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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The win was achieved with just 45 percent possession and despite losing the run-metres count with 1,559 to the Cowboys\u2019 1,818. The Cowboys also made more tackle-breaks (36 to 25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Warriors maintained their superior discipline, however \u2013 a key feature of their start to the season \u2013 winning the penalty count 5-3 and making less errors (10 to the Cowboys\u2019 13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gutsy result improved the Warriors\u2019 overall Magic Round record to 3-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Warriors won six of their first eight in 2002 (and would ultimately improve to 9-2) on their way to the club\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just the club\u2019s fourth top-four finish (after 2002, 2007 and 2023) is now shaping as a genuine hope in a topsy-turvy competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metcalf\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2025 DALLY M LEADERBOARD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Metcalf has also scored a team-high six tries and is equal-sixth in the NRL\u2019s pointscoring charts with 68.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Negating the pre-season retirement of Tohu Harris and the unexpected March departure of Dylan Walker, Erin Clark\u2019s powerhouse performances in the No.13 jersey have sparked NRL buy-of-the-season chatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clark smashed his season-high run metres tally with 204 from 23 carries in a mammoth 69-minute performance that also featured 38 tackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clark is averaging 159 metres per game \u2013 up from last year\u2019s modest career-high of 99 with the Titans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Warriors\u2019 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\u2019 37 clashes (32.43%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n They have also only won twice in 13 games against the Dragons at WIN Stadium in Wollongong \u2013 in 2018 and 2023 \u2013 and were trounced 30-12 there in Round 7 last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the Warriors have redressed the lopsided rivalry balance somewhat overall in recent years, winning seven of the clubs\u2019 last 11 encounters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019 1,818. The Cowboys also made more tackle-breaks (36 to 25). The Warriors maintained their superior discipline, however \u2013 a key feature of their start to the season \u2013 winning the penalty count 5-3 and making less errors (10 to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":851,"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-17194","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":"08\/05\/2025","event_country":"New Zealand"},"yoast_head":"\n\n
Career-best Clark leading the way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Chasing the Dragons<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Number crunchers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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