The Warriors in Christchurch: There's always drama

Kevin Locke was taken off injured after scoring the winning try in Christchurch. Photo / Getty

The Warriors have only played in the Garden City on a handful of occasions, but they are often memorable occasions, writes Michael Burgess.

1. 2010 - Locke's heroics get Warriors home

It was a try that is instantly recalled, as Warriors coach Andrew McFadden did upon arrival in Christchurch on Friday. Kevin Locke smashed into the goalposts in the act of scoring the winning try in the 79th minute on a wet and wild afternoon. Locke was carted off on a stretcher with a hip injury, but his four-pointer - his third of the day - followed by a James Maloney conversion was enough to seal one of the best wins of the 2010 season. It had looked unlikely after 20 minutes, when the Roosters led 12-4 and the Sydney team led for 79 minutes of the match.

2. 2004 - Points deluge sinks Warriors

A nightmare for new coach Tony Kemp, who saw his team capitulate to a 50-4 loss in just his second game in charge. After a first-up win over the Raiders, hopes were high when the Auckland club travelled south but they were never in the game. Chris Heighington got two of the Tigers' nine tries, while prolific fullback Brett Hodgson notched 18 points.

3. 1996 - Warriors fall short in historic clash

The first NRL clash in the South Island saw the Tigers take on John Monie's Warriors side at Lancaster Park in round 10 of the 1996 season. The Warriors had a star-studded roster - with Sean Hoppe, Stacey Jones, John Kirwan, Joe Vagana, Tea Ropati, Dennis Betts and Stephen Kearney - but were outplayed and out-passioned by a defiant Roosters side. Former Warrior Mike Doreen played a leading hand in two of the Sydney team's tries while veterans Paul Sironen and Ellery Hanley had impressive matches.