Warriors cast Magic Round spell on battered Broncos amid Boyd heartbreak

An authoritative 30-point win was clouded by a terrible injury caveat dripping with unbelievable irony.

The Warriors bullied and finessed their way to a 42-12 win over a helpless, ill-disciplined Brisbane Broncos outfit to be crowned the kings of Magic Round.

But in the continuation of a story arc that would make a Shortland Street writer blush, a scarcely believable injury setback with the scoreboard still reading nil-all ensured that Luke Metcalf will continue to dominate Warriors-related headlines for at least another week.

The Warriors’ brilliant, bruising victory was achieved after newly-anointed long-term No.7 Tanah Boyd suffered a suspected ACL injury after just seven minutes in gut-wrenching scenes.

Te Maire Martin stepped into the breach and had a blinder, laying on two tries and scoring another, while the Warriors outmatched the depleted defending premiers right across the park

The visitors — who must have felt very much at home in the Broncos’ city thanks to a colossal Warriors contingent at Suncorp Stadium — battered their opponents into submission with tough, clinical, high-percentage footy.

The Warriors enjoyed 55 percent possession, completed at 87 percent (to the Broncos’ 80 percent) and won the penalty count 13-5. Six Warriors forwards racked up triple-figure run-metre tallies; only two members of the Broncos’ engine-room did the same.

Leading 22-0 at halftime, they only very briefly looked capable of being run down as the Broncos found some holes early in the second half.

The Warriors regrouped from the crushing Boyd blow to get on the scoreboard first.

Making a mountain of possession at the Broncos’ end count, a brilliant floating pass from halfback fill-in Martin gave Dallin Watene-Zelezniak the opportunity to dive in for a trademark acrobatic finish.