A second straight win has the Warriors' women's team off to a perfect start in its debut season in the NRL Touch Premiership.
After beating the Sydney Roosters 10-5 first up on May 5, the women - boosted by returning New Zealand World Cup representatives - held on in terrific contest to beat their Wests Tigers counterparts 8-7 at Rarotonga Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday.
It was touchdown for touchdown for most of the encounter, the game all locked up 7-7 with two minutes to play.
With the club's NRL players looking on and only 40 seconds left on the clock, the Warriors had the last possession of the match.
Sweeping downfield, they set up for one last shot and found a saviour in Savarna Asafo-Tavita, who held off defenders off slipped through between two of them to touch down for the winner as the final siren sounded.
The men prevailed 8-7 in a tense tussle against the Roosters three weeks ago and had an early 2-0 edge over the Tigers in their second outing.
The visitors, though, recovered to grab a commanding 6-3 lead midway through the second half until the Warriors closed it up to 5-6 in the dying stages (Andrew Bergin with four touchdowns). They couldn't level it, the Tigers going in again late for a 7-5 win.
The men and women are on the road next when they face the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Stadium in Robina.
The next home games are against the Parramatta Eels on Sunday, June 30 with the last two matches away to away to Brisbane on July 13 and Newcastle on July 26.
NRL PREMIERSHIP | WOMEN
Warriors 8 (Charlotte Davis 2, Savarna Asafo-Tavita 2, Princess Elliott, Isla Norman-Bell, Hayley Lee, Ariia Tainui-McIntrye touchdowns).
Wests Tigers 7 (Patricia Michaelopoulos 2, Courtney Young 2, Ashleigh Quinlan, Claire Tandek, Abbey Papenhuyzen touchdowns).
Halftime: 5-4 Warriors.
Warriors | Princess Elliott, Jessica Mahar, Isla Norman-Bell, Ariia Tainui-McIntyre, Codie Taute, Savarna Asafo-Tavita, Charlotte Davis, Jaymie Kolose, Janelle Cavanagh, Tay-A Antonievic, Meg Sycamore, Hayley Lee.
NRL TOUCH PREMIERSHIP | MEN
Warriors 5 (Andrew Bergin 4, Finlay Barnett touchdowns).
Wests Tigers 7 (Scott Buckley 2, James Blackwood, Daniel Stone, Jason Kazzi, Luke Cain, Robert Nakhla touchdowns).
Halftime: 3-2 Warriors.
Warriors | Andrew Bergin, Mita Graham, Matthew Sinclair, Maurice Stone, Sean Law, Shaquille Stone, Ashton Robinson-Bartlett, Finlay Barnett Winger, Tiaan McIntyre, Carlos Savage, Awa Morris, Ifor Jones.
