Beset by injuries and bogged down by the slippery Sydney conditions, the Warriors were overrun 32-14 by heavyweights Canterbury Bulldogs on Saturday.
The Bulldogs always looked in control after building a 20-2 halftime lead, with a two-tries-apiece second half barely enough to get Warriors’ fans heartrates above resting on a gloomy night.
The Warriors had just 44 percent possession and were restricted to a season-low 974 running metres, while they failed to make a line-break and broke just 14 tackles. The Bulldogs made six line-breaks and 44 tackle-breaks.
An average set distance of just 26.35 metres (the Bulldogs posted just 27.46 metres per set) reflected the dreadful weather and compounded what was a bleak watch. Conceding five ruck infringements to two (which were both in the dying minutes during the same set) also hampered the sloppy, rudderless Warriors’ attempts to get back into the contest.
The Warriors have now lost five of their last seven game – including three in a row for the first time in 2025 – and have dropped out of the top four for the first time since Round 6.
Bulldogs bite back in rivalry
The Warriors won a record-equalling six straight games against Canterbury from 2019-23 (matching the Bulldogs’ six consecutive wins from 2004-07), but the Bulldogs have regained control of the rivalry since reemerging as an NRL force last year.
Cameron Ciraldo has now won three battles of the former Penrith assistant coaches against Andrew Webster in succession, backing up victories at Accor Stadium (13-12) and Mount Smart (34-18) last year with Saturday’s wet-weather win.
The result also snapped the Warriors’ six-game winning run in NSW and was just their third defeat in 10 games in Australia in 2025.
Roger reignites tryscoring race
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s late intercept try against the Bulldogs gave him nine for the season (from just 14 games), closing to within one of shock leader Leka Halasima.
Enjoying an outstanding season on the wing on several fronts, the metre-gobbling RTS has already achieved his highest season tally since scoring 10 tries from fullback for the Warriors in 2017 and has his career-best return – 12 tries from 27 games for Sydney Roosters in 2015 – in his sights.
The injured Luke Metcalf (eight), and backline mainstays Adam Pompey and Chanel Harris-Tavita (both seven) are next on the Warriors’ 2025 tryscoring leaderboard, with 2022-24 top tryscorer Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (five) remaining capable of a late surge to retain the crown.
Tackling machines
After doing a mountain of defensive work at Accor Stadium on Saturday, five Warriors players are among the NRL’s top 50 for average tackles per game in 2025.
Injured hooker Wayde Egan (42.0 tackles per game, seventh) leads the way, while middle-forward quartet Jackson Ford (35.7, 33rd), James Fisher-Harris (34.7, equal-40th), Erin Clark (34.7, equal-40th) and Mitch Barnett (34.2, 45th), who is sidelined for the rest of the year with an ACL injury, have been working overtime without the ball.
Kurt Capewell continues to head the NRL’s total missed tackles table with 92 – 15 clear of second-placed Wests Tigers hooker Api Koroisau.
Warriors and Saints confront Mount Smart bogeys
Friday’s crunch game between the freefalling Warriors and resurgent St George Illawarra Dragons, who are still a slim Top 8 hope, sees both teams looking to turn around trends at Mount Smart Stadium.
The Warriors have lost four of their last five at their home base, continuing a frustrating record of just eight wins and a draw in 18 matches at Mount Smart since the beginning of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Saints are striving for their first win at the venue since 2011 – most recently going down 18-6 in late-2023. They have chalked up victories at Eden Park (2014) and in Hamilton (2017) since last saluting at Penrose, however.
The teams have traditionally produced low-scoring Mount Smart encounters, with all six showdowns since 2009 delivering totals of 42 points or less and only one of more than 37 points.
Number crunchers
A few Warriors stood out statistically in a dour outing against the Bulldogs:
- Aside from his late try, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck racked up a game-high 158 metres on 16 carries.
- Taine Tuaupiki tried his guts out with 15 runs for 113 metres in terrible conditions for a diminutive fullback.
- Workhorse lock Erin Clark led the Warriors’ forwards with 111 metres from 12 runs and racked up 32 tackles.
- Rookie prop Tanner Stowers-Smith produced his busiest NRL game so far, making 14 runs for 99 metres and 25 tackles.
- Demetric Vaimauga (37 tackles) topped the Warriors’ defensive charts, with Freddy Lussick (35) and Jackson Ford (33) not far behind.
