New Zealand Warriors beat North Queensland Cowboys 35-18 in NRL round 17 clash at Mt Smart Stadium

THE Warriors were at their attacking best, while the Cowboys clearly missed their Origin stars in a lopsided contest at Mt Smart Stadium.

Ray Thompson

AFTER watching the Warriors' 16-point lead over the Cowboys almost disappear at Mt Smart Stadium, Brian McClennan thought his team were in trouble.

With fresh memories of his side's stumble against the Sharks, McClennan was justified in fearing the worst when North Queensland pulled within a try midway through the second spell.

But, this time, the Warriors refused to panic and dominated the rest of the encounter to earn a 35-18 win and revive their stuttering season.

A double from Ben Henry and Konrad Hurrell's eighth try in six matches staked the Warriors to a 16-0 lead after just 13 minutes, but that only spurred the Cowboys into a prolonged period of control.

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Despite losing four starters to Origin duty, the visitors battled back to trail 22-18 and were threatening to severely dent the Warriors' finals ambitions.

"They went through that period and I thought they had the momentum in a big way," McClennan said. "They were winning territory with their kicks and they were playing a bit fast for us.

"I thought, 'Geez, we're in trouble'."

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His players evidently shared none of that apprehension, showing a maturity and direction that has been largely lacking this campaign. Once their opposition finally ceded territory, the Warriors didn't snatch at the chance but played patiently and built pressure through four repeat sets.

The Cowboys' tackle count rose and the strain eventually told, with Nathan Friend darting over from dummy-half to all-but clinch the crucial two points.

"What I was really pleased about was, once we got our chance with some good ball we stayed mature with it all," McClennan said. "We got four repeat sets in a row and we ended up breaking the ice and got a flood of points. That's where we want to head with our team - to stay nice and calm with it and make sure that we keep pressure on when it becomes our turn to have a bit of momentum."

Simon Mannering denied the memories of the Sharks' game entered his head when the going got tough but said he almost expected a repeat of the Warriors' woes of recent weeks, even in the early stages when the depleted Cowboys were of no match for some clinical attacking play.

"At the start of the game we were going pretty good but we knew it wasn't going to last for the whole game," he said.

"They're a side that were always going to come back - it was just a matter of, when they did, making sure that we matched them. We sort of let off a bit and let them back in it but we knew if we just got back into the swing of things that good things would come off the back of it."

WARRIORS 35 (B Henry 2 L Brown N Friend K Hurrell J Lillyman tries J Maloney 5 goals J Maloney field goal) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 18 (G Cooper A Graham K Linnett tries M Bowen 3 goals) at Mt Smart Stadium. Referee: Brett Suttor, Ashley Klein.