Defying an overcrowded casualty ward, a star-studded Broncos line-up and a late collapse, the Warriors pulled off a scrappy, courageous 20-18 golden point victory at a sodden Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Warriors scored four tries to three and poor goalkicking looked set to ruin the night as the Broncos steamed home from 18-6 down with two converted tries in the last 15 minutes, until Luke Metcalf knocked over a historic 50-metre penalty goal in extra-time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sticking to the program, the Warriors\u2019 low-risk, high-discipline approach paid dividends again, enjoying 54 percent possession on the back of an 84 percent completion rate (to the Broncos\u2019 69 percent). In a match where almost every other stat-line finished close enough to even, a 10-4 penalty count in the hosts\u2019 favour also proved vital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Warriors\u2019 rare 4-2 platform bodes well for a Top 8 finish, having reached the finals in five of just six other seasons they have won four or five of their first six games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Warriors went 5-1 in 2003 and 2018, and 4-2 in 1996 (the only time they started this well and failed to make the playoffs), 2002, 2007 and 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the Warriors are sitting in the top four at the end of a round for just the 68th time in 760 weeks of regular-season competition since the start of 1995.\u00a0\u00a0
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Golden moment<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Metcalf\u2019s penalty goal from halfway helped bury the memories of the Warriors\u2019 golden point pain in 2024, when they drew with Manly at home and went down to Canterbury and the Dolphins via a field goal on the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The 166th NRL golden point game since the concept was introduced in 2003 saw the Warriors draw level with North Queensland for the most golden point encounters any club has been involved in (26). <\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of win percentage, the Warriors are 12th on the NRL\u2019s all-time golden point ladder with nine wins, 12 losses and a record five draws. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Metcalf\u2019s magnificent strike doubled as the Warriors\u2019 maiden golden point penalty goal. Previous extra-time triumphs have come via field goals on five occasions \u2013 with Stacey Jones kicking two and Shaun Johnson three \u2013 and tries to Bodene Thompson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Johnson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the first time since RTS\u2019s memorable runaway against the Roosters in 2016 that a player other than Johnson has scored in golden point for the Warriors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Leka on a streak<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n After scoring his first NRL try in instantly iconic fashion against Wests Tigers in Round 3, second-row sensation Leka Halasima has now dotted down in both games since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The second-row sensation\u2019s tryscoring run evokes memories of Ukuma Ta\u2019ia\u2019s unlikely 2010 streak, when the interchange forward regular crossed in four straight games. Making Ta\u2019ai\u2019s feat more remarkable, he only scored in three of his other 48 NRL appearances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All eyes will be on destructive teenager Halasima in coming weeks as he attempts to nudge his way onto the following Warriors all-time leaderboard: <\/p>\n\n\n\n MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES SCORING A TRY BY A WARRIORS PLAYER<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7 games \u2013 Francis Meli (2004) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7 games \u2013 Todd Byrne (2005) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7 games \u2013 Manu Vatuvei (2010) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7 games \u2013 Konrad Hurrell (2012) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6 games \u2013 Jerome Ropati (2007) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6 games \u2013 Manu Vatuvei (2013) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6 games \u2013 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (2023) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reining in the Broncos<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The all-time rivalry ledger now reads 27 wins to the Broncos and 22 to the Warriors with one drawn after 50 encounters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Broncos were the last team the Warriors got off the mark against after entering the premiership in 1995, famously losing their first nine clashes before breaking the duck in 2001. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That means since the 0-9 start, the Warriors boast a 22-18-1 record against the perennial heavyweights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Newcastle\u2019s NZ Knightmares <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Newcastle heads over to Christchurch for an Anzac Day showdown with the Warriors in deep trouble, outscored 100 points to 24 on their current four-match losing trot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ledger since 1995 is square after 51 encounters, the clubs winning 25 games apiece with one drawn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Knights have not had much luck in New Zealand in recent times, winning just one of 10 games in the Warriors\u2019 homeland since 2013 (nine at Mount Smart Stadium, one in Wellington) and two of their last 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahead of what will likely be the last-ever NRL match played at Rugby League Park (Apollo Projects Stadium) at Addington with the city\u2019s CBD-situated Te Kaha Stadium nearing completion, the Warriors are looking to finish with a 3-2 record at the venue \u2013 and improve to 5-5 overall in Christchurch, having gone 2-3 at Lancaster Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Number crunchers <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Statistical standouts from a character-filled win: <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Defying an overcrowded casualty ward, a star-studded Broncos line-up and a late collapse, the Warriors pulled off a scrappy, courageous 20-18 golden point victory at a sodden Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday night. The Warriors scored four tries to three and poor goalkicking looked set to ruin the night as the Broncos steamed home from 18-6 down with two converted tries in the last 15 minutes, until Luke Metcalf knocked over a historic 50-metre penalty goal in extra-time. Sticking to the program, the Warriors\u2019 low-risk, high-discipline approach paid dividends again, enjoying 54 percent possession on the back of an 84…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,31],"tags":[176,136],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-16530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugby-league","category-special-interest","tag-new-zealand-warriors","tag-nrl"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":"","md_tip_date_end":null,"md_market_url":"","tip_date":"22\/04\/2025","event_country":"New Zealand"},"yoast_head":"\n\n
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