NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / League / Warriors

League: Finals farewell for the Warriors

By Michael Brown
6 Aug, 2005 10:11 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Dejected players leave the field after the Warriors' loss to the Eels last night. Picture / Fotopress

Dejected players leave the field after the Warriors' loss to the Eels last night. Picture / Fotopress

Warriors 20 Eels 38

Although the mathematicians will point to their calculators and still say it's possible, the Eels hammered a decisive nail into the Warriors' coffin last night.

If the equation wasn't already as difficult as understanding calculus, the chances of making the top eight took another turn for
the worse after the Eels bounced back from two losses in their last two games to put their own season back on track.

The Warriors can still achieve their goal of venturing to the promised land that awaits top-eight sides but they must do it by winning all three of their remaining games, against the Storm (away), Knights (home) and Sea Eagles (away), together with the bye, and hope other games go their way.

While this is plausible, it needs to be remembered that Tony Kemp's side has failed to win more than two games in a row all season.

The Warriors opened with an intensity befitting the desperation of their situation. They ran with determination, defended aggressively, kicked intelligently and dominated the opening 25 minutes of the match.

Although they were the beneficiaries of some questionable refereeing from Shane Hayne (how many times has that been said before?), they certainly deserved to build an 8-0 lead on the back of a Wairangi Koopu try, when arguably the Warriors most consistent player of the season burst over in the 11th minute.

The Eels, however, slowly got into their work and found some gaps around the rucks and in virtually their first raid on the Warriors line crafted together a try to Luke Burt, who collected a clever kick from John Morris.

Nathan Fien crossed soon after to open the gap to 14-6 when he slipped through two Eels defenders but the work was undone when Burt crossed for his second courtesy of a brilliant behnd-the-back pass from Timana Tahu.

New boy Simon Mannering, for all his enthusiasm and potential, was caught out on both occasions for drifting in too far from his marker.

The Warriors invited the Eels back into the gap with some reckless play inside their own half in a style reminiscent of a side chasing the game. Although the scoreboard is not the biggest in the world, it still clearly read Warriors 14, Eels 10.

A group of fans sitting at one end of Ericsson last night were resplendent in bright orange construction vests - perhaps they could've told the Warriors how to build pressure, because it doesn't come from making mistakes in your own half.

It was like finals football in the opening minutes of the second half - intensely contested with high stakes. The question was, who would crack first?

Much to the disappointment of the majority of the 19,211 fans who turned out to a chilly Ericsson Stadium last night, it was the home side. Rather than a crack, however, it proved to be a gaping hole.

Wade McKinnon popped up on the shoulder of Glenn Morrison to go over in the 57th minute to give his side their first lead of the evening.

Ben Smith, Glenn Morrison and then Tahu all crossed within eight minutes to bury the Warriors as they found space attacking the right-hand defence of Mannering and Jerome Ropati. Mannering in particular was dreadfully exposed but he found little help from his more senior team-mates.

It's no disgrace to be beaten by the Eels, who are among the favourites to claim the 2005 NRL title, but the Warriors simply made too many mistakes and at one stage failed to complete their set of six four times in a row.

Fans started streaming for the exits 10 minutes from time and they missed a second Smith try when he finished off a Burt run that started only five metres from his own line.

Fien grabbed a second 30 seconds from time but it was scant consolation.

The real prize had escaped the Warriors' grasp and they had only themselves to blame.

Warriors 20 (N. Fien 2, W. Koopu, tries, S. Jones 4 goals). Eels 38 (L. Burt 2, B. Smith 2, W. McKinnon, G. Mosrrison, T. Tahu tries, L. Burt 5 goals).

- HERALD ON SUNDAY

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Warriors

Warriors

'Only scratched the surface': Webster highlights leadership for Warriors success

08 Jun 03:19 AM
Warriors

Dominant Warriors make statement against Sharks

07 Jun 09:27 AM
Warriors

‘He’s definitely ready’: Warriors’ belief in injured Barnett’s replacement

05 Jun 02:00 AM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Warriors

'Only scratched the surface': Webster highlights leadership for Warriors success

'Only scratched the surface': Webster highlights leadership for Warriors success

08 Jun 03:19 AM

Coach Andrew Webster believes the Warriors are far from being the finished product.

Dominant Warriors make statement against Sharks

Dominant Warriors make statement against Sharks

07 Jun 09:27 AM
‘He’s definitely ready’: Warriors’ belief in injured Barnett’s replacement

‘He’s definitely ready’: Warriors’ belief in injured Barnett’s replacement

05 Jun 02:00 AM
Premium
Warriors mid-season report card: Tackling machines top the ratings

Warriors mid-season report card: Tackling machines top the ratings

04 Jun 06:01 PM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP