The Warriors’ record-breaking season was recognised with one of the club’s most impressive Dally M awards hauls in Sydney on Wednesday night.

James Fisher-Harris joined Steve Price (2007) and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (2020) as Warriors to have won Captain of the Year honours.

The only Warriors coach other the Daniel Anderson (2002) to be named Coach of the Year, Andrew Webster joined an illustrious group of two-time winners that includes Roy Masters, Bob Fulton, George Piggins, Tim Sheens, Wayne Bennett, Chris Anderson, Brian Smith, Craig Bellamy, Ivan Cleary and Ricky Stuart.

The Warriors had three players named in the Dally M Team of the Year.

Wayde Egan became the first Warrior to earn Hooker of the Year honours. JFH grabbed a prop berth in the Team of the Year, which Addin Fonua-Blake did in 2023-24, while Price was Prop of the Year in 2007 when it was a solo award.

Erin Clark joined champion players Ray Price, Wayne Pearce, Bradley Clyde, Jim Dymock, Paul Gallen, Jason Taumalolo and Isaah Yeo as back-to-back Lock of the Year winners.

Taine Tuaupiki’s effort in mowing down Jason Saab in Round 27 received the nod for Tackle of the Year.

Meanwhile, despite having his regular season abruptly cut short in Round 16, Jackson Ford’s mind-blowing start to the year was still enough for him to finish seventh overall in the Dally M Medal count with 39 votes. Stacey Jones (2001, 2002), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (2018, 2019, 2021) and Shaun Johnson (2023) are the only Warriors to finish higher on the final leaderboard.

The Warriors also received the NRLW’s Provan-Summons Medal (spirit of rugby league award) for leading a haka for retiring Broncos legend Ali Brigginshaw at her farewell home game.

It will come as no surprise to most Warriors fans that the club has made only a modest impression on Dally M awards night during the club’s first 31 seasons.

That has gradually changed over the past decade, with the Warriors producing their first Dally M Medal winner in 2018, arguably the most unlucky runner-up in the gong’s history in 2023, and a host of positional awards.

TWL charts the history of the Warriors’ occasional wins and many near misses at the Dally Ms.

DALLY M PLAYER OF THE YEAR

A rabble for much of their first six seasons, the Auckland Warriors never had any genuine contenders for the media-voted Dally M Medal from 1995-2000 – though Stacey Jones was a top-20 finisher in the last-ever Rothmans Medal, the game’s official Player of the Year prize (and voted on by the game’s referees) from 1967-96.

Jones was at the forefront of the rebranded, rejuvenated New Zealand Warriors’ charge in the early-2000s and made a big impression at the Dally Ms. With 26 votes, the talismanic halfback finished third behind Cronulla’s Preston Campbell and Newcastle’s Andrew Johns (who was ineligible due to being suspended twice) after steering the Warriors to their maiden finals series in 2001.

‘The Little General’ finished sixth with 19 votes in the 2002 as Johns claimed a record third Dally M Medal. Despite the Warriors’ 11th-place finish with just 10 wins in 2005, the Super League-bound Jones performed admirably to accrue 18 Dally M votes and land equal-seventh.

Brent Webb gave it a solid shake in 2006 with 18 votes and a ninth-place showing in the overall count. Steve Price polled the second-most votes ever by a Warrior, 20, in 2007 to finish equal-ninth and Wade McKinnon, Webb’s fullback replacement, was just three votes back in equal-14th – a tally impacted by suspensions.

Simon Mannering netted a career-high 15 votes for a top-20 finish in 2008. Kevin Locke (18 votes) finished equal-11th and Feleti Mateo (17) 14th as the club finished sixth in 2011. Ben Matulino finished an admirable equal-17th with 15 votes in the Warriors’ dreadful 2012 campaign.

Shaun Johnson traditionally struggled to poll well in the Dally Ms and made the only genuine run of his first Warriors stint in 2013, coming equal-16th with 15 votes. Manu Vatuvei bagged a career-best 12 votes to make the top-25 in 2014.

Johnson was the Warriors’ leading vote-getter in 2015-16 – with modest tallies of eight and 10 respectively – before Roger Tuivasa-Sheck provided some light in a bleak 2017 campaign by finishing equal-12th with 17 votes.

Skipper Tuivasa-Sheck created history as the Warriors’ first Dally M Medal winner in a spellbinding 2018 campaign, heading the leaderboard with 29 votes – two ahead of Newcastle’s fullback sensation Kalyn Ponga – as the club snapped a seven-year finals drought.

As Tuivasa-Sheck finished a touching acceptance speech, teammates Issac Luke (who finished equal-eighth in the count with an impressive 18 votes) and Jazz Tevaga, Canberra’s Jordan Rapana and Brisbane’s Jamayne Isaako performed an emotion-charged haka in one of 2018’s most spine-tingling scenes.

‘RTS’ was no less inspirational for a 2019 Warriors outfit that languished in 13th at the end of the year, finishing equal-fifth with 22 votes. In 2021, despite Nathan Brown’s team managing just eight wins, Tuivasa-Sheck came outright sixth with 21 votes.

Johnson, who landed equal-fifth in the shortened 2020 season while at Cronulla, returned to the Warriors in 2022 and produced a career-best campaign in 2023 – the first year after the Dally M Medal’s revamp, with two judges handing out 3-2-1 votes for each game instead of one.

The veteran halfback polled 55 votes in total but was controversially pipped at the post by one vote by Ponga. Addin Fonua-Blake landed eighth with 44 votes.

The retired Johnson’s No.7 replacement, Luke Metcalf, led 2025 Dally M Medal voting when it went secret before succumbing to a season-ending knee injury with nine games to play.

Metcalf still managed to finish eighth overall with 40 votes.

Similarly, Jackson Ford was second when voting went under wraps in 2026 before a pec injury ended his regular season in Round 16. He still landed seventh overall with 39 votes.

DALLY M COACH OF THE YEAR

After steering the Warriors to a historic minor premiership in 2002, Daniel Anderson became the club’s first Dally M Coach of the Year.

Ivan Cleary was shortlisted behind winner Craig Bellamy in 2007 in the wake of the Warriors’ only other top-four finish in their first 28 seasons. Stephen Kearney was nominated in 2018, but the prize went to rookie Souths mentor Anthony Seibold.

Andrew Webster joined Anderson as the only Warriors gaffers to claim Coach of the Year honours, collecting the statuette at the end of the club’s unforgettable 2023 campaign.

After a record-breaking 2026 campaign, Webster joined Roy Masters, Bob Fulton, George Piggins, Tim Sheens, Wayne Bennett, Chris Anderson, Brian Smith, Craig Bellamy, Ivan Cleary and Ricky Stuart as two-time winners of the Coach of the Year gong.

DALLY M CAPTAIN OF THE YEAR

Steve Price was a worthy Dally M Captain of the Year recipient for the third time in his career in 2007, having won it in 2002 and ’04 while at the Bulldogs.

Ironically, Price’s maiden win in ’02 prevented Stacey Jones from potentially claiming the prize.

Simon Mannering was unlucky to miss out in 2010-11, to Braith Anasta (Roosters) and Cameron Smith (Storm) respectively.

Tuivasa-Sheck was hard done by to be overlooked in 2018 with Smith grabbing the award for the fourth time. But never has a Captain of the Year been more deserving of recognition than 2020, when ‘RTS’ received the honour at the end of the Warriors’ arduous, COVID-impacted season.

Tohu Harris was shortlisted in 2023, the award going to Brisbane’s Adam Reynolds.

James Fisher-Harris became the Warriors’ third Captain of the Year after leading the club to second on the NRL ladder in 2026.

DALLY M ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

No Warriors winners in this category and only a couple of genuine contenders.

Jones was in the mix for the Dally M Rookie of the Year prize in 1995, with Sharks winger Mat Rogers eventually carrying it off.

Lance Hohaia was edged out by countryman Matt Utai in 2002; the pair made their Kiwi Test debuts together at the end of that season.

There have been few candidates since, though James Maloney could easily have ousted Matt Gillett in 2010, Tui Lolohea and Solomone Kata rated a mention when Jack Bird won it in 2015, and Isaiah Papali’i was one of 2018’s rookie standouts as Test teammate Jamayne Isaako was recognised.

Reece Walsh’s explosion onto the NRL scene in 2021 wasn’t enough to wrest Rookie of the Year honours from Roosters halfback Sam Walker.

Leka Halasima was nominated at the end of his mind-blowing 2025 campaign, but the award went to Roosters centre Robert Toia.

DALLY M FULLBACK OF THE YEAR

Webb finished just one vote behind Dally M Fullback of the Year winner Clinton Schifcofske in 2006.

McKinnon was a standout in 2007 but an incredible class of custodians – with Matt Bowen, Brett Stewart and Billy Slater all polling more points – meant he was never a realistic chance of the positional award.

Tuivasa-Sheck collected the Fullback of the Year prize along with the Dally M Medal in 2018, while he was edged by Player of the Year winners James Tedesco in 2019 and Tom Trbojevic in 2021.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad’s stellar 2023 season wasn’t enough to get shortlisted; Tedesco, Ponga and Dylan Edwards were nominated instead.

DALLY M WINGER OF THE YEAR

Sean Hoppe created history by receiving the club’s first Dally M nod with the Winger of the Year statue in the Warriors’ fledgling 1995 campaign.

Francis Meli was a leading candidate for the gong in 2003, when the awards were eventually scrapped due to a dispute between the NRL and the RLPA.

It remains one of the great Dally M travesties, however, that Manu Vatuvei never had his name inscribed on a Winger of the Year trophy.

‘The Beast’ was tipped out by Canberra’s Colin Best (!) in 2008, Akuila Uate in 2010 (more understandable) and Semi Radradra (who polled less than half as many Dally M Medal points as Vatuvei) in 2014, his three best seasons.

David Fusitu’a won the inaugural Ken Irvine Medal as top tryscorer in 2018 but was bumped for Winger of the Year honours by Blake Ferguson.

Ken Maumalo was the last Dally M Winger of the Year in 2019 before a full Team of the Year (with two wingers) was named from 2020.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak grabbed a wing spot in the 2023 Team of the Year, while Tuivasa-Sheck was just one vote behind Team of the Year inclusion Xavier Coates in 2025.

DALLY M CENTRE OF THE YEAR

Few names spring to mind as having genuinely contended for Centre of the Year honours, aside from perhaps Clinton Toopi during his 2002-03 pomp, when many considered him the best centre in the world.

Nigel Vagana was a worthy winner in ’02, however, after topping the NRL’s tryscoring charts, while the awards were scrapped in ’03.

Interestingly, a centre has never won the Dally M Medal.

DALLY M FIVE-EIGHTH OF THE YEAR

James Maloney polled bewilderingly poorly during his vintage 2010-11 seasons at the Warriors, but would have had little chance against 2010 Player of the Year Todd Carney and 2011 Dally M Medal runner-up Benji Marshall.

Blake Green (2018) and Chanel Harris-Tavita (2025) produced the only real Warriors No.6 campaigns of note since.

DALLY M HALFBACK OF THE YEAR

Unfortunately for Jones, the years he made a run at the Dally M Medal, they were won by No.7s who also snared the positional gong: Preston Campbell (2001), Andrew Johns (2002) and Johnathan Thurston (2005).

Ditto for Johnson during his 2013 run, with Cooper Cronk the Player of the Year.

Johnson’s contentious runner-up finish in the 2023 Dally M Medal count was soothed somewhat by becoming the Warriors’ first Halfback of the Year winner.

Luke Metcalf was on track for the prize in 2025 before being cut down by injury – he ended up just five votes behind winner Nathan Cleary.

DALLY M PROP OF THE YEAR

Steve Price became just the third Warrior to win a positional Dally M when he was name the 2007 Prop of the Year.

Matulino finished with the same amount of votes as winner Sam Kasiano in 2012.

Addin Fonua-Blake became the first Warrior to earn back-to-back awards when he was named at prop in the Team of the Year in 2023-24.

James Fisher-Harris grabbed a place in the 2026 Team of the Year after a stellar season up front for the Warriors.

DALLY M HOOKER OF THE YEAR

PJ Marsh must have pushed Danny Buderus hard for the Hooker of the Year honour in 2002, but it’s not a position the Warriors otherwise boasted a real shining star for the next decade and a half.

Issac Luke and Damien Cook both polled 18 votes (equal-eighth) in the 2018 Dally M Medal count, but the nod went to Rabbitohs No.9 Cook.

Wayde Egan’s vintage 2023 season was not enough to get over Harry Grant for Hooker of the Year honours – the Storm rake was seventh in the Dally M Medal count – but he finally became the Warriors’ first player to claim the award after another superb season in 2026.

DALLY M SECOND-ROWER OF THE YEAR

Ali Lauitiiti was just the second Warrior to win a Dally M positional award after Hoppe, named the Second-rower of the Year at the end of a stellar 2002 season. He was the only player other than Nathan Hindmarsh to collect the gong between 2000 and ’06.

Manly’s Glenn Stewart won it in 2008 despite polling three fewer votes than Simon Mannering, who in a very strong 2014 season finished with the same amount of Medal votes as the Second-rower of the Year winner, Newcastle’s Beau Scott.

A lengthy injury stint left Tohu Harris with too much ground to make up on 2018 winner Josh Jackson, but he earned a place in the second-row in the 2020 Team of the Year.

DALLY M LOCK OF THE YEAR

Another position not traditionally graced by the game’s best at the Warriors, but Kevin Campion could easily have shaded Parramatta’s Daniel Wagon (2001) and Northern Eagles’ Steve Menzies (2002) during his two-year Auckland stint.

Micheal Luck, who wore the No.13 more than any other Warrior, was probably too unspectacular to be considered for Lock of the Year honours. Similarly, Mannering was competing with Jason Taumalolo and Paul Gallen by the time he switched to lock.

But Tohu Harris was desperately unlucky to miss out to Brisbane’s Pat Carrigan in 2023, before his impromptu retirement replacement, Erin Clark, created history as the Warriors’ first Lock of the Year in 2025.

Clark then joined champion players Ray Price, Wayne Pearce, Bradley Clyde, Jim Dymock, Paul Gallen, Jason Taumalolo and Isaah Yeo as back-to-back Lock of the Year winners in 2026.

DALLY M INTERCHANGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Only awarded for the first time in 2017 and discontinued in 2020, Jazz Tevaga earned his place in Warriors Dally M history by being named Interchange Player of the Year in 2018.

KEN IRVINE MEDAL

David Fusitu’a was the inaugural recipient of the Ken Irvine Medal as the regular season’s top tryscorer.

PROVAN-SUMMONS MEDAL

Formerly a fan-voted category, the Provan-Summons Medal became a ‘Spirit of the Game’ award in 2019 and was awarded to the Warriors collectively – as opposed to an individual player – in 2020 after their stoic efforts in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

PETER FRILINGOS MEMORIAL HEADLINE MOMENT OF THE YEAR AWARD

This award is always a bit of a lottery, with events as disparate as four Burgess brothers playing together (2013) and the Blues winning Origin (2014) earning it.

But there have been few more popular winners of the award than Nathan Friend’s unforgettable upside-down, between-the-legs pass that led to a try in the Warriors’ win over the Storm in 2015.

DALLY M TACKLE OF THE YEAR

Taine Tuaupiki's memorable effort in mowing down Jason Saab in the final round of the 2026 regular season at Go Media Stadium received the nod for Tackle of the Year.

KEN STEPHEN MEDAL

The NRL’s esteemed community engagement award went to Ruben Wiki in 2007.

NRLW AWARDS

The Female Player of the Year was part of Dally M Medal night since 2014, with Warriors hooker Krystal Rota a nominee after the first NRLW season.

With votes handed out for games from 2020, as per the men’s Dally M Medal, Warriors centre Evania Pelite finished fourth that year.

Apii Nicholls was the highest-polling Warriors player in the club’s 2025 NRLW return, earning 13 votes to land outright 13th.

Winger Payton Takimoana created history by being named in the 2025 NRLW Team of the Year, while Ivana Lauitiiti joined dad Ali on the Dally M honours board by taking out the NRLW Tackle of the Year prize.

The Veronica White Medal – the women’s equivalent of the Ken Stephen Medal, awarded for community engagement – was won by Warriors players in its first two years: Honey Hireme (2019) and Georgia Hale (2020).

The Warriors received the NRLW's Provan-Summons Medal (spirit of rugby league award) for leading a haka for retiring Broncos legend Ali Brigginshaw at her farewell home game.

Fullback Taine Tuaupiki has edged out Simon Mannering Medal recipient James Fisher-Harris and 2025 winner Erin Clark to win the 2026 TWL Kingz Container Crew Player of the Year award — based on our weekly KCC-sponsored player ratings — in by far the closest race in This Warriors Life’s nine seasons assessing every player’s performance in every Warriors game.

Fashioned on now-defunct Rugby League Week‘s system of giving every player a rating out of 10 for every game, which Will Evans has been dishing out for each Warriors game since the start of 2018, the TWL POTY gong goes to Warriors player with the most accumulated points at the end of the season (including finals matches). To give players that miss a few games with injury and rep duty an opportunity to still vie for the honour, we’ve eliminated every player’s four lowest scores at the end of year (including matches missed).

Tuaupiki’s sizzling finish to the season carried him to the King Container Crew prize, lifting him just half a point ahead of inspirational co-captain Fisher-Harris — who in turn was only half a point in front of No.13 ironman Clark. Veteran mainstays Wayde Egan and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak rounded out the top five.

The 27-year-old’s success represents arguably the most remarkable victory in the TWL award’s history, given he was not named to start in the opening two rounds, was left out for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad on another occasion and only came back into the team as a late inclusion in the penultimate round after initially being listed on the six-man bench.

Tuaupiki had only made 25 NRL appearances (including eight on the wing and three off the bench) coming into 2026, but he ultimately featured in 22 of 26 in the Warriors’ record-breaking campaign.

Here’s how the leaderboard finished up.

TWL KINGZ CONTAINER CREW 2026 PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD FINAL LEADERBOARD

166 – Taine Tuaupiki

165.5 – James Fisher-Harris

165 – Erin Clark

158.5 – Wayde Egan

156 – Dallin Watenze-Zelezniak

152.5 – Jacob Laban

147.5 – Demitric Vaimauga

143.5 – Chanel Harris-Tavita

141.5 – Tanner Stowers-Smith

139.5 – Leka Halasima

The TWL King Container Crew Warriors Player of the Year award rewards durability as well as excellence and consistency, essentially ruling out a host of outstanding contributors who only played half a season.

With that in mind, the player ratings averages are a more accurate indication of how each Warrior performed across the campaign — and Tuaupiki led the pack on that score, too, shading indefatigable prop Mitch Barnett and Jackson Ford, with Tanah Boyd, JFH and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck not far behind.

TWL KINGZ CONTAINER CREW 2026 PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD – HIGHEST AVERAGE SCORES (minimum 5 games)

7.55 — Taine Tuaupiki

7.53 — Mitch Barnett

7.50 — Jackson Ford

7.44 — Tanah Boyd

7.43 — James Fisher-Harris

7.38 — Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

7.19 — Erin Clark

7.15 — Te Maire Martin

7.09 — Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

7.08 — Tanner Stowers-Smith

Here’s a few more odds and ends to come out of the 2026 TWL Kingz Container Crew Player Ratings countback:

• Among regular starting line-up players in 2026, oft-maligned centres Adam Pompey (5.62) and Ali Leiatauta (6.18) finished with the lowest average ratings.

• Six players in 2026 finished with a higher average rating than Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s team-leading 2025 average of 7.33. Addin Fonua-Blake (who took out the overall award) had the Warriors’ best average rating in 2024 with 7.39, while Shaun Johnson claimed the award in 2023 after averaging a record high 7.84 per game.

• The highest individual score recorded during 2026 was 9, achieved by Jackson Ford and Tanah Boyd in Round 3 against Newcastle, Erin Clark in Round 11 against Brisbane and Wayde Egan in Round 16 against North Queensland. There was 36 individual scores of 8.5 handed out during the season — with Taine Tuapiki and Chanel Harris-Tavita notching four of those each, and Te Maire Martin and Leka Halasima three each.

• Tuaupiki, Ford (twice), Boyd, Fisher-Harris (twice), Tuivasa-Sheck and Martin all pieced together three-game runs of scoring a rating of 8 or higher, while Clark managed 8-plus in four straight games and Barnett put together a remarkable late-season streak of five consecutive ratings of 8 or more.

• Tuaupiki joins 2021 winner Jazz Tevaga, 2024 recipient Fonua-Blake and 2025 winner Clark as the only players to win the TWL award without also collecting the Simon Mannering Medal.

THIS WARRIORS LIFE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD – ROLL OF HONOUR

2018 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

2019 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

2020 – Tohu Harris

2021 – Jazz Tevaga

2022 – Euan Aitken

2023 – Shaun Johnson

2024 – Addin Fonua-Blake

2025 – Erin Clark

2026 – Taine Tuaupiki

There’s some great insights here on a season of immense achievement, how it unravelled for the Wahs in September, and their prospects of taking the next step in 2027.

A massive thanks to the Huntly Hurricane for being a This Warriors Life regular during the back-end of a memorable season.

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PLUS the last NO UGLY Salty winner and PlaceMakers Warriors legend of 2026.

There’s more to come from TWL in 2026, but for now thanks so much for being with us for a memorable season - and our biggest yet. ❤️

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Searing individual highs and tormenting solo lows mark the last Kingz Container Crew player ratings edition of 2026 after a harrowing semi-final exit at the hands of Newcastle.

1 TAINE TUAUPIKI: Had the Knights on their toes throughout the first half with 14 runs for 143 metres and nine tackle-breaks. Made a line-break in the second half and finished the match with an incredible 16 tackle-breaks and a game-high 208 metres from 23 runs — despite being pulled off for an HIA with 10 minutes left. Really could’ve used him down the stretch. A couple of errors and a penalty, but was again sturdy at the back. Far and away the best Warriors player over the last three weeks and should start as a raging-hot favourite for the No.1 jersey in 2027. 8

2 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD: Looked for any opportunity to jam and it finally back-fired with opposite Young scoring what would prove the match-winner early in the second half — a disappointing moment that had the sting in the tail of an HIA that ruled him out of the rest of the match. Made 12 runs for 85 metres to that point but was very comfortably gobbled up by the Knights’ defence. If you ask me, despite AKP’s recent form slump, the safety-first selection strategy back-fired. 4.5

22 LEKA HALASIMA: An absolute menace in the first half, scoring a typically blockbusting try, making another line-break and racking up 123 metres. Quieter after the break with the Warriors’ attack getting too diagonal to create decent chances for him, but still scored an outrageous try in the corner to set up a grandstand finish. Tallied nine line-breaks for the night, finished with 189 metres and made 16 tackles — some important ones among them. Given our obvious dearth of quality in the position and Leka’s sensational efforts in the backline, there’s a very high chance he remains in the centres to start 2027. 8.5

4 ALI LEIATAUA: A mixed bag with some rocky defensive moments opposite Bradman Best and some execution issues when the Warriors had the Knights on the ropes in the first half, making three errors and giving away a penalty. Impressive on the ball-carrying front, relieving some mid-set pressure in a 158-metre contribution from 15 runs. 6

23 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK: A heroic return just four weeks after breaking his collarbone — and a performance to match. Made 21 high-octane charges for 190 metres with five tackle-breaks and was very good defensively on an edge that had some terrible moments. A poor offload that gave the ball to the Knights, who then scored their only try of the second half, was a notable cross against the 250-game milestone man’s performance, however. 7.5

6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA: Aside from the assist for Leka’s first-half try, it was a veritable dog’s breakfast on attack unfortunately for CHT. Territory kicking was fine but the last-tackle kicks near the Knights’ line were some of the worst you’ll see in a big game. Couldn’t straighten the attack in the second half, which meant the dangerous left edge was run into a succession of dead ends. Made 22 tackles but had a whopping 10 misses — including a glaring one as Ponga breezed through for a line-break — and gave away a high-tackle penalty. Tough way to finish a good season individually. 4

7 TE MAIRE MARTIN: Seemed like a linchpin without a plan for the most part, overusing Laban short early on, then firing it wide to outside men who didn’t have the space. Was either absent on the last, or gave it to players who have no business with the ball on the last far too often, instead of playing the percentages and attempting to force a result with a kick. Effort can’t be faulted — especially when he made 19 runs for 151 metres and 27 tackles. Did a remarkable job as a fill-in No.7 but didn’t have the extra level or game-management required in the finals furnace. 5

8 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS: The co-captain and newly-minted Simon Mannering Medallist saved one of his least impactful performances for the most important game of the season. Thirteen runs for 119 metres was one of his lowest offensive outputs of the season, while his 27 tackles was coupled with a way above average six misses. A bit disappointing from one of the NRL’s best props of 2026. 6

9 WAYDE EGAN: Played the full 80 minutes for only the second time this season and was much better this week after a ragged qualifying final showing. Tested the Knights from dummy-half, topped the tackle count with 44 and delivered a magnificent assist for Halasima’s second-half try as first receiver on the last. A subsequent last-tackle option to go the short side with Barnett was an absolute stinker, however. 7

10 MITCH BARNETT: Left it all out there in his last appearance for the club. Made 16 runs for 142 metres — including a couple of back-fencers — with four tackle-breaks, and racked up 34 tackles. Perhaps a little too prominent on attack during the latter stages. All heart, which his been his M.O. throughout four seasons at the club. 7.5

11 KURT CAPEWELL: The surprise packet of the night with three line-breaks and eight tackle-breaks among nine runs for 128 metres. A tally of 32 tackles included a classic cover tackle that took Dom Young into touch and could’ve been a try-saver, while he had a hand in Halasima’s second try. The type of performance that makes you glad he’s hanging around for another season. 8.5

12 JACOB LABAN: After a tough finish to the qualifying final defensively, it was another night where the flashpoint lows overshadowed another high-effort game for the Warriors’ Players’ Player of the Year. Super-busy in the first half and finished with 11 runs for 85 metres, along with 33 tackles, before hitting the bench at the hour mark. But getting palmed by Bradman Best, who raced away to set up the Knights’ first try, among seven largely eye-catching misses made for an unfortunate end to a strong campaign. 5

13 ERIN CLARK: Led the Warriors’ forwards with 147 metres on 17 runs, made 32 tackles and came up with what would have to be close to a season-high 20 passes. Though stronger than last week, it was ultimately another finals performance lacking the hoped-for impact from one of the NRL’s most influential locks. 6.5

15 TANNER STOWERS-SMITH: Again bafflingly under-utilised by Andrew Webster. Played under 30 minutes just three times in his 21 appearances this year — and two of those were during the finals. This week there was no Jackson Ford to snatch his gametime, yet TSS only got one 27-minute stint. Made five strong runs for 60 metres and 15 tackles. 6

16 DEMITRIC VAIMAUGA: Busy in defence with 23 tackles in 36 minutes, but limited bearing on the attacking side of things with five runs for 46 minutes and not much in the way of ball-playing. 6

17 EDDIE IERIMIA-TOEAVA: Came on at the half-hour mark in the middle and played out the game, switching to the edge when Laban went off and seeing out the game at centre following Tuaupiki’s exit. Nine runs for 78 metres and 32 tackles in a very solid contribution. 7

2 ALOFIANA KHAN-PEREIRA: Bumped out of the starting line-up following Dallin’s return but came on for the last 34 minutes after Charnze’s injury. Looked capable of carving the Knights up a couple of times and finished with 10 runs for 62 metres, including five tackle-breaks. Some shaky moments at the back and finishes the season on just the second three-match try drought of his career. 5.5

A record-breaking season that seemed likelier than any other before it to deliver a maiden premiership has ended via the agony of back-to-back home finals losses.

The Warriors crashed 12-10 to a brave Newcastle outfit in front the biggest rugby league crowd in New Zealand’s history (48,511), falling devastatingly short in so many of the fundamental areas that carried that team to 18 regular-season wins.

The superhuman efforts of late inclusion Leka Halasima, who was still clearly hampered, kept the Warriors in the contest — but an erratic display from the home side’s halves and a catalogue of last-tackle atrocities will come under a harsh microscope.

Meanwhile, as expected, the Knights’ lethal back-five caused sufficient havoc to deliver two tries from the six line-breaks they produced between them. Conversely, a welter of Warriors good-ball possession went to waste via a lack of attacking impetus and variety, and some appalling option-taking.

Though the better side on the day undoubtedly advances to a prelim against Penrith, a trio of Bunker howlers cruelled the Warriors after Halasima’s heroics reduced the deficit to two points with 10 minutes left. The term ‘conclusive evidence’ went out the window as the Knights won a challenge, while the Bunker used an equally dubious interpretation to deny the Warriors’ challenge against a stripping penalty.

The match ended in controversy with Halasima escorted off the chase of a bomb in front of the Knights’ posts with a minute to go.

Ultimately, though, the Warriors have to look inwardly for the reasons they were bundled out by the 2025 wooden spooners — who finished seventh after winning only three of their last eight games and lost their two starting props on the eve of the playoffs.

One of the worst straight-sets exits in finals history leaves Andrew Webster with an unflattering 1-5 finals record in charge of the club. Unlocking another gear in September is imperative if they want to avoid becoming another Cronulla — and more than ever the lack of a marquee type that doesn’t play prop was frighteningly glaring.

The Warriors dodged a major bullet early on after Kalyn Ponga made a blistering, terrifying break from his own half. Fletcher Sharpe tripped over with the tryline wide open, while a shift on the next play that put Dom Young in was foiled by a forward-pass call.

The Warriors’ early attacking forays were too tame, but they got on the board first in the 13th minute through Leka Halasima’s tackle-busting, hot-stepping class.

Subsequent chances went begging with the Knights holding strong on their line and the Warriors running out of ideas with the ball.

The Knights’ resilience was rewarded 11 minutes out from halftime as Bradman Best palmed off Jacob Laban and made a long break. This time, Sharpe kept his feet in support and streaked away to score.

The second half couldn’t have started much worse for the hosts. An ill-advised Dallin Watene-Zelezniak offload handed cheap possession to the Knights, who torched the Warriors’ left edge far too easily as Young blazed in to score.

Charzne Nicoll-Klokstad was injured in attempting (poorly) to defend the tryscoring movement, failing an HIA with Alofiana Khan-Pereira entering the fray.

The second half was largely an exercise in frustration for the Warriors. In a match where possession finished even and the Knights made more errors, the Warriors made 300 more run metres and averaged an imposing 46.63 metres per set to the Knights’ 39.66.

But a plethora of attacking chances failed to produce a result. Chanel Harris-Tavita’s last-tackle kicking near the line was shambolic and Mitch Barnett inexplicably ended up with the ball on the final tackle on multiple occasions. Ali Leiataua had a try correctly denied by Eddie Ieremia-Toeava’s clumsy obstruction.

A short-side gamble from Kurt Capewell — who had a mighty game — and Wayde Egan saw Halasima superman over in the corner, but Tuaupiki’s sideline conversion was just offline.

An outrageous overturning of a Knights knock-on by the Bunker, who then ignored Greg Marzhew’s loose carry and instead pinned it on a Te Maire Martin strip, made for a wild, controversial closing period. A limp last throw of the dice could easily have produced a penalty goal to send the semi into extra-time, but Tyson Frizell wasn’t pinged for what has been ruled an escort more often than not in 2026.

Again, the Knights deserve all the plaudits for a titanic defensive display and their superior poise. The Warriors didn’t make their own luck or do enough to control their own destiny, which perhaps makes the aforementioned officiating disgraces a little easier to stomach.

This finals failure is red raw right now for every Warriors fan. It feels far too soon to reflect positively on the immense progress this group made in 2026. The pain from this defeat won’t subside until they go deeper…and it seems like an excruciatingly long 12 months until the team gets another opportunity to do so.

NRL — FINALS WEEK TWO: Newcastle Knights 12 defeated Warriors (Leka Halasima 2 tries; Taine Tuaupiki goal) at Eden Park, Auckland.

The Warriors were largely at the mercy of the mercurial Andrew Johns during the first decade of their rivalry with the Knights, but they have turned the tables on the Novacastrians since to nudge ahead on the overall head-to-head tally.

Overall record: Played 54 – Warriors won 28, Newcastle won 25, draws 1; Warriors scored 1,223 points, Newcastle scored 1,126 points.
Biggest wins: Warriors – 52-10 at Mt Smart Stadium, 2007; Newcastle – 48-6 at Marathon Stadium, 1995.
Longest winning streaks: Warriors – 5 matches (2009-11); Newcastle – 4 matches (twice – 1995-98 and 2000-02).
Finals: 1 – Warriors won 1.
Most appearances: Simon Mannering (Warriors) – 23; Manu Vatuvei (Warriors) – 19; Danny Buderus (Newcastle) – 17; Kurt Gidley (Newcastle) – 17; Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – 17; Dane Gagai (Newcastle) – 16; Steve Simpson (Newcastle) – 16; Mitch Barnett (Warriors) – 15; Jacob Lillyman (Warriors) – 15; Ben Matulino (Warriors) – 15; Jarrod Mullen (Newcastle) – 15; Jacob Saifiti (Newcastle) – 15; Matt Gidley (Newcastle) – 14; Andrew Johns (Newcastle) – 14; Stacey Jones (Warriors) – 14.
Most tries: Manu Vatuvei (Warriors) – 19; Adam MacDougall (Newcastle) – 13; David Fusitu’a (Warriors) – 11; Andrew Johns (Newcastle) – 9; Adam Pompey (Warriors) – 9; James McManus (Newcastle) – 8; Timana Tahu (Newcastle) – 8; Clinton Toopi (Warriors) – 8.
Most points: Andrew Johns (Newcastle) – 155; Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – 98; Kurt Gidley (Newcastle) – 76; Manu Vatuvei (Warriors) – 76; Adam MacDougall (Newcastle) – 52; Adam Pompey (Warriors) – 48; James Maloney (Warriors) – 46.

1995-2004 – Warriors’ harsh lessons in the school of ‘Joey’

The teething problems the fledgling Auckland Warriors had with making the trek across the Tasman every fortnight were never better exemplified than during their maiden visit to Newcastle in 1995. A baying 22,136-strong Marathon Stadium crowd watched the Knights romp to a 48-6 win in the Round 9 clash, after leading 18-0 at the break.

Centre Nathan Barnes scored a hat-trick, while sophomore halfback Andrew Johns booted nine goals as Newcastle racked up a club record ninth straight win. Fullback Phil Blake scored the Warriors’ only try, his 11th in nine games. It was third time in four away games the Warriors had conceded 40 points, while the Hunter humiliation remained the Warriors’ biggest loss until 2000.

A John Kirwan double wasn’t enough to thwart the Knights on their initial voyage to Auckland, with winger Keith Beauchamp’s two tries helping the visitors to a 22-18 win. The clubs were on opposite sides of the Super League-ARL divide in 1997, but when they reunited under the NRL banner in 1998, the Knights powered to a 33-4 home victory in Round 2 that saw each of the back-five cross for a try.

The teams met again just five weeks later at Mt Smart, but the Knights’ Johns brothers, Andrew and Matthew, orchestrated a 38-14 success over a Warriors side that had eight players backing up from the Kiwis’ Anzac Test triumph just two days earlier.

Round 25, 1999 – Brilliant Warriors finish season with a flourish
After conceding 141 points and scoring just 42 in their first four clashes with Newcastle, the Auckland Warriors flipped the script on the finals-bound Knights with a 42-0 shut-out on a wet evening at Mt Smart. The Warriors were well out of top-eight contention, but the Mark Graham-coached side produced one of the best wins in the club’s five-season history to run in seven tries and keep their own line intact. Five-eighth John Simon was magnificent, as were fellow Aussie expats, hooker Robert Mears and lock Jason Death, while fullback Matthew Ridge scored 18 points in what ultimately proved to be his last game in Auckland. The result marked the first time the Warriors had held an opponent scoreless.

Despite the resounding breakthrough, Newcastle would resume control of the rivalry for another five seasons. The club drew 18-all at Mt Smart early in 2000 after Andrew Johns converted a last-minute Bill Peden try, while the Knights won seven of the next eight encounters.

Widely regarded as the world’s best player, Johns toyed with the Warriors at home in 2001, setting a new club record with 29 points from three tries, eight goals and a field goal in a 45-24 win for the eventual NRL premiers. Johns, in conjunction with another rep star, kept the points flowing at the Warriors’ expense later that season.

Round 20, 2001 – ‘Mad Dog’ stings Warriors in high-scoring thriller
The Warriors confirmed their status as a genuine finals contender, but the high-flying Knights maintained their dominant record over the Auckland-based club in an entertaining try-fest at Mt Smart Stadium. The lead changed hands five times in a 37-30 result, with Andrew Johns contributing 17 points and powerhouse winger Adam MacDougall scoring a club-record-equalling four tries. ‘Mad Dog’ bagged a first-half hat-trick, before crossing for the match-sealing try in the final minute of an absorbing clash.

The Warriors took advantage of an Origin-depleted Knights side to chalk up their first win in five visits to Newcastle midway through 2002, with Clinton Toopi scoring a double in a 34-12 win. But the Knights resumed control of the rivalry again by winning three straight games in 2003-04, taking their record to 11 wins and a draw in 14 games against the Warriors.

2005-11 – Warriors turn the tables on Knights

Since 2005, the Warriors have won 17 of 24 encounters between the clubs – including 11 of 13 at Mt Smart Stadium.

Round 6, 2005 – A comeback for the ages
In blazing sunshine at Newcastle’s EngergyAustralia Stadium, the Knights racked up an imposing 20-0 lead over the New Zealand Warriors and appeared on course for a convincing win. The visitors slowly clawed their way back, however, and the Warriors’ momentum became unstoppable when Newcastle captain Andrew Johns left the field with a cracked jaw 15 minutes from fulltime. The score was 26-16 at the time, but Johns’ great rival Stacey Jones stepped into overdrive to conjure three tries for the Warriors. The final touchdown, to powerhouse winger Francis Meli, came in the final minute after a movement that originated deep inside Warriors territory. The 30-26 escape act was fondly remembered by Warriors fans: highlights of the match were regularly shown as filler between programmes on Sky Sports for years to come.

Making just his eighth NRL appearance in that astounding comeback – which remains the biggest in the Warriors’ history – winger Manu Vatuvei grabbed his first career double in a performance that gave the Knights a taste of what was to come. ‘The Beast’ scored 19 tries in 19 appearances against Newcastle – the most he has scored against any club – including the Warriors’ only try in a 16-4 loss at home later in 2005.

Despite finishing outside the finals picture while Newcastle reached the top-four, the Warriors won both games between the clubs in 2006, a feat that marked the Warriors’ first back-to-back successes against the Knights.

They shared the spoils in 2007, but the Warriors enjoyed bragging rights with a 52-10 pummelling late in the regular season on their way to just the second top-four finish in their history, with Wade McKinnon, Jerome Ropati and Grant Rovelli scoring doubles, and Michael Witt slotting eight goals.

The sides again won one game apiece in 2008, but the Warriors edged the Knights for eighth spot at the end of the season; after the Knights went down to the Broncos in a Friday night clash in Round 26, the Warriors leapfrogged them with a victory over Parramatta.

The Warriors’ 13-0 shutout – after protecting a 6-0 lead for three-quarters of the match – midway through 2009 kicked off a five-match winning streak against the Knights, with Vatuvei scoring a total of five tries in two 2010 encounters. With their 25-16 away victory in 2011, the Warriors achieved consecutive wins in Newcastle for the first time.

2012-15 – Knights play spoiler role

Clashes between the Warriors and Knights over the ensuing four seasons invoke painful memories for fans of the former.

Round 20, 2012 – Knights make sleepy Warriors pay
The Warriors’ 2012 campaign began to unravel when they inexplicably let an 18-point lead slip against unfancied Newcastle at Mt Smart. The hosts led 18-0 in even time with Shaun Johnson and Feleti Mateo starting the match on fire, but Knights wingers Akuila Uate and Kevin Naiqama trimmed the deficit to just seven points by halftime. Uate bombed a try just after the break when he dropped the ball over the line, but long-range tries to Timana Tahu and Dane Gagai sealed a gut-wrenching 24-19 defeat for the home side. A week later the Warriors became the first team in history to give up 18-point leads in consecutive games when they repeated the dose against Manly, while they extended their losing streak to eight matches by the end of the season to finish well outside finals reckoning.

The Warriors won their sole encounter with Newcastle in 2013, while Simon Mannering marked his 200th game for the club – and 100th as captain – with a double in a 38-12 romp over the Knights midway through the following season.

But a Round 23 loss at Hunter Stadium would ultimately prove pivotal to the Warriors missing the 2014 finals.

The Knights prevailed 28-22 in a wildly fluctuating game that saw the four wingers score eight of the 10 tries – and produce some of the most gravity-defying finishes of the season. Vatuvei and Warriors rookie David Fusitu’a scored doubles, while 18-year-old Knights flyer Sione Mata’utia nabbed a sensational hat-trick and older brother Chanel also dotted down. Chad Townsend’s one-from-five kicking display was crucial after both sides posted five tries. The Warriors went on to miss the finals on for-and-against.

The Warriors endured more misery on the road courtesy of a disappointing 24-14 loss to Newcastle in the opening round of the 2015 season as the Knights chalked up back-to-back wins in the rivalry for the first time since 2004.

2015-16 – Warriors take advantage of Knights’ decline

The Warriors ended the Knights’ two-game winning streak with a patchy 24-20 result against the eventual wooden spooners at Mt Smart. For the second time in three games between the clubs, all four wingers crossed for tries; on this occasion it was Vatuvei, Jonathan Wright (Warriors), James McManus and Uate (Knights), with the latter scoring two touchdowns.

Newcastle managed just one win in a trying 2016 campaign, and the Warriors took full toll by racking up 90 points in two games against the Knights. After losing their first three games of the season, the Warriors powered to a Solomone Kata-inspired 40-18 win on Easter Monday.

Round 14, 2016 – Flying Fusitu’a carves up hosts
The Warriors’ mid-season revival began to gather momentum at the expense of the hapless Newcastle Knights, inflicting a 50-14 defeat on the last-placed side at Hunter Stadium. The visitors led just 16-12 at the half-hour mark, but put on the afterburners thereafter to finish nine-tries-to-two winners. David Fusitu’a scored four tries – the seventh Warrior to achieve the feat, and just one short of Francis Meli’s club record – while young prop Albert Vete achieved a career milestone with the first try-double of his NRL career.

2017-22 — Tough days and Knights

The Warriors arrested a seven-year losing streak in Round 1 clashes by holding off Newcastle 26-22 at home – Fusitu’a again starring with a hat-trick. But the Knights, on their way to their third straight wooden spoon, turned the tables with a convincing 26-10 late-season win over Stephen Kearney’s slumping Warriors.

Despite offloading the wooden spoon in 2018, the Knights were overwhelmed 20-4 in a late-season visit to Auckland. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was the star of the Warriors three-tries-to-one victory

Fusitu’a extended his record against the Knights to 11 tries in just six matches.

But the Warriors capitulated softly in a 36-18 home loss in Round 8 of the 2019 season – after having a share of the lead with just over 25 minutes to play.

Ken Maumalo’s first NRL career double and Patrick Herbert’s maiden first-grade try were rare bright spots on a bleak afternoon.

Maumalo bagged another double – and was robbed of a maiden hat-trick by a blatant Bunker bungle – in a 24-20 win over an Origin-depleted Knights line-up at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Peta Hiku, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Agnatius Paasi were others to shine in the nervy victory.

The Warriors crashed 20-0 in Newcastle in Round 1 as the COVID-19 cloud rapidly enveloped the early stages of the 2020 NRL season, impacting the Auckland-based outfit more than any other club.

But they enjoyed arguably the high point of an arduous campaign at the Knights’ expense in Round 16, taking the game to Tamworth – where the Warriors were stationed after returning Australia prior to the post-COVID restart – and racking up a magnificent 36-6 win over the eventual finalists. Two-try stud Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was in vintage touch, while Peta Hiku, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Jazz Tevaga also starred.

After the Warriors handed the coaching keys to Newcastle discard Nathan Brown, the Knights grabbed a late 20-16 victory in Gosford in Round 2 of the 2021 season.

Bradman Best set up Hymel Hunt for the match-winner after the Warriors had pegged back an eight-point deficit during the second half.

Tuivasa-Sheck and Tohu Harris were the Warriors’ best in a frustrating defeat.

Newcastle made it three straight wins against the Warriors with a nerve-shredding win in diabolical conditions at home later in 2021 – Brodie Jones crossing for a late try in a 10-6 result – and a 24-16 victory in Redcliffe in 2022 in a clash between two eventual bottom-four finishers.

The latter match would be Brown’s second-last in charge of the Warriors, falling on his sword little over a week later.

2023-26 — Warriors assume rivalry control

Former Knight Mitch Barnett made his club debut for the Warriors and former Warriors loan player Jack Hetherington lined up in his first game for the Knight in the 2023 season opener between the clubs in Wellington.

The Warriors’ resurgence kicked off with a gripping 20-12 victory, coming from behind during both halves on the back of superb performances from Wayde Egan, Tohu Harris and returning recruit Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

The Knights turned the tables five weeks later with a 34-24 upset at home despite the absence of Kalyn Ponga.

The teams both surged to unlikely finals appearances at the end of 2023 and met in the first playoffs match in New Zealand for 15 years, with the Warriors romping to a 40-10 victory to book a prelim berth on one of the most memorable days in the club’s history.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, filling in at fullback, and opposite number Ponga were the stars in a grinding early-season contest at Mt Smart in 2024, with the Warriors holding on for a 20-12 win. The Knights turned the tables just five weeks later, subduing the visiting Warriors 14-8 in an eyesore played in wet conditions.

The Warriors enjoyed a season sweep over the Knights for the first time in nine years in 2025, beginning with an authoritative 26-12 Anzac Day victory in Christchurch.

Jackson Ford bagged a first-half double, while Luke Metcalf continued his stellar rise as the Warriors’ No.7.

Perhaps undeserving of the win in Newcastle in Round 20, the Warriors pipped the plucky eventual wooden spooners 20-15 via one of the all-time great buzzer-beaters. In a crazy closing period – including some terrible misses off the tee from Tanah Boyd – Leka Halasima produced an outrageous 40-metre solo try on the bell after Boyd had a field goal attempt charged down.

The Warriors prevailed 38-12 early in 2026 as the two 2-0 teams came together in Newcastle.

Luke Hanson scored on debut for the Warriors, while Tanah Boyd and Jackson Ford were in irrepressible form for the visitors.

The clubs’ late-2026 clash at Go Media Stadium took a dramatic turn when Knights prop and captain Jacob Saifiti was sent off 12 minutes in for an ugly high shot on Warriors club debutant winger Luke Laulilii.

The Knights had raced out to a 16-0 lead and valiantly fought back to 32-30 in arrears after a Warriors surge, but the home side’s one-man advantage eventually told in a 46-32 result.

The teams’ contrasting week one finals result set up another sudden-death semi showdown in Auckland, this time at Eden Park.

INDIVIDUAL RIVALRIES

Stacey Jones v Andrew Johns: Jones was named halfback in New Zealand’s Team of the Century in 2007, while Johns received the same honour when Australia announced their Team of the Century a year later – and the pair waged many memorable duels. They both burst onto the premiership scene in the mid-1990s and were regular opponents at club and Test level, though Johns was frequently selected at hooker for the Kangaroos. In matches they directly opposed each at halfback, Johns won 11 games to four, but Jones managed two victories with the Kiwis in the five Tests the modern greats both wore the No.7. A good-natured rivalry with plenty of respect on both sides, Johns claimed his record third Dally M Medal in 2002 but Jones claimed the Newcastle linchpin’s Golden Boot status.

Manu Vatuvei v Akuila Uate: While Vatuvei’s record against the Knights (19 tries in 19 games) is his best against any club, Uate’s strike-rate against the Warriors (five tries in nine games) is among his worst returns. The crowd-pleasing wingers are the only players to score over 100 tries for their respective clubs, and they certainly made life difficult for one another defensively in nine encounters, of which ‘The Beast’ finished on the winning side seven times.

THEY PLAYED FOR BOTH CLUBS

Tea Ropati: A versatile Auckland back from a prolific rugby league family, Ropati was one of several New Zealand recruits for the Newcastle Knights’ foundation 1988 campaign. He only played two first-grade games for the club, however, before becoming a highly-regarded star on the English club scene with St Helens and making his Kiwis Test debut in 1992. A handy five-eighth who was predominantly used at centre by the fledgling Auckland Warriors, Ropati scored a try off the bench in the club’s maiden premiership match against Brisbane and crossed for 12 tries on his way to winning the Warriors’ inaugural Player of the Year award in 1995. He stayed until 1998, playing the last of 72 games for the Warriors just shy of his 33rd birthday.

John Carlaw: Central Coast product Carlaw never played first grade for the Knights, but he did feature alongside the likes of Brett Kimmorley in the club’s 1995 reserve grade-winning side before debuting for the short-lived Hunter Mariners two years later. After stints with Melbourne, Balmain and Wests Tigers, the centre/winger played arguably the best football of his career in Auckland in 2002-03, playing 35 games and scoring the late match-winner in the 2002 preliminary final that propelled the Warriors into their maiden grand final. The journeyman’s professional career wound up at St George Illawarra in 2004.

Jason Temu: Auckland-born Marist Saints junior Temu arrived at Newcastle via Oldham and Hull FC, playing three first-grade games for the Knights in 1999-2000. After representing Cook Islands at the 2000 World Cup, the rugged prop returned home to link with the Warriors and made four appearances in their watershed ’01 campaign.

Cooper Vuna: The Warriors’ youngest-ever player at 17 years and 47 days, Vuna played five first-grade games for the club from 2004-06, but his career took off after joining Newcastle midway through ’07. The wing powerhouse scored 35 tries in 54 games from 2007-10, before being lured to rugby union by the Melbourne Rebels. The former Tonga rugby league rep played two Tests for the Wallabies in 2012, and following stints in Japan and England, became a Tongan dual international in 2016. 

Jesse Royal: Hamilton-born Royal was a late-blooming prop who played for the Central Falcons in the Bartercard Cup and captained the NZ Residents’ tour of Great Britain in 2003, before arriving in Newcastle via Penrith and making his NRL debut for the Knights in 2007. After 29 appearances for the club, he returned to New Zealand and played 36 games for the Warriors in 2009-10 

Matt Jobson: South Newcastle junior Jobson was blooded off the bench four times for the powerful Knights in 2001-02, before enjoying a breakout 2003 campaign that garnered 20 appearances in the top flight. The back-rower attracted the interest of the Warriors, but he received just two first-grade chances in 2004 and finished up his NRL career with Wests Tigers the following season. 

Evarn Tuimavave: A robust and skilful front-rower, Tuimavave was just 18 when he debuted off the bench during the Warriors’ 2002 grand final season. He was an intermittent member of the first-grade side in subsequent campaigns, but forged a permanent spot from 2006-08, missing just four games. Tuimavave played his sole Test for New Zealand at the 2008 World Cup, but after a disappointing follow-up season, he joined the Knights and played 33 games for the club from 2010-12. The Marist and Richmond junior played for Super League club Hull KR in 2013.

Todd Lowrie: Scone-born Lowrie started out at Newcastle, playing 57 games for the Knights from 2003-06, before turning out in 42 games for Parramatta from 2007-09. After playing in the Eels’ loss to the Storm in the ’09 grand final, the back-rower joined Melbourne and won a premiership in 2012. He played 21 games for the Warriors in 2013, before passing the 200-game mark during a final campaign with the Broncos in 2014.

Carlos Tuimavave: Evarn’s cousin, versatile back Carlos, was a star of the Warriors’ 2010-11 NYC premiership triumphs at five-eighth, and broke through for an NRL debut late in the 2012 campaign. Tuimavave was tried at fullback and centre for the Warriors but was unable to forge a regular spot, and the Samoa international was snapped up by the Knights in 2015, where he played five games in the No.6 jumper. The 25-year-old Mount Wellington junior currently plays for Super League powerhouse Hull FC.

Siuatonga Likiliki: Another graduate of the Warriors’ NYC system, Likiliki was just 18 when he played in the centres against eventual grand finalists Parramatta in 2009. It would be his only first-grade appearance for the club, however, and after playing in the Warriors’ maiden Under-20s grand final win in 2010, he joined the Knights and featured in two NRL games in 2011. The Tongan international was named in the 2012 NSW Cup Team of the Year while playing for the Knights, and was signed by the Gold Coast Titans in 2014 but could not force his way back into first grade, joining the Burleigh Bears at the end of the year.

Jacob Lillyman: No-frills prop Lillyman made his NRL debut for the Cowboys in 2003 and broke into the Queensland Origin side in ’06 after just 19 first grade appearances. After 62 games for the Cowboys, Lillyman joined the Warriors in 2009 and ended a three-year Origin absence in 2011 – the season he played an integral role in the clubs’ charge to the grand final. The super-reliable bookend finished up with 188 games for the Warriors (sixth in club history, while his last game for the Warriors was also his 250th in the NRL) and extended his Origin tally to 14 matches before joining Newcastle for the 2018 season. Lillyman has made 15 top-grade appearances for the Knights before retiring at the end of the year.

James Gavet: Former Bulldogs, Tigers and Broncos forward Gavet debuted for Samoa and played 42 NRL games during three seasons with the Warriors. A first-choice prop when fit in 2017-18, Gavet was released from his contract to take up a deal with the Knights in 2019, making 18 appearances but falling out of favour late in the piece and heading to Super League at the end of the season. He returned to the Warriors as part of their NSW Cup team in 2023.

Mason Lino: Goalkicking half Lino – a co-captain of the Warriors’ NYC premiership triumph in 2014 – was a valuable back-up playmaker for the club, playing 17 NRL games from 2015-18. Lino scored 40 points in eight games in 2018, playing a key hand in five wins for the finals-bound Warriors. He was snapped up by the Knights at the end of the year and played a career-high 12 games in 2019, racking up 74 points. Lino played another five games in 2020 before joining Wakefield Trinity.

Blake Green: Former Parramatta, Cronulla and Canterbury playmaker Green’s career took off during a four-season Super League stay with Hull KR and Wigan. Returning to the NRL with Melbourne, Green played in a Grand Final in 2016 before providing excellent halves value and stability at Manly and the Warriors. He played 55 games for the Warriors – the most for any of his nine professional clubs – from 2018 but linked with the Knights midway through 2020. Green’s stay in Newcastle was punctuated by injuries, making just nine appearances before announcing his retirement during the first half of the 2021 season.

Mitch Barnett: After debuting for Canberra in 2015, rugged, skilful and versatile forward Barnett joined Newcastle in 2016 and played 126 first-grade games for the club across seven seasons. He was the Knights’ player of the year in 2017 and ’19. A key pick-up for the rebuilding Warriors in 2023, Barnett represented NSW and Australia the following season and was announced as co-captain in 2025. Barnett, set to join Brisbane in 2027 after gaining a compassionate release, has played 65 games for the Warriors.

Jack Hetherington: Penrith firebrand Hetherington spent a memorable six-game loan stint with the Warriors (that ultimately ended in suspension) during the club’s COVID-ravaged 2020 season. He linked with Canterbury for the following two years before signing with the Knights, who he played 53 games for before linking with Melbourne in 2026.

THEY COACHED BOTH CLUBS

Nathan Brown: Former Dragons hooker and coach Brown landed in Newcastle in 2016 after a successful stint in England, given the job to turn around the hapless Knights. Last in 2015, the Knights collected further wooden spoons under Brown in 2016-17, while they finished 11th back-to-back in 2018-19 – despite Brown luring the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Mitchell Pearce, David Klemmer and a host of other quality players to the club. Punted late in 2019, Brown was back in the NRL coaching ranks little over a year later with the Warriors hastily offering him the role for 2021 after Todd Payten’s U-turn to join the Cowboys. The Warriors sunk to one of their lowest ebbs during Brown’s stint, finishing 12th in 2021 and second-last in 2022 after he jumped ship midway through the season. Brown has the unenviable record of having the worst winning percentage of any coach in both the Knights’ (25.5 percent) and Warriors’ (32.4 percent) histories.

Following James Fisher-Harris’ richly deserved Simon Mannering Medal honour, I reflected on the first time I interviewed one of the great front-rowers of the modern era — when his NRL career was just eight games old.

The 20-year-old was in Christchurch for Penrith’s 2016 clash with the Warriors, having only made his first-grade debut a couple of months earlier.

The unassuming Fisher-Harris spoke in the same understated monotones as he does today, but even then as a relative unknown he had a genuine aura about him.

By the end of 2016, the rookie had forged a permanent second-row spot in the Panthers’ pack, played finals footy and made his New Zealand Test debut against Scotland in the Four Nations.

A decade on, JFH is a four-time premiership winner, a decorated Kiwis captain and at the forefront of the Warriors’ drive for a maiden title.

Big League — August 4, 2016

By Will Evans

Rookie sensation James Fisher-Harris admits he had no idea what he was in for when he joined the Panthers as a 17-year-old in 2014.

“The first time I saw Penrith was when I moved there,” the quietly spoken Kiwi says.

“It was pre-season for under-18s (SG Ball) and it was straight into training that day.

“I thought everywhere in Sydney was close as (to the ocean). It was a big change. I didn’t even know how to catch a train.”

Fisher-Harris hails from Kohukohu, a tiny historic village on the northern banks of the Hokianga Harbour in the Northland region of New Zealand.

A thriving timber milling town at the turn of the 20th century, Kohukohu now has a population of about 150, for whom the sea and the bush are a part of daily life.

“Everyone is into hunting and fishing up there, all outdoor stuff,” Fisher-Harris says.

“I’ve sort of lost that being in Sydney now – it’s been a while. I might go back and do some at the end of the year.”

Fisher-Harris played rugby union until he was 14, but relocating to Whangarei to go to boarding school put him on a 13-a-side path that ultimately led him to Penrith.

“I just fell in love with league, getting more ball and getting one-on-one more.”

He was spotted at a National Secondary Schools tournament in Auckland by Panthers scouts, who were drawn to his size, power and raw potential.

Fisher-Harris carried on the fine tradition of Northland products joining the club – including Sam McKendry and Elijah Taylor – and after overcoming the initial culture shock, he progressed quickly through the lower grades.

The prop/back-rower starred in the Panthers NYC side in 2015 and received a Junior Kiwis call-up, representing with the likes of Te Maire Martin, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Jazz Tevaga.

Despite making such an impact in the under-20s, Fisher-Harris wasn’t anticipating the NRL rewards that have come his way this year. The tyro has played 16 games in the top flight – notwithstanding a month-long mid-season layoff with a broken thumb – and forged a regular starting back-row berth.

“I thought I might get a debut this year, but [Anthony Griffin] gave me the opportunity and I took it with both hands,” he says.

“I’m just trying to get better every week.”

Fisher-Harris’ breakout performance came in Round 8, when he scored two barnstorming tries off the bench in a narrow loss to Cronulla.

“It was just crazy, some of the boys got injured so I got more game-time. I was over the moon, I couldn’t believe it. I think I got two tries the whole of last year in under-20s.”

He has been in the run-on side ever since and inked an extension with the club soon afterwards, tying him to the Panthers until the end of 2019.

Ironically, Fisher-Harris’ rise played a major part in Taylor falling out of favour and joining Wests Tigers, while he is being talked about as a Dally M Rookie of the Year contender alongside Gold Coast halfback Ashley Taylor, and tryscoring sensations Suliasi Vunivalu and Bevan French.

The 20-year-old comes across as shy and reserved off the field, but he is an explosive force of nature after he crosses the white line. The 187cm, 105kg powerhouse’s dynamic performances have drawn comparisons with superstars such as Gorden Tallis and Jason Taumalolo, while he says the reputations of his big-name opponents only motivate him more.

“You try and aim up against them and it makes you prepare better mentally and physically. You just want to take them on.”

Fisher-Harris’ debut-season efforts have clearly earned the respect of Penrith’s senior players.

“He’s a good kid, ‘Fish’, he’s been real good for us this year and he’s getting more minutes each week,” Panthers captain Matt Moylan enthuses.

“He started off pretty quiet, but now he’s getting comfortable he’s coming out of his shell which is good to see.”

Although the Kiwis are blessed with a plethora of talented back-rowers, a Four Nations call-up is not beyond the realms of possibility for Fisher-Harris – especially if the promising Panthers can reach the finals.

But at this stage, the tackle-busting phenom is concentrating on cementing a first-grade spot and doing what he can to make the club’s top-eight dreams a reality.

“I’m just trying to get better and better,” Fisher-Harris says.

“The coach has been really good to me and given me another chance every week.

“He’s a bit strict, but it helps me and gives me a bit of pressure. It’s good, I need that.”

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Departing second-rower Kayliss Fatialofa has been named the Warriors’ NSW Cup Player of the Year for 2026, while brilliant young fullback Joseph Ratcliffe took out the corresponding award for the club’s Jersey Flegg Cup team.

Fatialofa played 19 games for the fifth-placed defending NSW Cup champs, scoring seven tries, producing 10 line-breaks and five try assists, and averaging 137 metres and 25 tackles per game.

The dynamic 21-year-old also racked up a whopping 62 tackle-breaks.

Fatialofa signed a two-year extension with the Warriors in August 2025. But he will join Manly on a three-year deal in the off-season after a contract clause — stipulating he was free to seek out other opportunities if he didn’t make his NRL debut by Round 15 this year — was activated.

The tyro was named on Andrew Webster’s interchange for the Round 15 clash with Cronulla, but a likely appearance was scuttled by Alofiana Khan-Pereira’s first-half injury. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was consequently used as one of the four replacements instead.

Stuck in a queue between young stars Jacob Laban, Leka Halasima and Eddie Ieremia-Toeva, along with re-signed veteran Kurt Capewell, and with the likes of boom teenager Bishop Neal emerging, Fatialofa opted to take up a lucrative opportunity with the Sea Eagles. The Manurewa Marlins and Ōtara Scorpions junior leaves the Warriors with 54 NSW Cup appearances to his name, scoring 23 tries.

Fatialofa grabbed a double in his last appearance in a Warriors jersey, the NSW Cup elimination final loss to Newtown.

Ratcliffe, though, is set to figure in the Warriors’ top-grade plans for years to come.

Part of the Warriors’ inaugural Harold Matthews Cup team that won the 2024 title, the Palmerston North Boys’ High product debuted in SG Ball in 2025 and graduated to Jersey Flegg later that season.

Still young enough to qualify for SG Ball (under-19s) this year, he won the team’s Player of the Year award for 2026 and has coupled that with the Warriors’ Jersey Flegg gong after a series of blazing performances in the No.1 jersey that netted nine tries in 14 games.

Ratcliffe was called up to make six appearances in NSW Cup — three at fullback, three off the bench — during the second half of the season. In a victory over ladder-leading Penrith last month, he showed his enormous potential with a try, a line-break, seven tackle-breaks and 222 run metres.

Meanwhile, Canterbury-bred hooker Makaia Tafua won the NSW Cup Players’ Player award and Jaydee Auloa was named Team Man of the Year.

Tyson Hansen took out the Jersey Flegg side’s Emerging Player of the Year gong and Maui Winitana-Patelesio received the Team Man of the Year accolade.

In his second season at the club, James Fisher-Harris has been awarded the Simon Mannering Medal as the Warriors’ Player of the Year.

The inspirational co-captain joins Steve Price (2006, 2007), Mannering (2011, 2013, 2014) and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (2017, 2018, 2019) among Warriors skippers to have earned the honour.

JFH is also the seventh prop to take out the Player of the Year award, after Joe Vagana (1998), Jerry Seuseu (2001), Ruben Wiki (2005), Price (2006, 2007), Ben Matulino (2012, 2015) and Mitch Barnett (2024).

After a solid but arguably underwhelming first season with the Warriors in 2025, Fisher-Harris has been immense in leading their record-breaking campaign this year. He averaged 141 run metres — a five-year high for the champion front-rower — and 30 tackles per game during the regular season, while increasing his ball-playing role and playing with as much authority as at any stage of his decorated career.

The 30-year-old is in his 11th NRL season, debuting with Penrith in 2016, winning the Panthers’ Player of the Year award in 2019 and playing an integral role in four straight premierships (2021-24) before moving home.

Fisher-Harris will be a frontline contender for the TWL Kingz Container Crew Player of the Year award, based on our weekly player ratings, which also includes finals matches. Tuivasa-Sheck (2018, 2019), Tohu Harris (2020) and Shaun Johnson (2023) have previously coupled the Simon Mannering Medal with the TWL spoils in the same season.

Meanwhile, breakout back-rower Jacob Laban scooped the Warriors Players’ Player award, injured departing legend Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was named Clubman of the Year, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava earned the NRL Rookie of the Year nod (albeit after playing five games in 2025) and Erin Clark received the People’s Choice award.

WARRIORS PLAYER OF THE YEAR HISTORY

Renamed Simon Mannering Medal in 2018

1995 – Tea Ropati; 1996 – Stephen Kearney; 1997 – Stacey Jones; 1998 – Joe Vagana; 1999 – Jason Death; 2000 – Robbie Mears; 2001 – Jerry Seuseu; 2002 – Ali Lauiti’iti; 2003 – Francis Meli; 2004 – Wairangi Koopu; 2005 – Ruben Wiki; 2006 – Steve Price; 2007 – Steve Price; 2008 – Simon Mannering; 2009 – Micheal Luck; 2010 – Manu Vatuvei; 2011 – Simon Mannering; 2012 – Ben Matulino; 2013 – Simon Mannering; 2014 – Simon Mannering; 2015 – Ben Matulino; 2016 – Simon Mannering; 2017 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck; 2018 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck; 2019 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck; 2020 – Tohu Harris; 2021 – Tohu Harris; 2022 – Euan Aitken; 2023 – Shaun Johnson; 2024 – Mitch Barnett; 2025 – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck; 2026 – James Fisher-Harris.

Plus the NO UGLY Salty Moment of the Week, another PlaceMakers Warriors Legend and NRLW.

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• Finals pain accumulating

• Taine’s historic night

• Bounce-back history

• Record attendance beckons in garden of Eden

• Knights enter hostile territory

In a match that arguably garnered more pre-game hype than any since the club’s 2011 grand final appearance, the Warriors ultimately fell flat in front of a packed house at Go Media Stadium — overrun by a gritty, adventurous Dolphins side 26-16.

The Warriors posted the opening try and led 10-2 before the Dolphins hit back. Three straight penalties — to the hindsight-driven chagrin of many fans — inched the Warriors out to 16-8 after 52 minutes.

But the Dolphins found another gear in the last quarter of the match, running in three unanswered tries as Herbie Farnworth (who finished with a try, two try assists, two line-breaks, 11 tackle-breaks and 272 metres) ran amok.

The Warriors had 53 percent possession and completed at 83 percent (36/43) to the Dolphins’ 81 percent (30/37). But the Dolphins were only just shaded in the total run metres and post-contact metres departments, and had an average set distance of 42.06 metres to the Warriors’ modest 37.11 metres.

The Dolphins finished with five line-breaks to two and 54 tackle-breaks to 42, showing real resolve after losing the penalty count (9-4) and set restart count (5-3).

The loss was the Warriors’ first after leading at halftime since Round 25 of the 2024 season, when Canterbury overturned an 18-16 deficit at the break to win 34-18 at Mount Smart.

Finals pain accumulating

The jarring loss was the Warriors’ sixth in seven finals matches since rolling Melbourne in the 2011 preliminary final.

Meanwhile, it will stretch the club’s week one drought to at least 19 years, losing all five since another iconic away victory over the Storm in 2008.

In their sixth home finals match, it was the Warriors’ third loss — the other defeats coming against Parramatta in week one in 2007, a 12-10 result, and last season’s 24-8 elimination final exit at the hands of Penrith.

The Warriors now have a 9-14 record in finals matches.

Taine’s historic night

Aside from being the Warriors’ best player with a team-high 225 metres from 22 runs, two line-breaks, nine tackle-breaks and a sizzling solo try, Taine Tuaupiki carved a couple of little notches of rugby league history for himself.

The much-talked-about glut of penalty goals saw Tuaupiki equal the NRL-era record for an individual player of five. Ryan Girdler kicked five in Penrith’s 17-16 loss to Parramatta in 1999; Ben Walker did it twice in the space of five games for Manly in 2003 — in a 20-16 loss to the Warriors and a 28-20 win over Souths; and Gareth Widdop slotted a handful in St George Illawarra’s 34-14 defeat of Melbourne in 2018.

Equally remarkably, Tuaupiki entered the upper echelon of the premiership’s record books for most points scored in a game when scoring all of a team’s points.

Only seven times in first grade history has a player bogarted a team’s scoresheet with more than 16 points. Terry Lamb (Canterbury v Wests in 1987) holds the premiership record with 26 points, while only Reuben Garrick (Manly v Canterbury in 2019) and Stephen Crichton (Penrith v Souths in 2023) — both with 18 — have eclipsed Tuaupiki’s haul in the NRL era. Jarrod Croker also scored all of Canberra’s points in a 50-16 loss to the Warriors in 2013.

Tuaupiki’s novel achievement is an all-time finals record.

Meanwhile, only 17 players in the competition’s history have scored more than Tuaupiki’s 16 points and finished on a losing team. Again, Tuaupiki racked up the highest tally in a finals match in that department.

The six-from-six night off the tee boosted his NRL career percentage to 87.18 (34 from 39).

Bounce-back history

In Saturday’s post-game press conference, Andrew Webster said “lots of teams have won grand finals that way”, referring to bouncing back from a qualifying final loss.

Running the numbers since the current finals format was adopted, in 14 seasons just two teams have recovered to win the premiership from a week one loss (Webster was an assistant coach for the last club to do it) and another two were runners-up in the decider.

Eight lost in the following week’s semi-final, meaning statistically you’re twice as likely to go out in straight sets than making the grand final if you drop your first finals game.

Sixteen teams (a touch over half) managed to win the following week’s semi before losing to a well-rested team at the preliminary final stage.

During 13 seasons of the convoluted McIntyre Finals System (1999-2011), three teams won the grand final after losing in week one: the 1999 Storm, 2004 Bulldogs and 2006 Broncos. The 2000 Roosters, 2005 Cowboys and 2011 Warriors reached the grand final.

In the first two seasons of Top 8 finals series (1995-96) — played under the same format we have now — both qualifying finals losers went out in straight sets in both years.

The Warriors are 2-1 in week two when they’ve had another bite of the cherry following a week one defeat. They were trounced by the Cowboys in Townsville in 2007 but edged the Tigers in Sydney in 2011 and whipped the Knights at home in 2023.

In the garden of Eden

The controversial staging of this weekend’s semi-final at Eden Park is almost certain to shatter the record for the the biggest Warriors crowd in New Zealand.

Eden Park has the top two entries on that particular table, attracting 38,412 fans for a historic Round 1 clash against Parramatta in 2011 and giving that figure a good nudge with 37,502 for their 2012 season opener against Manly.

Even more significantly, we could see the biggest-ever rugby league crowd in New Zealand at the 50,000-capacity ground.

A total of 47,363 crammed into the rugby union bastion for the 1988 World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia.

The Warriors have an unflattering 1-5 record at Eden Park in six matches there from 2011-14. Their sole win came in the last clash — a 54-12 beatdown of the Raiders in front of a modest crowd of 18,165.

Knights enter hostile territory

Newcastle jets across the Tasman searching for its first win in New Zealand since 2019, while the Knights have won just one of their last 12 on Kiwi soil.

Following the Warriors’ return from COVID exile, the Knights have been subjected to three losses at Go Media Stadium — including a 40-10 semi-final loss in 2023 — as well as defeats in Wellington in 2023 and Christchurch in 2025.

The Knights can take heart from a gallant 46-32 loss at Mount Smart only three weeks ago after having prop Jacob Saifiti sent off just 13 minutes in.

Since winning the 2001 premiership, the Knights have only reached one preliminary final, when Wayne Bennett’s 2013 outfit upset both of the previous year’s grand finalists — Canterbury and Melbourne — before going down to Sydney Roosters.

This is only their third week two finals appearance since Andrew Johns retired in early-2007, the others being a stunning away win over the Storm in 2013 and their defeat to the Warriors in Auckland in 2023.

The Warriors’ 26-16 loss to the Dolphins was a tough one to take from almost every angle — and it doesn’t get much more soothing (with a couple of notable exceptions) when dissecting the individual performances for the Kingz Container Crew player ratings.

1 TAINE TUAUPIKI: An absolute shining light with a wonderful solo try, a team-high 227 metres from 22 runs, two line-breaks and nine tackle-breaks, and some superb defusals and last-line defence. Constantly sniffing around in attack and couldn’t have done too much more for the cause. 8.5

2 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD: Arguably a bit impulsive to jam as opposite Cobbo scored. Worked hard for 154 metres on 18 carries with five tackle-breaks, but missed his assignment a couple of times on attack and is probably the least dynamic winger we’ve had since Jono Wright. 5.5

3 ALI LEIATAUA: Had the most daunting task of the night marking up on Farnworth, who torched the Warriors down the stretch. Finished the night with nine tackles and nine misses. Very willing on attack with limited opportunities, racking up 125 metres from 14 runs with four tackle-breaks. 5.5

20 ADAM POMPEY: Drafted in at the last minute for Leka Halasima and it didn’t pan out well. An extravagantly dumb shoulder-charge from a kick-off return earned 10 minutes in the bin to surely deter potential suitors from getting him out of his contract a year early as rumoured. Was otherwise relatively sound but lacked impact and had a few problems with Jack Bostock in the fateful last 20 minutes. Eleven runs for 89 metres. 4

5 ALOFIANA KHAN-PEREIRA: A subpar end to the regular season fed into AKP’s finals debut. Gave away two first-half penalties (though was arguably unlucky to get done for kicking out while airborne) and was routinely buffeted the few times he ran the ball, which equated to 69 metres on seven carries. Capped the night with a mistimed jump as Bostock scored from a bomb. No chances to shine in attack. 4

6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA: Shouldered with the bulk of the long kicking load and was underwhelming overall in that department, including some too-shallow high balls in the second half. Forgettable night in the playmaking department and chalked up three errors, while he was burgled by Bostock for the game-clinching try. Six runs for 42 metres and busy defensively with 21 stops. 5

7 TE MAIRE MARTIN: Extremely well-contained by the Dolphins, who cut down TMM’s time. The veteran seemed to run out of ideas and started attacking far too laterally. Took the line on plenty — 12 runs for 82 metres, with nine tackle-breaks — and made some impressive tackles. Short kicking game was very hit and miss. 5.5

8 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS: Came out firing and led all forwards on the field with 168 metres (72 post-contact) from 20 runs in 59 minutes of gametime, on top of a massive 41-tackle contribution. Just wasn’t able to get the majority of his troops to follow his heroic lead this time. 8

9 WAYDE EGAN: Hard to remember such a subpar showing from the crafty rake. Looked off from early on with a couple of dusty passes — one which handed the Dolphins possession for their first try. Seven runs for 63 metres but generally seemed unable to get the Dolphins on the back foot like we’re used to seeing. Made 34 tackles with five misses. 5

10 MITCH BARNETT: Like his co-captain, did everything you’d expect of him with quality and intent. Made 136 metres on 16 runs and rattled off 30 tackles, relishing the rugged early exchanges. 7.5

11 KURT CAPEWELL: As with Egan, the big-game veteran seemed to return from the one-week rest pancake flat. The sin-binning was perhaps harsh, but otherwise got folded most times he carried the ball (eight runs for 48 metres), coupled 22 tackles with seven misses and made an error. 4.5

12 JACOB LABAN: A workhorse in defence with a team-high 42 tackles and was keen to get involved on attack, making 10 runs for 74 metres. But three errors and nine missed tackles chipped away at the good work — with a lazy effort as Farnworth scored and getting stood up by Tabuai-Fidow for the Dolphins’ go-ahead try especially glaring moments. 5.5

13 ERIN CLARK: Started with a hiss and a roar but faded out of the contest and was uncharacteristically anonymous overall. Decent work-rate with 12 runs for 105 metres and 34 tackles, but wasn’t the difference maker you’d expect in such an important game. 5.5

15 TANNER STOWERS-SMITH: Used unusually sparingly for two short stints totalling 25 minutes, struggling to make his usual impact with only six runs for 41 metres — by far his lowest of the season. Made 17 tackles. Unlucky to be credited with an error after getting a dog of a pass from Egan. 5

17 JACKSON FORD: Seemed to pick up where he left off 12 weeks ago, rumbling for 62 metres on eight carries before his comeback with cut short by a leg injury after 25 minutes. Gave away a penalty. 6

16 DEMITRIC VAIMAUGA: Couldn’t get enough of the fiery atmosphere and was the best of the Warriors’ bench forwards, busting seven tackles among his nine runs for 93 metres in 34 minutes. Also racked up 16 tackles without a miss. 7

14 SAM HEALEY: Came on for the last 17 minutes and immediately made a snappy dummy-half run, but that was his only chance to shine. Reeled off 11 tackles. 5

The Dolphins may have been playing the first post-season match in their existence, but they meted out a lesson finals footy to overrun the Warriors 26-16 in their own backyard via three tries in the last 20 minutes.

A tense, fiery and tight affair had the Warriors 16-8 in front at the hour mark at Go Media Stadium — with the home side slotting a bygone era-esque five penalty goals.

But when the Dolphins finally found a way to open the game up, the Warriors completely fell apart defensively and allowed the visitors to run roughshod.

Leka Halasima’s last-minute withdrawal was a blow compounded by his replacement’s brain explosion and general lack of impact. Three sin-binnings (two Warriors, one Dolphin) made for an eventful first half that didn’t incur any real scoreboard damage.

Predictable, unthreatening attack hampered the Warriors but was masked by the fact they led for more than 50 minutes. The depth and quality of the kicking game from Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin ultimately came home to roost (and was exacerbated by Isaiya Katoa’s booming boot), but it was an overwhelmingly subpar night across the board as a home preliminary final went begging.

The Warriors — and their jarred fanbase and the hapless folk that cover them in article and podcast format — are now left to sift through the wreckage of their sixth loss in seven finals matches (and sixth straight week one defeat) ahead of a sudden-death semi against the Knights.

A typically physical start — with both sides noticeably testy — garnered an early penalty goal apiece, along with an HIA exit for Tom Flegler from a Wiki-into-Soliola-like charge from Mitch Barnett.

Taine Tuaupiki again justified his retention in the fullback spot with the opening try after 15 minutes, getting the ball flat-footed then bumping and dancing his way past several Dolphins for a memorably finals try.

An astute Captain’s Challenge for a tackle on Barnett off the ball soon afterwards allowed Tuaupiki to knock over another penalty for a 10-2 lead.

But the Dolphins hit back through a slick backline shift after a dreadful Wayde Egan pass handed back cheap possession 30 metres out from the Warriors’ line. The Warriors’ right edge got it wrong and Herbie Farnworth’s tip-on gave Selwyn Cobbo a a cruisy run to the corner.

From the restart, perhaps the most inexplicable moment from Adam Pompey’s bulging catalogue of liability: a blatant cocked-elbow shoulder-charge to earn 10 minutes in the bin.

But the Warriors gamely defended a couple of sets on their own line, before the qualifying final exploded again. Isaiya Katoa should have been binned for sending Jackson Ford base over apex but wasn’t; instead Cobbo and Kurt Capewell were sent for a spell for the resultant melee.

The unnerving 12-on-11 scenario worked out fine for the Warriors, who bogarted possession for the rest of the half. A second try proved elusive, but another penalty on the bell provided a 12-8 lead at the break.

The Warriors were generally in control for the first half of the second stanza, knocking over a couple more penalties for a handy eight-point lead.

But when Herbie Farnworth weaved through for a trademark try off a ball that went to ground with 19 minutes left, the Warriors turned into a pack of Panicky Petes.

Their painstakingly built lead disappeared with 13 minutes to go from Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s kick-return break. Farnworth supported and popped a ball back for the ‘Hammer’ to stroll in.

A response from the Warriors never looked like materialising. The match was effectively over once Alofiana Khan-Pereira mistimed his jump to catch a bomb and Jack Bostock snaffled the ball from CHT to score with five minutes on the clock.

Shellshocked. Outenthused. Outplayed.

The Warriors seemed to revert to the overcautious and clunky attack that held them back at times in 2025; the regular season’s most potent offensive unit looked anything but.

It was a line-up screaming for Halasima and Dallin Watene-Zelenziak, though the latter’s return sets up an excruciating decision at fullback with Tuaupiki easily the Warriors’ best on the night. If fit, Luke Metcalf may came straight into the Team List Tuesday equation, while a rotation that doesn’t rely on both back-rowers playing the full 80 has to be considered by Andrew Webster.

Those fixes our supercoach spruiked as easy after last week’s escape don’t seem so straightforward from the outside now, though.

NRL FINALS WEEK ONE: Dolphins 26 defeated Warriors 16 (Taine Tuaupiki try; Tuaupiki 6 goals) at Go Media Stadium, Auckland.

The Storylines

The best regular season campaign in the Warriors’ 32-year history — an unprecedented 18 wins and an NRL-high, unprecedented tally of points — has culminated in a home qualifying final against the dangerous Dolphins.

After their peak showing against Penrith in Round 23 that put the rest of the premiership on notice, the Warriors finished the home-and-away rounds with three high-scoring wins over Souths (45-26), a 12-man Newcastle (46-32) and Manly (31-30) where their defensive standards fell away dramatically.

But they were also handicapped by constant changes in the halves and in the three-quarter line, while also doing enough to win those games via relentless attack and forward dominance.

The Dolphins are on finals debut in their fourth season, recovering from a horrific 66-0 loss to Cronulla to win their last seven games and finish third. Their late-season form spiked with a Round 26 win over the Roosters, but Kristian Woolf’s side was largely unimpressive scraping past Gold Coast 24-20 last weekend.

The overwhelming narrative from across the Tasman this week is the Dolphins are the team arguably most capable of exposing the defensive cracks that have emerged recently. But Andrew Webster has remained publicly unperturbed, claiming its an easy fix.

A jam-packed Go Media Stadium gives the Warriors their best opportunity to end an 18-year week one finals drought, with a home preliminary final fixture only an authoritative 80-minute performance away.

Ins and Outs

Jackson Ford returns from a 12-week layoff on the Warriors’ bench, bumping Eddie Ieremia-Toeava to the No.18 jersey.

Leka Halasima, Wayde Egan and Kurt Capewell return from a week off, while Taine Tuaupiki retains the fullback spot with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad staying on injured DWZ’s wing.

A full-strength Dolphins side welcomes back Selwyn Cobbo, Kodi Nikorima and Kulikefu Finefeuaki from one-week injury layoffs. Jake Averillo, Brian Pouniu and Tevita Naufahu all drop to the reserves.

The History

Overall record: Played 8 – Warriors won 4, Dolphins won 4; Warriors scored 174 points, Dolphins scored 172 points.
Biggest wins: Dolphins – won 34-10 at Suncorp Stadium, 2023; Warriors – won 30-8 at Mount Smart Stadium, 2023.
Longest winning streaks: 1 match.
Finals: None
Most appearances: Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) – 8; Isaiya Katoa (Dolphins) – 8; Connelly Lemuelu (Dolphins) – 8; Mitchell Barnett (Warriors) – 7; Kodi Nikorima (Dolphins) – 7; Marata Niukore (Warriors) – 7; Ray Stone (Dolphins) – 7; Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins) – 7; Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Warriors) – 7.
Most tries: Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) – 9; Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins) – 7; Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Warriors) – 7.
Most points: Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) – 82; Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins) – 28; Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Warriors) – 28; Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – 18.

The Stats

• The Warriors have lost five of their last six finals matches.

• The Warriors have not won a week one finals match since 2008, losing five straight since.

• The last six Warriors-Dolphins matches were decided by four points or less.

• Six of the teams’ eight clashes produced totals of 44 points or less.

• Jamayne Isaako has scored nine tries in eight games for the Dolphins against the Warriors; Herbie Farnworth has scored seven tries in six games in the rivalry and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has seven tries in seven games.

• The Warriors are ranked first in the NRL in attack (30.33 points per game) and second defensively (17.41), while the Dolphins are fifth (27.58) and fourth (21.08), respectively.

• The Warriors are on a six-match winning streak; the Dolphins have won their last seven games.

• The Warriors are 7-2 at Go Media Stadium in 2026, winning their last four.

• The Dolphins are 5-3 outside Queensland this season.

5 Key Match-ups

Taine Tuaupiki vs Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow: The Warriors fullback debate continues to swirl, but Tuaupiki gets the nod with DWZ leaving a gap on the wing for CNK to fill. Tuaupiki was brilliant at Mount Smart last week with a dazzling hat-trick — but the consensus is the Warriors are not as strong as a defensive collective with the livewire at the back. ‘The Hammer’ has proved an elite big-game player at Origin level, but his only previous finals matches were off the bench for the Cowboys in 2022.

Leka Halasima vs Jack Bostock: Bostock gave Adam Pompey a bath last time out and is yet to suffer a loss at any level in 2026. But he’s coming off a dusty showing against the Titans — and this time he faces up to the destructive Halasima, who has racked up 35 tackle-breaks in his five games since shifting to centre.

Te Maire Martin vs Isaiya Katoa: After a month out, TMM was sensational against Manly with three try assists and the second-last pass for the Warriors’ other three tries. His running game is also an underrated asset. Katoa, though, provides a clear advantage for the Dolphins with an elite long kicking game and cool-headed playmaking — but will the young captain handle the pressure of a finals debut?

Wayde Egan vs Jeremy Marshall-King: Two of craftiest No.9s in the game are set for a fascinating — and incredibly vital — duel on the finals stage. Adding to the intrigue, Egan has been touted as a possible Kiwis World Cup pick. Marshall-King, part of New Zealand’s squad last year, has been lauded for his 2026 form but only has one try assist while Egan boasts 12.

Erin Clark vs Morgan Knowles: Clark has cranked up a notch in recent weeks and was the best forward on the field last week — he looks primed for a huge finals series and has increased his ball-playing influence. British veteran Knowles has been an unsung hero for the Dolphins; he’s a defensive workhorse but has only made 100-plus running metres twice.

Last time they met

The Warriors suffered a third two-point loss in four matches, courtesy of a wild 26-24 result in favour of the Dolphins in Round 17 at a slippery Suncorp Stadium in front of more than 40,000.

The visitors led by eight after 20 minutes, trailed by eight with 20 minutes to go and gamely battled back to hit the front late through Sam Healey.

But with less than four minutes left to defend their hard-earned advantage, the Warriors surrendered it again excruciatingly easy as Selwyn Cobbo scrambled over for the leveller.

Jamayne Isaako nailed the match-winning conversion from out wide with two minutes left.

The Dolphins celebrated a gutsy result that saw them draw level with the Warriors in equal-second after losing No.7 linchpin Isaiya Katoa to injury midway through the first half. The Warriors fanbase’s post-match venting focused on diabolical displays from Adam Pompey and Ali Leiataua.

Why the Wahs will win: This is a daunting environment for the Dolphins to make their finals debut — and if the Warriors come out with the same intensity that characterised their iconic win over Penrith, they will have the visitors beaten in the first 20 minutes. If the Warriors’ middle forwards set the tone, everything else will fall into place.

Why the Wahs will lose: If the Warriors haven’t shored up their defensive frailties of recent weeks, the Dolphins are as well-equipped as any team in the NRL to exploit them. There’s plenty of pressure on the Warriors as a home favourite and they can’t afford to start slow again.

The Punt: Head to head — Warriors $1.55, Dolphins $2.45; Points start — Warriors -4.5; Total Line — 47.5 points.

Best Anytime Tryscorer Options: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad ($1.91); Jamayne Isaako ($2.05); Leka Halasima ($2.40); Herbie Farnworth ($2.70); Jacob Laban ($3.70); Te Maire Martin ($3.90); Max Plath ($5.50).

The Verdict: This rivalry has consistently delivered and that’s set to continue with the stakes raised. But in a watershed campaign, the Warriors have gone up a gear in their biggest games — in Melbourne, against Penrith at home — and seem laser-focused on doing the same again. They’ll be too strong with a tidal wave of support behind them. Warriors by 8

The Warriors’ youngest rivalry has already featured a golden point edition, a heroic short-handed upset and a last-minute match-winner.

Overall record: Played 8 – Warriors won 4, Dolphins won 4; Warriors scored 174 points, Dolphins scored 172 points.
Biggest wins: Dolphins – won 34-10 at Suncorp Stadium, 2023; Warriors – won 30-8 at Mount Smart Stadium, 2023.
Longest winning streaks: 1 match.
Finals: None
Most appearances: Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) – 8; Isaiya Katoa (Dolphins) – 8; Connelly Lemuelu (Dolphins) – 8; Mitchell Barnett (Warriors) – 7; Kodi Nikorima (Dolphins) – 7; Marata Niukore (Warriors) – 7; Ray Stone (Dolphins) – 7; Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins) – 7; Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Warriors) – 7.
Most tries: Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) – 9; Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins) – 7; Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Warriors) – 7.
Most points: Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) – 82; Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins) – 28; Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Warriors) – 28; Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – 18.

The Warriors’ connection with the Dolphins was fostered in the two seasons prior to the NRL’s 17th team came into the premiership in 2023.

Jettisoned in Australia by the pandemic and unable to field a NSW Cup team, Warriors-contracted players Tom Ale, Daejarn Asi, Rocco Berry, Josh Curran, Kane Evans, Jackson Fri, David Fusitu’a, Eliesa Katoa, Otukinekina and Valingi Kepu, Ed Kosi, Dunamis Lui, Freddy Lussick Marcelo Montoya, Jack Muchie, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Sean O’Sullivan, Taniela Otukolo, Aaron Pene, Hayze Perham, Pride Petterson-Robati, Adam Pompey, Junior Ratuva, Preston Riki, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Setu Tu, Paul Turner, Viliami Vailea, Ronald Volkman and Reece Walsh all turned out for Redcliffe Dolphins during the 2021-22 Queensland Cup seasons.

Meanwhile, the Warriors were permanently based in Redcliffe during 2022 – the last year of their COVID odyssey – and played their home games at the town’s Moreton Daily Stadium, most memorably with Shaun Johnson kicking golden point field goals against the Cowboys and Raiders there. Renamed Kayo Stadium, it would become one of the fledgling Dolphins NRL outfit’s home grounds the following season.

2023 – Big home wins in new rivalry’s first season

A Shaun Johnson masterclass led the Warriors to a 30-8 win in the inaugural meeting with the Dolphins at Mount Smart Stadium midway through 2023.

Johnson and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak completed doubles as the hosts turned a tenuous 6-4 halftime lead into a convincing victory.

With the club guaranteed a top-four finish, an under-strength Warriors side ventured to Suncorp Stadium in the final round. Dylan Walker captained a side containing NRL debutants Kalani Going and Paul Roache, with Ronald Volkman lining up at halfback.

Wayne Bennett’s out-of-contention Dolphins duly powered to a 34-10 win after leading 22-0 at the break.

2024-26 – Cliff-hangers abound

The rivalry tightened up in 2024. A week after their heroic Magic Round upset of Penrith, the patched-up Warriors – missing Taine Tuaupiki, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Addin Fonua-Blake and Wayde Egan from an already injury-ravaged side – recovered from a halftime deficit to grab a gutsy 24-20 home win over the Dolphins.

The Dolphins turned the tables in a Round 23 barnburner that crippled the Warriors’ shaky finals aspirations. The Warriors scored six tries to five at Suncorp Stadium as the match went into golden point, where ex-Warriors half Sean O’Sullivan buried a two-point field goal to snare a 34-32 triumph for the Dolphins.

In 2025, the Warriors held off a fast-finishing Dolphins outfit 16-12 in Brisbane with Luke Metcalf starring.

But a last-minute try to Kiwi Test winger Jamayne Isaako gave the Dolphins a pulsating 20-18 win in Auckland later in the season.

The Warriors went on to make the finals for the second time in three years, while the Dolphins faded late for the third consecutive season to miss the Top 8.

The clubs played out a scrappy Anzac Day thriller in Wellington in front of a 34,812-strong crowd in 2026.

The Dolphins got out to an 18-6 lead after 20 minutes thanks to a Jamayne Isaako double, but the Warriors clawed back and snatched a 20-18 victory via a try to Taine Tuaupiki and a clutch Tanah Boyd conversion with 19 minutes left.

The clubs played out yet another classic at Suncorp Stadium in Round 17.

The Dolphins overcame a 12-4 deficit and the loss of halfback Isaiya Katoa midway through the first half to lead 20-12. The Warriors dug in a rallied to a 24-20 lead with replacement hooker Sam Healey diving over five minutes from fulltime.

But with Adam Pompey and Ali Leiataua capping a calamitous collective performance, the home side reclaimed a short kick-off and levelled through winger Selwyn Cobbo’s second try. Jamayne Isaako buried the sideline conversion for a courageous 26-24 victory.

The burgeoning rivals secured top-four finishes in 2026 to set up a tantalising qualifying final in Auckland.

THEY PLAYED FOR BOTH CLUBS

Kodi Nikorima: Former Broncos hooker/half and Kiwi international Nikorima joined the Warriors midway through 2019, playing 59 games for the club with moderate results. He shifted to Souths during 2022 ahead of reuniting with Wayne Bennett for the Dolphins’ foundation season. Playing some of the best football of his career in the Dolphins’ No.6, the veteran has played 82 of the club’s 96 games to date.

Euan Aitken: Former St George Illawarra centre Aitken joined the Warriors in 2021 and made a successful transition to the second-row, winning the Simon Mannering Medal in 2022. But he sought a compassionate release from the club rather than moving to Auckland, instead becoming part of the Dolphins’ inaugural squad. After turning out in 36 games for the Dolphins in 2023-24, he followed Wayne Bennett to Souths.

Sean O’Sullivan: A handy contributor in 12 games for the Warriors in 2021, former Roosters and Broncos playmaker O’Sullivan joined the Panthers in 2022. He was the Dolphins’ No.7 in their debut win over the Roosters but was largely a back-up half or bench option thereafter, playing 28 NRL games in their first three seasons before linking with the Bulldogs in 2026.

Poasa Faamausili: Roosters prop Faamausili became the Warriors’ first loan player during their COVID-stricken 2020 season, making four appearances for the club. He played for the Dragons in 2021, turned out four times in the top grade during the Dolphins’ 2023 debut campaign and moved to the Bulldogs in 2024.

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