Warriors buck form and Broncos for vital win

By Michael Burgess

What a difference a week makes.

From the depths of despair last weekend – with one of the worst defeats in club history – the Warriors responded on Saturday with one of their best performances of 2024.

It was still shaky at times but they led from start to finish, producing some sparkling tries and tough defence, to claim a vital 32-16 victory over the Brisbane Broncos.

The energy and connection were back, along with the conviction and purpose on defence, while they attacked with vigour and skill.

A win was non-negotiable – given their position on the ladder and the dismal display against the Titans – but it was far from a foregone conclusion.

The Warriors sprung to a 16-0 lead after 27 minutes but the 2023 grand finalists are a resilient team and the match was in the balance for long periods of the second half.

But the Warriors were good enough to get the job done, in front of another large 22,711 crowd.

It’s a vital tonic, probably the most important win of the season so far.

They are far from the finished product but at least have a platform to build on again, with one more game (against the Bulldogs in Sydney) before the bye.

Halfback Te Maire Martin was superb – involved in almost every try – while Chanel Harris-Tavita grabbed two himself and kicked well. Mitch Barnett made his presence felt upon his return while Addin Fonua-Blake and Dylan Walker were other standouts in an impressive forward effort.

After the humiliation on the Gold Coast, the Warriors made a statement with their first set of the match. It was better than any six-tackle sequence they managed last Saturday, as they rolled more than 50 metres up the field.

It was also a sign of things to come, as they completely dominated the first 25 minutes. It was almost cruel at times, as the Broncos were camped in their own territory, undone by errors, penalties, repeat sets and dynamic play by the home side.

That lifted them to a 16-0 lead – though there was a nagging feeling it should have been more, as the Warriors enjoyed 70% possession and forced the Broncos to make almost three times as many tackles.

Harris-Tavita slid across for the first try in the ninth minute, after a sharp pass from Martin. The halfback doubled the advantage five minutes later, showing good awareness from close range. The third try was a marvel, as Harris-Tavita got to a Martin grubber when it didn’t seem possible, the local product showing pure desire to force the ball ahead of a defender.

Around that were further opportunities; Adam Pompey was twice denied by brilliant defence, while the Warriors couldn’t make the most of chances on the right edge, with the execution not quite there.

To rub salt in, the Broncos replied with a relatively soft try, as Deine Mariner took advantage of another poor bomb defusal by the home side.

It looked like Harris-Tavita had claimed a hat trick just before halftime, before his try was scratched for obstruction.

Things turned in the second half, as they were always going to. Momentum shifted, helped by penalties, repeat sets and a superb 40-20 kick by Ezra Mam. The Broncos were unlucky not to score twice, with a close forward pass call and a fractional knock on, after a last-ditch Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad tackle (which was later judged a shoulder charge). They eventually got over with Mariner’s second, after they outflanked the left edge.

The Warriors got some breathing space with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s lovely try, off a perfectly judged Martin grubber but it didn’t last long, with impressive Kiwi-born interchange forward Xavier Willison smashing his way over to bring the margin back to six points with 15 minutes to play.

That brought the nerves back for the crowd, before Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored the try of the match, soaring through the air off a long run-up to claim a Martin chip that hung perfectly in the air. That released the pressure valve and a strong run from Dylan Walker gave momentum, before a clever double round saw Mitch Barnett put Freddy Lussick across to seal the deal.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission