Carlos Tuimavave is dejected after the Warriors lost to the Panthers in 2013. Photosport
Carlos Tuimavave is dejected after the Warriors lost to the Panthers in 2013. Photosport
In the wake of the New Zealand Warriors' heavy 70-10 defeat to the Melbourne Storm on Monday, we look back on how the club has performed the week after their previous biggest defeats.
62-6 defeat to the Panthers, 2013
The loss
Round 10, Centrebet Stadium, Sydney. If onlythey were playing 'last try wins'. The Panthers rattled off 10 tries, and even kicked a penalty for good measure, before Manu Vatuvei finally crossed over in the 77th minute in what was the Warriors' previous biggest defeat. Cameras captured a few Warriors players smiling and laughing as they walked off the field, which didn't go down well.
They won! The side responded with a 28-12 home victory over the Newcastle Knights who were sitting in the top eight. And then the next week the Matt Elliott-coached side smashed the Broncos 56-18 in Brisbane.
The season
After a shocking start to the season with two wins from 10 to sit bottom, the club won five straight after the Panthers mauling for a stunning mid-season turn of form but still fell two points shy of the playoffs to finish in 11th.
Round 3, Brookvale Oval, Sydney. Ivan Cleary's side had a respectable start to the 2008 season with an opening round defeat to the Storm followed by a bounce-back win against the Eels. Then came the shocking showing at Brookvale.
Lance Hohaia, Simon Mannering and Manu Vatuvei look on during the big 2008 defeat to the Sea Eagles. Photosport
The next game
They won! Turns out you want a home game against the Knights following a heavy defeat. Patrick Ah Van sealed a 26-20 victory at Mt Smart with a 95 metre intercept with 15 minutes left after almost coughing up an early 14-0 lead.
The season
The side snuck into eighth place with a win in the last game of the regular season lining up and 1 vs 8 match-up against the Storm – which they won to become the first ever eighth seed to topple the minor premiers. The golden run continued with a semifinal win over the Roosters before losing one game short of the Grand Final – a 32-6 defeat to the Sea Eagles (of course). The Sea Eagles then won the Grand Final by the biggest margin ever with a 40-0 thrashing of the Storm.
58-6 defeat to the Roosters, 2004
The loss
Round 12, Sydney Football Stadium. Justin Hodges scored a hat-trick and Todd Byrne scored a double as the Roosters ran riot. They led 30-0 at the break and didn't really ease off in the second half. Iafeta Paleaaesina was the only Warrior on the scoresheet.
Lance Hohaia stands dejected after a Roosters try. Photo / Getty
They won! Just under 7,000 turned up at Mt Smart the following week but the faithful fans were rewarded with a 20-14 victory over the Raiders.
The season
Not great. A week after they beat the Raiders, they lost 50-4 to the Wests Tigers with two wins from their final 12 games. Coach Daniel Anderson resigned, replaced by Tony Kemp.
54-0 defeat to St.George Illawarra Dragons, 2000
The loss
Round 14, WIN Stadium, Wollongong. Sevens rounds earlier the Dragons handed the Warriors a 36-8 pasting at Mt Smart and continued the dominance at home. The Dragons ran in 11 tries with Nathan Bladlock nabbing a hat-trick. A week earlier, the Dragons lost 50-4 to the Cowboys. In a crazy season for the hot and cold Dragons they lost to the Storm 70-10, under captain and now Warriors coach Nathan Brown, before then beating the Storm 50-4 later in the season.
The next game
They won! The Warriors beat fellow strugglers the Northern Eagles 18-14 at Brookvale Oval.
The season:
See below. 2000 was not a great year.
56-10 defeat to Melbourne Storm, 2000
The loss
Round 20, Olympic Park Stadium. Six weeks after the Dragons' defeat the Warriors were handed another big loss this time to the Storm. They at least troubled the scorers with Henry Fa'afili and Lee Oudenryn scoring.
The next game
A loss. The side backed up the Olympic Park defeat with another disappointing result, going down 36-4 to the Roosters in Sydney.
The season
The Storm defeat was part of a seven-game losing streak as the Warriors finished the season with two wins from their final 10 games. They ended up 13th in the 14-team competition with just eight wins from their 26 games and a points difference of -236.
