Seven seconds. Seven seconds that Warriors fans will never forget. And seven seconds when a new cult hero was born.
Leka Helasima already looked headed for greatness but Sunday’s astonishing individual try against the Newcastle Knights was confirmation of a unique, once in a generation talent.
Across 30 years, there have been plenty of unforgettable finishes for the Warriors. Think of the comeback against the Melbourne Storm in 1998 culminating in Tony Tatupu’s try, or the crazy revival against Canterbury Bulldogs in 2001 in Wellington.
Shaun Johnson had a catalogue of his own – highlighted by the dance through the Cronulla Sharks defence in 2016 or the show-and-go that defeated the Panthers in 2015.
Frances Meli scored an amazing match winner against the Newcastle Knights in 2005, while time froze with Krisnan Inu’s unlikely effort in the 2011 semi-final versus the Tigers.
For most, the greatest Warriors’ grandstand moment will always be Michael Witt’s last-gasp try in Melbourne in 2008, a result so freakish that it forced the NRL to change the structure of their playoffs in subsequent seasons.
But Halasima’s try – which stole a 20-15 win – was instantly iconic, a sequence of play so unlikely, so unpredictable, so impossible.
Given the circumstances and the time left, it almost defied sporting logic – certainly everything we know about the NRL – which is what made it so beautiful.
78:16
Warriors halfback Tanah Boyd attempts a 45m field goal. Still probably thinking about his earlier misses – and the kickoff that went wildly long – it’s a horrible attempt. He didn’t look set and produces a daisy cutter, forcing referee Grant Atkins to duck before it skids harmlessly towards the dead ball line.
But Warriors co-captain James Fisher-Harris, pushed by Boyd, decides to challenge, hoping for contact on the kicker. The replay shows Jackson Hastings offside – without assessing the alleged contact – which gifts the Warriors a penalty and an unlikely escape.
79:07
Boyd takes his time lining up the shot but can’t betray his nerves. From in front, he pulls the ball across the posts, though solid contact means the ball goes dead. Knights captain Dane Gagai celebrates wildly under the posts – as does most of the crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium.
79:22
From the Knights’ 20m dropout, the ball is fielded by Chanel Harris-Tavita. It’s passed to James Fisher-Harris, who is stopped 10m before halfway. There are 30 seconds to play.
79:36
Wayde Egan steals almost 15m, with a clever dart from dummy half, to get over halfway. Fox Sports co-commentator Steve Roach wonders if Egan has caught the Knights’ markers offside – “That’s a penalty” – but referee Atkins waves play on.
79:50
After Roger Tuivasa-Sheck manages a quick play-the-ball, Fisher-Harris takes another stinging hit-up – possibly his best of the match. On the fifth tackle, the Warriors are 32m out.
At dummy half, Egan picks up the ball with eight seconds to play. He flings it back to Boyd – just over the 40m line – who is again rushed by Hastings. The Warriors halfback makes better contact, but Hastings manages to charge down, before the ball ricochets off a Knights teammate. It bounces sideways past Demetric Vaimauga and Jackson Ford, with Halasima turning back towards his own goal line to pick up.
79:56
Halasima crouches down to snaffle the ball. There are four opposition players in the vicinity, including two that look well placed to tackle him. But he takes off, with a lightning 5m burst from a standing start, which takes out two would-be-defenders.
79:58
Two more defenders converge, as Halasima approaches the 30m line, but they are left for dead by his pace.
80:00
Halasima is 20m out at full speed. Here comes the first moment of genius. He veers slightly inside, then out, as Dallin Watene-Zelezniak calls for the ball out on the wing. That subtle movement, along with a glance towards the posts, is enough to wrongfoot fullback Gagai – before he produces a left foot step – without breaking stride – to beat the custodian.
80:02
Halasima still has 8m to run. Bradman Best has jumped on his back, while two other defenders are closing fast. The Warriors second rower drags Best towards the line, while also keeping his right arm free to fend off Greg Marzhew. Now held by three defenders, Halasima has the presence of mind to dive, knowing that the slide will take him across.
Fox Sports commentator Andrew Voss explodes.
“Halasima has scored for the Warriors. Unbelievable! Stupendous moment! Rugby League ... you undefeated beautiful thing. We have had so many great finishes this year – we may just have had the most dramatic."
The Channel 9 commentator Brenton Speed is similarly awestruck, shown by his mounting excitement as he recounted the phase of play.
“It ricochets. Space here. Look at him go. Halasima! It’s on. Footwork. Try saver. He’s over – with momentum. Oh Leka Halasima, for the Warriors! Can you believe what you have just seen?
“Is there a defibrillator here at Channel 9?” asked Knights legend Andrew Johns, sitting next to Speed. “Look at the footwork, look at the athleticism. What an ending.”
On the field, Egan was in disbelief.
“I was in shock actually, afterwards,” Egan told the Herald.
“I couldn’t even celebrate. I was sort of in disbelief that he had just done that ... he’s one of the most special players.
“Tanah actually struck it pretty well but they got good kick pressure. Then if you want the ball in someone’s hands with the game on the line and a bit of open space it would be Leka.
“Probably in the whole comp to be fair ... there are only a couple of players in the NRL that could probably score a try from there.”
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.