Warriors power home for historic victory in Ōtautahi's new whare
A comprehensive second-half performance subdued the Cowboys' challenge at One New Zealand Stadium.
The Warriors arrested a two-game slide and marked One New Zealand Stadium’s NRL debut with a 38-20 defeat of North Queensland Cowboys.
The 25,365-strong crowd rode the Warriors home as they turned a tenuous 14-10 halftime lead into a comfortable win, scoring four tries to two after the break.
Fill-in winger Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad had a day out with the first four tries of the match, but it was the touches of class from all four members of the spine and a typically dominant display from the Warriors’ middles that underpinned an important result.
The surrogate home team needed just six minutes to get on the board after winning the middle early and earning a couple of penalties.
After threatening on the left edge a couple of times, the Warriors went back there and a slick passing exchange sent winger Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad over. Soon afterwards — with the Cowboys on the ropes again — Wayde Egan’s cut-out ball from dummy-half near the line sent CNK over for his second.
A third try beckoned in the ensuing set when Egan cut through, but a sensational Scott Drinkwater intercept saved the day when Taine Tuaupiki seemed certain to score under the posts.
After a couple of missed Warriors chances, Drinkwater delivered on the attacking side of the ball with a long (possibly forward) pass for Braidon Burns to stroll in.
The scoreboard was locked up after 26 minutes following a Jake Clifford 40/20…and Drinkwater again imparted his influence, scythed through for a solo try.
Jacob Laban proved his aerial prowess near the Cowboys’ line but denied by a slight knock-on as he reached out to score. The Warriors hit the front again six minutes before halftime courtesy of a beautiful cut-out from Chanel Harris-Tavita, which allowed Nicoll-Klostad to streak away for a maiden NRL hat-trick.
A dream first-half four-try haul was denied by a forward-pass call as the Warriors continued to stretch the Cowboys’ right edge to breaking point.
Given the Warriors’ 61 percent share of possession, the 14-10 scoreline at halftime was something of a moral victory for the Cowboys.
Following near misses early in the second half for both sides, CNK had his fourth — just the ninth Warriors player ever to achieve the feat — thanks to yet another classy shift from Martin, CHT and Adam Pompey, who subsequently nailed the sideline conversion.
A phenomenal in-goal try-saver from TMM on Jaxson Purdue preceded a dangerous tackle from Jason Taumalolo on Tuaupiki that earned 10 minutes in bin. Shortly afterwards, Martin’s vision delivered a try for Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and a 26-10 scoreline for the Warriors.
The Cowboys stayed in the contest with 18 minutes to go with Drinkwater again delivering for Burns.
But after a nervous period for the Warriors, they sealed the result when Burns couldn’t handle a bomb on his goal-line and Pompey swooped through to score.
Jeremiah Nanai busted through for an impressive consolation solo try in the latter stages.
The Warriors retained their outright second standing on the NRL ladder — as well as closing the gap on the competition-leading Panthers, who were tipped up by the Titans — ahead of a Suncorp Stadium blockbuster against the third-placed Dolphins.