Warriors 26
Eels 18
A picture of a smiling Sonny Fai hangs proudly in the Warriors' dressing room and is the last thing the players see before they run out on to the field.
Fai would have still been smiling after watching the Warriors begin their season in the best possible way.
It was
an emotion-charged night - both sides observed a minute's silence for Fai (who drowned at Bethells Beach on January 4) soon after cheering Steve Price on to the field for his 300th first-grade game - but the Warriors managed to put that aside to claim two vital competition points Fai and Price deserved.
They opened up a decisive 26-6 lead early in the second spell and, while they went to sleep on defence for a 10-minute period that allowed the Eels to close things up to 26-18, steadied the ship to send the large crowd home happy.
At times the Warriors were thrilling, at others messy, but they won thanks to an opening 50 minutes when only one team was in it.
They did it mostly on the back of some solid football but also some inept Eels defending.
Twice Lance Hohaia, who was arguably the smallest player on the park at 86kg, waltzed through some dreadful Eels defending that opened up like the Red Sea.
It's far too early to start getting excited about the Warriors' chances, especially with the number of mistakes they made last night, but there is a wave of optimism sweeping Mt Smart that hasn't existed since 2003.
Coach Ivan Cleary doesn't like talking up his side but he might struggle to curb expectations, especially if they can build on their storming finish to 2008 that was only halted by the Manly juggernaut.
It was by no means a perfect display and injuries to Ben Matulino, Micheal Luck (head) and Lance Hohaia, who showed his value with a brace of tries before coming off after 50 minutes favouring his right knee, will cause some concern.
But one thing they have trumpeted is their depth.
Their second-half defence was also limp at times, letting the Eels in with a sniff, but any opening day win is cause for satisfaction.
Cleary has built a side around valuing territory, particularly early in a match, and they often kicked early in the tackle count to ensure they played the game in the right areas of the park.
It was up to debutant Joel Moon to score the first points of the season when he completed a double-round with Jerome Ropati in the 10th minute.
Moon looks a handy acquisition. The former Bronco has played most of his 32 NRL games at centre but has been handed the first shot in the crucial No 6 jersey.
He likes to have the ball in his hands, looks a dangerous runner off both feet, is solid on defence and has a booming left foot that adds another dimension.
Wayne Bennett, who isn't prone to making bold claims, considered him one of the next big things when they were both at the Broncos and even if Moon is half that, he will prove to be a good buy.
He and Jerome Ropati had a field day attacking down their left side early in the match as they targeted converted five-eighth Jarryd Hayne and it was from another Moon break that led to the Warriors' second try to Russell Packer in the 14th minute when the young prop muscled over from close range.
The Eels looked short of ideas and became increasingly frustrated as penalties mounted against them, but they found some rhythm in the second spell and gave Warriors fans cause for concern. But the Warriors upped the intensity and ground out the win.
At the final whistle, the large crowd cheered Price, who joined an elite group of players on 300 first-grade games. But Fai was never far from everyone's thoughts.
Warriors 26 (L. Hohaia 2, J. Moon, R.
Packer tries, D. Kemp 5 gls) Eels 18 (E. Grothe, J. Hayne, K. Inu tries, L. Burt 3 gls). Halftime: 18-6.
