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A powerful performance against the Sydney Roosters has catapulted the 2024 premiership-winning One New Zealand Warriors within a win of making the Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) grand final for the second year running.
A week ago they gave up what ought to have been a match-winning 24-6 lead to lose 24-26 to the Roosters in their final regular season clash against the Roosters in Pukekohe.
With the Roosters finishing second and the Warriors third it ensured the two sides would meet again in week one of the finals.
Bent on avenging last week’s disappointing effort, the Warriors were in no mood to be charitable to the Roosters again.
Two tries midway through the first half were just reward for their efforts.
First Alapati Soagia embarrassed the Roosters’ defensive line in the 13th minute. He appeared to be covered but shrugged off a defender and darted through a hole on an angled run from 10 metres out.
Match: Roosters v Warriors
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Warriors
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Five minutes later brute power was on full display as second rower Bishop Neal blasted through multiple defenders after running from dummy half.
A lead of 10-0 increased close to halftime when impressive hooker Dreytin Marriott, a constant threat with his sniping runs, exploded out of dummy half to score from close range.
A 16-0 lead at the break was well earned as the Warriors put enormous pressure on the Roosters’ goal-line.
Their defence was their strength in the second half as they kept turning the Roosters away until the 48th minute when Charlie Webb, son of former Warriors and Kiwi fullback Brent Webb, finished off a sweeping attack.
The Roosters wouldn’t score again. Even when they had opportunities they were stopped by the resilient Warriors.
There wasn’t a better example than eight minutes from time when Roosters fullback Triston Ross was rocketing towards the line only for Warriors winger Alexander Pua to pull off a brilliant try-saving tackle.
On the next play, halfback Lachlan Metcalfe hoisted a cross-field bomb wide to the right. With the heat on him Warriors winger Hinckley Ioka not only defused the threat on his own line, but skipped away from two defenders and then sent his centre partner Parekaahu Keepa on a thrilling 80-metre surge to score to absolutely seal success.
The result gives the Warriors next week off before they line up in the preliminary final in two weeks.
