A third consecutive win eluded the One New Zealand Warriors when they lost 24-32 in their sixth-round SG Ball Cup (under-19) clash against Illawarra at Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe today.
The match was the second leg of the Warriors' momentous pathways triple header which also featured their Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) and Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) sides.
The Grant Pocklington-coached under-19s were coming off wins over South Sydney and Balmain which had edged them into the top six but the Steelers promised to be much tougher opposition.
They won their first four matches of the season before their first loss to Penrith last week.
For much of today’s contest there was little in it with the Steelers holding a 16-10 lead at halftime.
Match: Warriors v Steelers
Round 6 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Steelers
Venue: Navigation Home Stadium, Pukekohe
The home side drew back to 16-16 in the second half before the Steelers went ahead 22-16 only for the Warriors to lock it up again at 22-22 and then edge into a 24-22 lead with a penalty.
They couldn’t hold onto it, though, as Illawarra finished off with two tries for an eight-point win in a high-scoring encounter producing 56 points.
The result saw the Steelers climb to third while the One New Zealand Warriors dropped a spot to seventh.
Next up they face the 10th-placed Canberra Raiders who had a sensational 44-4 win over Penrith yesterday.
