questions," Robinson said.
"But we need to restrict their time and space and make them come out of their end a lot more. Just the patience to play a long game and attack any moment where we see opportunities."
Kick-off at the Sydney Cricket Ground is at 4pm today.
