The patched-up Warriors had their hearts broken 20-18 by the Dolphins in a potentially damaging result to their top-four hopes, conceding a last-minute try at Mount Smart Stadium.
Missing top-liners Wayde Egan, Chanel Harris-Tavita, James Fisher-Harris and Demetric Vaimauga on top of long-term injured group Mitch Barnett, Luke Metcalf, Rocco Berry and Ali Leiataua, the Warriors were on course for a famous rearguard win after clawing from 16-6 down to cling to a two-point lead until the dying seconds.
Statistically, the Warriors laid a platform for victory. The hosts enjoyed 52 percent possession, completed at 83 percent to the Dolphins’ 80 percent, won the run metres (1,925 to 1,736), post-contact metres (653 to 530) and average set distance (44.78 to 42.35) counts, and finished on the better side of the penalty (6-5) and set restart (4-2) counts.
The Dolphins were more dangerous with the ball in hand, however, making nine line-breaks to three and finishing just ahead tackle-break-wise (46 to 44).
The agonising defeat – their fourth in six games – leaves the fourth-placed Warriors just one point ahead of surging Penrith and two in front of Brisbane and Cronulla with five rounds left.
Mount Smart misery
The Warriors faithful have been routinely selling out Mount Smart Stadium for almost three years, but the magnificent home-ground support is not translating into results for Andrew Webster’s side.
The Warriors are 4-4 at their fortress in 2025 – after now losing four of their last five at Mount Smart.
Last season they finished with a 50 percent record at the hallowed venue, winning four and drawing one of nine matches. The Warriors have two more crunch matches at home remaining, against St George Illawarra in Round 24 and Parramatta in Round 26.
Encouragingly ahead of a huge clash with third-placed Canterbury this weekend, the Warriors have won a club-record six straight matches in NSW – including all five matches in the state so far this season.
Roger racks up the metres again
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s metre-eating madness continued in Round 22 with an unbelievable 335 metres from 27 runs against the Dolphins – one of the highest-ever single-game tallies for a winger.
RTS previously held the NRL record when he churned through 369 metres from fullback in a golden point game against Brisbane in 2019.
The veteran’s barnstorming performance against the Dolphins lifted his 2025 average to 210.5 metres per game, second in the NRL among players who have made more than one appearance behind only Penrith fullback Dyland Edwards (221.2).
Tuivasa-Sheck has topped 250 metres in four straight games
Leka on the cusp of history
With at least five matches of the regular season remaining, Leka Halasima has equalled the Warriors’ club record for most tries in a season by a forward. The second-row freak’s aerial effort against the Dolphins was his seventh try in eight games and the fifth match in a row he has dotted down.
Boasting 10 tries for the year, Halasima is on course to become the first forward to top the Warriors’ season leaderboard – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and injured Luke Metcalf are next on the club’s 2025 try table with eight.
MOST TRIES IN A SEASON BY A WARRIORS FORWARD (1995-2025)
10 – Logan Swann (2001)
10 – Ali Lautiiti (2002)
10 – Leka Halasima (2025)*
9 – Logan Swann (2003)
9 – Wairangi Koopu (2005)
9 – Simon Mannering (2014)
9 – Addin Fonua-Blake (2023)
8 – Elijah Taylor (2013)
8 – Addin Fonua-Blake (2024)
7 – Logan Swann (1999)
7 – Ali Lauitiiti (1999)
7 – Ali Lauitiiti (2000)
7 – Ian Henderson (2008)
*season still active
Dallin rises up leaderboard
Though less potent so far in 2025 than previous team-leading seasons, cult hero winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak’s first double of the season lifted him to equal-seventh in the club’s history with 57 career tries.
Ex-Penrith and Canterbury flyer DWZ, whose tally for the Warriors has come in just 79 appearances, could easily push up into the top five by the end of the campaign. He has scored five tries in 10 games this season.
MOST TRIES IN WARRIORS HISTORY (1995-2025)
152 – Manu Vatuvei
79 – Shaun Johnson
77 – Stacey Jones
63 – Simon Mannering
61 – David Fusitu’a
60 – Francis Meli
57 – Lance Hohaia
57 – Clinton Toopi
57 – Dallin Watene-Zelezniak*
54 – Jerome Ropati
*player still active
Number crunchers
- RTS aside, a handful of Warriors impressed with their stats against the Dolphins:
- Promoted to fullback in a late change, Taine Tuaupiki made 19 runs for 185 metres with six tackle-breaks and two try involvements.
- Erin Clark’s mighty season continued with 195 metres on 18 carries, two offloads and 35 tackles.
- Jackson Ford was a workhorse up front as per usual with a team-high 40 tackles and 17 runs for 147 metres.
- Stand-in hooker Sam Healey took his chance with 11 runs for 100 metres, four tackle-breaks, two offloads and 38 tackles.
- Kurt Capewell impressed in his back-row return with 31 tackles and 13 runs for 125 metres with five tackle-breaks.
- While remaining somewhat erratic, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak complemented his two tries with seven tackle-breaks and 17 runs for 178 metres.
