NRL TEAMS - 2024 Round 4
3 days ago | LeagueUnlimited Media
The Warriors have proved victorious at Mt Smart Stadium this afternoon, comfortably accounting for Brisbane 36-18, consigning the 2015 Grand Finalists to their third straight loss.
15,000 fans packed into the Auckland venue not sure what to expect with a patchy last two months for the Warriors - and their unpredictability caught the Broncos off-guard early with the hosts dominating early ball.
The Shaun Johnson show was the theme of the day - and he opened with a stunner in the 9th minute, dummying before the line and fooling each Brisbane defender to draw first blood. He converted and the Warriors looked the goods.
As good hosts do, they continued to put on a party for the Broncos and in the 15th minute the Warriors linked up for a superb team try, Bodene Thompson on the back of a great break from Solomone Kata, and while Kata was dragged down by Darius Boyd, the ball quickly found Johnson who grubbered, regathered and turned it inside for Thompson to cross.
The floodgates looked wide open in the 21st minute when a cheeky Issac Luke grubber found the goalpost padding - and an untouched Jacob Lillyman, to earn the Warriors their third of the afternoon. Johnson's conversion had the home side ahead 18-0 inside 25 minutes.
Despite the lethargic start, the Broncos were by no means out of the contest - Alex Glenn eventually getting the visitors on the board at the half-hour mark. Corey Parker's conversion landed well to cut the Warriors' lead to 12, but it could've been even smaller if two Brisbane scoring opportunities weren't controversially called back for forward passes by referee Henry Perenara in the shadows of halftime.
Leading 18-6 at the change of ends, the Warriors were keen to open the second half the same way they had begun the first - and they delivered. Back to back tries from the restart of play saw the 18-6 lead push out to 28-6, with David Fusitua scoring a pearler in the corner before Ryan Hoffman cut through the Brisbane defence with ease.
Brisbane hit back at the 60-minute mark, with Jordan Kahu teaching Manu Vatuvei a valuable lesson about shepherding grubbers dead by getting his fingertips to it for a try, but the Warriors hit back minutes later with two more tries to seal the result - Fusitua bagging his second and Solomone Kata capping a solid performance with a rampagning try down the left side, putting the hosts 36-12 ahead.
Tevita Pangai Junior secured his first NRL try as a consolation for the Broncos in the final 90 seconds for the final margin to read 18 points.
Brisbane now head home to host an in-form Canberra at Suncorp next Thursday, while the Warriors are off to Newcastle to face the last-placed Knights on Saturday.
-
Venue:
Crowd:
Halftime Score: