The Warriors remain in equal-second on the NRL ladder courtesy of a 30-26 victory over North Queensland Cowboys, blazing out to a 16-point halftime lead and holding on for the victory via a rearguard defensive effort during a nerve-shredding second stanza.
The win was achieved with just 45 percent possession and despite losing the run-metres count with 1,559 to the Cowboys’ 1,818. The Cowboys also made more tackle-breaks (36 to 25).
The Warriors maintained their superior discipline, however – a key feature of their start to the season – winning the penalty count 5-3 and making less errors (10 to the Cowboys’ 13).
The gutsy result improved the Warriors’ overall Magic Round record to 3-3.
Historic start
Arguably the surprise packet of the 2025 NRL season to date, the Warriors keep finding new ways to win and now boast a club-best-equalling 6-2 record for just the third time in their history.
The Warriors won six of their first eight in 2002 (and would ultimately improve to 9-2) on their way to the club’s only minor premiership and repeated the feat in 2018, a year where the team finished eighth but were only one win behind the minor premiers.
Just the club’s fourth top-four finish (after 2002, 2007 and 2023) is now shaping as a genuine hope in a topsy-turvy competition.
Metcalf climbs Dally M leaderboard
Despite some bumps in the road, Luke Metcalf continues to grow in confidence in the No.7 jersey and produced arguably his best NRL performance to date against the Cowboys.
Metcalf’s searing offensive performance in the first half included two tries, two line-breaks, two line-break assists and a key hand in another try. He finished the game with a season-high 162 running metres, a team-high seven tackle-breaks and produced a magnificent try-saving tackle in the second half.
Scooping the maximum six Dally M Medal votes for his performance, Metcalf has moved to equal-fourth on the overall leaderboard and is the only halfback in the top nine.
2025 DALLY M LEADERBOARD
- 27 – Will Kennedy (Sharks)
- 26 – Terrell May (Tigers)
- 24 – James Tedesco (Roosters)
- 21 – Payne Haas (Broncos), Luke Metcalf (Warriors)
- 20 – Jye Gray (Rabbitohs)
Metcalf has also scored a team-high six tries and is equal-sixth in the NRL’s pointscoring charts with 68.
Career-best Clark leading the way
Negating the pre-season retirement of Tohu Harris and the unexpected March departure of Dylan Walker, Erin Clark’s powerhouse performances in the No.13 jersey have sparked NRL buy-of-the-season chatter.
Clark smashed his season-high run metres tally with 204 from 23 carries in a mammoth 69-minute performance that also featured 38 tackles.
The 27-year-old is 31st in the NRL overall and eighth among forwards for total run metres (1,273), and 19th overall and 10th among forwards for post-contact metres (470).
Clark is averaging 159 metres per game – up from last year’s modest career-high of 99 with the Titans.
Chasing the Dragons
The Warriors’ record against their Round 10 opponents, St George Illawarra, is their second-worst by win percentage against current teams. They have won only 12 of the teams’ 37 clashes (32.43%).
They have also only won twice in 13 games against the Dragons at WIN Stadium in Wollongong – in 2018 and 2023 – and were trounced 30-12 there in Round 7 last year.
But the Warriors have redressed the lopsided rivalry balance somewhat overall in recent years, winning seven of the clubs’ last 11 encounters.
Number crunchers
- Aside from Metcalf and Clark, several Warriors stood statistically tall against the Cowboys:
- Skipper Mitch Barnett led by example with a team-high 46 tackles, along with 13 runs for 134 metres.
- Metre-eater Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was typically industrious at fullback, racking up 180 metres from 20 carries.
- Leka Halasima’s star continues to rise, delivering his first 80-minute performance in the NRL and tallying 15 runs for 145 metres and 35 tackles.