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There was no luck for the Dragons at Mt Smart yesterday as the Warriors cornered it all.
The visitors were blown off the park in the first 12 minutes, dropping the ball and conceding penalties.
The Warriors scored two tries on the back of penalties and a third from the kick-off.
Then followed two long-range tries directly from the Dragons' last-tackle kicks, Simon Mannering running 60m and Wade McKinnon 85m. When halftime came they were up 32-16.
"They were too good for us at the start of the game, they were a bit hungrier than us," said Dragons coach Nathan Brown. His captain Ben Hornby: "If you let them get a sniff and get confident then you're in trouble."
The Warriors certainly played with confidence, their attack coming off the back of enthusiastic defence from the first tackle. They enjoyed all the first-half possession and territory and the Dragons did all the tackling. By the end of the third quarter they were walking, even when they had the ball in the Warriors' red zone.
Warriors coach Ivan Cleary said he did not have to motivate his side for a fast start. They knew where they had gone wrong in Townsville the week before.
It was an important game to win given the stage of the season and their position on the NRL table relative to the Dragons and others on similar points. The win lifts them into seventh, though Cleary emphasised that they would face a tough game at Campbelltown next Sunday after the Tigers lost at the weekend.
Mannering was one star for the Warriors (scoring the first and fourth tries) and wing Manu Vatuvei had a strong game outside him, looking for work on attack and defence. Jerome Ropati added sting in the mid-field attack. McKinnon continually brought the crowd to its feet with his support play and stepping. "Every time he gets the ball he looks dangerous for us," Cleary said. "It makes us as a team more threatening".
All the backs profited from the Warriors' forward dominance.
Halves Jamie Soward and Rangi Chase were among the best for the Dragons, creating chances. Brown said he was happy with the side's attack. "But our defence has gone backwards, which is concerning."
It was an unfortunate homecoming for Turangi-raised Ben Ellis, who was injured early. The Dragons also lost Corey Parker to injury later.
The seven-try win boosts the Warriors' points differential and it may be that which decides the last spots in the playoff eight.
So might Michael Witt's kicking, the five-eighth nailing eight-from-eight shots at goal yesterday and now sitting on 25 consecutive successes.
* The Auckland Lions fullback Kevin Locke blew an opportunity to snatch victory in the last seconds of the curtainraiser against St George when he ignored two players inside him and elected to run the touchline but was tackled. The game was close throughout and finished 24-20. Warrior Todd Byrne was the Lions' best.
