Warriors overcome Metcalf injury to down Knights at home
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The Warriors have gone back-to-back at home after outclassing the Knights 20-12 at Go Media Stadium on Easter Sunday.
Despite losing five-eighth Luke Metcalf in the early stages of the match, the Warriors didn't skip a beat in attack, running in two early tries to lead for the majority of the 80 minutes.
With Roger Tuivasa-Sheck returning to the No. 1 role for the first time since 2021, the 30-year-old could give Andrew Webster a new selection headache, showcasing his speed and footwork in a 283-run metre, seven tackle break performance.
The Warriors suffered an early blow with Metcalf leaving the field with in just the 10th minute, but the home side showed great resilience, scoring just six minutes later when Shaun Johnson showed some slick hands to send Jackson Ford over from close range.
Jackson Ford Try
The home side were in again just three minutes later when Wayde Egan exploded out of dummy half before finding Metcalf's replacement, Chanel Harris-Tavita in support.
Star forward Tyson Frizell steadied the ship for the Knights in the 37th minute when he picked up a Tyson Gamble grubber and carried the ball over the line to reduce the deficit 12-6 at the break.
Tyson Frizell Try
The Warriors exploded out of the blocks in the second half and extended their lead with Harris-Tavita punting a cross field kick for Marcelo Montoya to leap out for and score. Johnson's conversion made it 18-6.
A Jayden Brailey offside penalty handed the Warriors a chance to slot a penalty goal and extend their lead 20-6 with less than nine minutes to play.
Adam O'Brien's side refused to lie down and came up with a try through Best off a perfectly weighted grubber from Kalyn Ponga to make it 20-12 but that's as far as the visitors would come to reducing the deficit.
Match: Warriors v Knights
Round 4 -
home Team
Warriors
10th Position
away Team
Knights
15th Position
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Match Snapshot
- Warriors five-eighth Luke Metcalf left the field in the 10th minute and did not return after suffering a suspected ankle injury.
- Both sides had a completion rate of over 90 per cent in the first half with the Warriors completing 21 of 22 sets in the first half and the Knights 18 from 20.
- Roger Tuivasa-Sheck had a day out in the No. 1 jersey with 275 run metres, six tackle breaks and 84 run metres.
- 2024 recruit Kurt Capewell got through plenty of work for the Warriors with 49 tackles and 133 run metres.
- Knights winger Enari Tuala got through plenty of work on the wing, carrying the ball for 229 metres and breaking two tackles.
- The Knights have now not won in New Zealand since 2019.
- Knights coach Adam O’Brien reached the milestone of 100 games as head coach.
Play of the Game
Warriors winger Marcelo Montoya's athleticism was on show in the 43rd minute with the 28-year-old using every bit of his 189cm, 95kg frame to leap over Knights defenders and mark the ball like an AFL star to score in the left corner.
Marcelo Montoya Try
What They Said
"I thought we withstood a lot of pressure in the first half so I'm pretty content with our attitude. Last time we came here we didn't have that, and we withstood a very similar first half. There's some stuff we need to get better at, in particular our attack, but that will come but there was a lot to like about that performance." - Knights coach Adam O'Brien
Knights: Round 4
"It was a grind, I thought we scrambled really well off the back of some errors and line breaks but we found a way to defend it. If you concede one try each half, you are going to go a long way and win a lot of games so I was happy with how we dug in deep.
"I think Roger learned plenty tonight. He feels like the NRL is a different beast since he left it and he hasn't done a lot of reps at fullback so I was proud. Such a cool thing to have a guy whose played a lot of fullback in his career and he's nailing his role at centre and then he comes in at fullback and he's reliable." - Warriors coach Andrew Webster.
Warriors: Round 4
What's Next
The Warriors head to Sydney for the first time for 2024 to face the Rabbitohs who will be looking to back up their first win of the season in Round 4. The Knights return home to host the Dragons on Friday night.
