Nailbiting New Zealand Warriors win leaves rival’s finals hopes in tatters

The New Zealand Warriors have fought back from a 10-point halftime deficit to all but extinguish the Wests Tigers’ finals hopes.

The Warriors have snapped their seven-game winning streak. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

The Tigers’ finals hopes are in tatters after star fullback Daine Laurie suffered a suspected season-ending right ankle fracture in the opening minute of a disastrous 18-16 loss to the inspired and brave Warriors.

When Laurie, the shining light in a dark season for Wests, was assisted from the field the gloom was palpable on coach Michael Maguire’s face high in the coaches box at Suncorp Stadium. It was well justified concern and the pressure from a loss they could not afford to have will only increase scrutiny on Maguire.

Veteran Peta Hiku returned early from shoulder surgery to captain the Warriors side and said pre-game he was determined to lead with the spirit of former skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck as inspiration. Hiku delivered on his promise against a lethargic Tigers outfit that don’t deserve to play finals football based on this dire performance. It was one of the Warriors’ bravest wins.

The Tigers collapsed in a screaming heap in the second half. Leading 10-nil at the break, they clocked off as the Warriors came storming home.

Wests were complacent and the Warriors made them pay with barnstorming centre turned back-rower Euan Aitken and Bunty Afoa charging over. Aitken snaffled a short Luke Brooks dropout – retro style like Mark Geyer in the 1991 grand final – to give the Warriors an 18-10 lead. They hung on.

An early injury to young fullback Daine Laurie gave Tigers fans cause for concern. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Maguire gutted

“We are all very disappointed. It is a big moment for all of us,” a devastated Maguire said after the game.

“You work every week to give yourself an opportunity and the second half was not what we planned.

“It got frantic. We have the opportunity next week to put ourselves back into a potential finals contention. It makes it hard but we will fight.”

Maguire confirmed the news on his gun fullback was not good.

“It’s a broken leg so he will have to go to hospital,” he said.

Roger that

The Warriors were only able to name 20 players for the clash earlier in the week, but didn’t turn it up.

A season that started with such promise went south largely due to a massive injury toll. When Tuivasa-Sheck was farewelled from rugby league on Thursday with a haka it was not a goodbye to belief or guts. With at least seven of the Warriors’ regular starting 13 out, the rest lifted.

Coach Nathan Brown said the spirit of Tuivasa-Sheck was with his team.

“One thing Roger always did was compete well and he showed great leadership at the club, and I think the boys wanted to put a good one in for his departure,” he said.

“Don’t forget Leeson Ah Mau was one of the most consistent players in the game and one of the game’s great human beings that we also lost as well.

“It is a result that is good for our young players and the fans back in New Zealand who got to see a new generation of player they are going to get to support.

“We had a number of young guys whose backsides were hanging out and then they got a second wind. They should get some confidence out of that.”

Ben Cummins (C) refereed his 400th NRL game on Friday night. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

A play that summed up the Tigers’ attitude was when Joe Ofahengaue played the ball on the Warriors’ tryline at the death with no dummy-half in place.

For the second time this year, Brooks thought he had scored the winning try only to be overruled by the bunker when a charge down was correctly ruled to have struck his arm.

This was the moment the Tigers, stuck on 14 points and two wins outside the top eight, had to seize but they fluffed their lines.

Laurie had blazed the path for them this year with his 13 linebreaks and 13 linebreak assists creating plenty of spark. When he left the field, the light went out in Tigertown.

Maguire insisted he was still the man to lead the Tigers forward.

“We are judged by what happens on the field so we will come back together and find our game,” he said.

“I have a group of young men I have blooded over a period of time and they are having experiences, sometimes high and sometimes low.

“They are going through a lot of experiences that are going to be the making of what this group is about.”

Euan’s new gig

Warriors coach Nathan Brown says Euan Aitken could find himself in the second-row on a permanent basis after a man of the match display in the forwards against the Tigers.

Aitken, usually a centre, switched to the second-row due to the number of injured forwards at the club and scored two tries in the 18-16 upset win over the Tigers in a blockbusting display.

The former Dragon made 118m, six tackle busts and 33 tackles in a wholehearted display that had Brown looking to the future.

“He was outstanding and sadly for Euan he might have found a new home,” Brown grinned.

“For our club Euan being able to play there (is vital) when we have got (Matt) Lodge, Addin (Fonua-Blake) and Tohu (Harris) and all those blokes in a big pack.

“Euan offers some leg speed to our team and some versatility, and we have got some exciting young backs coming through.

“It is certainly something we will be talking to Euan about. He might not be very happy about it, but it was certainly a very good performance among some very good young players.”

The Warriors are four points outside the eight and unlikely to figure in finals football unless they can conjure a miraculous five wins on the trot. They can be spoilers for other finals hopefuls though in the run home that includes the Sharks, Bulldogs, Broncos, Warriors and Raiders.

“After Souths when we got a touch-up our whole point was to finish the year off strong and get some of our young players experience so they can build into pre-season and understand what first grade is all about,” Brown said.

“We also wanted to win some games. We certainly haven’t put the cue in the rack to say we don’t want to win, but we also have the future of the club to look at too.

“Some clubs have been on the phone to offer to loan us players and we are very grateful, but loaning players is not going to help us build our club for next year.

“I’d like to win with our own players but Sticky (Ricky Stuart) at the Raiders and Hook (Anthony Griffin) at the Dragons have been really good to say they have some players if we need them, which is great because we couldn’t name a full (21-man) squad this week.”

Brown was stoked with the leadership of Cowboys-bound Peta Hiku as skipper against the Tigers after inspirational leader Roger Tuivasa-Sheck returned to New Zealand during the week. Hiku returned early from shoulder surgery to fill the leadership void and did a stellar job.

“He did great for us, and the fact that he rehabbed himself to get back when he has a two-year contract to go to,” Brown said.

“It shows why he is such a popular fella amongst his teammates and with the situation we were in it was an easy choice for Peta to be captain.”

Originally published as Nailbiting New Zealand Warriors win leaves rival’s finals hopes in tatters