Warriors sound NRLW warning with Bulldogs beatdown
The Warriors wāhine opened their campaign with a seven-tries-to-two victory in Hamilton.
The Warriors have backed up pre-season NRLW finals contender predictions with an authoritative 32-10 win over Canterbury Bulldogs at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium in Sunday’s Round 1 clash.
After a clunky, ill-disciplined start from the home side, the class and impetus of star recruit Gayle Broughton and veteran fullback and captain Apii Nicholls took hold.
The Warriors were physically dominant across the park, with their interchange contingent especially strong in a one-sided engine-room battle.
The Warriors were caned 6-0 in the penalty count during the first 15 minutes — the last of those blown resulting in Kiwi Ferns prop Mya Hill-Moana, whose club debut was delayed by a year due to the birth of her son, being sent to the sin-bin for a hip drop.
But while they were a player short, the Warriors opened the scoring via a brilliant solo try to ex-Brisbane Broncos playmaker Broughton.
Broughton, the 2025 Dally M Five-eighth of the Year, then fired a sizzling pass for centre Emmanita Paki to score for a 10-0 lead the Warriors would hold until halftime.
The hosts went up a gear in a blistering start to the second half. Within seven minutes of the resumption, Nicholls had provided the assist for Paki’s second and a try to Tysha Ikenasio (who shifted to the wing when Payton Takimoana departed with a shoulder injury late in the first half), then combined with Broughton and Paki to send winger Lavinia Tauhalaliku over.
Canterbury provided some belated resistance in the ensuing period, but an individual effort close to the line from impressive halfback Patricia Maliepo pushed the score out to 28-0 with 15 minutes left.
The Bulldogs got on the board when New Zealand Test forward Alexis Tauaneai finished off a great movement featuring multiple offloads, but Broughton put the exclamation point on a dominant display with a lovely cut-out ball for Tauhalaliku to grab her second.
The visitors would have the last say, however, with centre Monica Tagoai going over in the shadows of the siren.
While Broughton and Nicholls were a cut above and a mouth-watering taste of the campaign ahead, former Australian rugby union Test halfback Jasmin Huriwai was one of the more notable individual performers.
The Auckland-born 32-year-old, formerly a NSW Women’s Premiership outside-back with St Marys, shone after coming off the bench at dummy-half and later as a middle forward when starting hooker Capri Paekau returned to the fray. She had a big hand in Ikenasio’s try.
Experienced prop Harata Butler (14 runs for 142 metres) was a massive handful for the Bulldogs’ defence, as was fellow bench forward Laishon Albert-Jones (nine runs for 79 metres) before she was forced off injured.
Tauhalaliku racked up a team-high 144 metres from 13 runs to go with her brace of tries, while she and Maliepo both tallied five tackle-breaks. Lock Ashelee Matapo (23) topped the tackle count ahead of second-rower Maarire Puketapu (22) and Paekau (21).
Ron Griffiths’ side now looks ahead to a Round 2 road trip to Canberra next Sunday, taking on a Raiders outfit who were convincing 20-4 winners over St George Illawarra Dragons yesterday.