The Warriors have delivered yet another hard-fought victory, downing the Dolphins 24-20 in front of a sold out Auckland crowd.
The victory comes only a week after Andrew Webster’s side defeated the reigning premiers, the Panthers, during Magic Round.
The Warriors are without several superstars, including Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, but came back after conceding two early tries.
The first came from winger Jamayne Isaako, who soared high and over the sidelined before reaching out to ground the ball in impressive fashion.
Next came Herbie Farnworth who crashed through several defenders to get the ball down, but the Warriors wouldn’t lie down.l
Chanel Harris-Tavita crossed, flying onto a Marcelo Montoya pass after he reeled in a bomb kick to return serve.
Farnworth then had a hand in the next four-pointer, breaking New Zealand’s defensive line before finding Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who easily streaked past cover defenders.
Te Maire Martin then got his name on the score sheet, bringing the deficit back to four points and going into the break down 12-16.
Then to start the second half it was a see-sawing affair, with stand-in fullback Dallin Watene-Zelezniak the man to break the drought after 17 minutes.
Marata Niukore, who has been sidelined for majority of the season and only featuring once in Round 4, scored an all-important try to extend his side’s lead.
Niukore had been battling a foot fracture before appearing in his first game against the Knights, he then picked up a new foot injury before playing his second game against the Dolphins.
Isaako scored his second with only minutes left on the clock, but the Dolphins couldn’t get the job done.
Two weeks ago the Warriors’ season was on life-support, now they will have the entire competition looking over their shoulders.
Entering Magic Round they had just three wins from the opening ten rounds, yet a fortnight later the New Zealand team have scored gritty back-to-back victories against top four sides, the latest a 24-20 defeat of the Dolphins at a packed Go Media Stadium in Auckland.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who ran for 184 metres playing fullback, Te Maire Martin and backrowers Mitch Barnett and Jackson Ford were immense for a seriously undermanned home side.
Coming off one of the club’s greatest ever victories in last week’s 22-20 upset of premiers Penrith, the Warriors were always going to be under the pump tonight. Someone forgot to tell them.
The Warriors were forced to make several game day changes with first Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad ruled out through illness, before Taine Tuaupiki withdrew a few hours prior to kick-off to be with his partner ahead of the imminent birth of the couple’s first child. They then lost utility Paul Roache, who started at hooker, ten minutes into the match with an ankle complaint.
The trio’s absence causing further disruption to a team that had already lost Rocco Berry and Wayde Egan earlier in the week, while star prop Addin Fonua-Blake was unceremoniously dumped from the side on Thursday for “a breach of club standards” following last Sunday’s match.
On top of that, Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris, Kurt Capewell and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck remain sidelined, with no team looking forward to next week’s bye more. It’s a deserved break they will enter with renewed confidence.
