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

NRL: Warriors end with a whimper

David Skipwith
By David Skipwith
Reporter·NZ Herald·
6 Sep, 2015 10:21 AM3 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

Josh Morris dives over in the corner during the Bulldogs' win over the Warriors. Photo / Getty

Josh Morris dives over in the corner during the Bulldogs' win over the Warriors. Photo / Getty

Bulldogs 26
Warriors 22

A James Graham try at the death denied the Warriors a dramatic final round win over the Canterbury Bulldogs and consigned them to a record-equalling eighth consecutive defeat to cap a miserable end to the season for the Penrose-based side.

After suffering consecutive 50-16 losses to the Cowboys and Wests Tigers in their last two outings, two late tries to rookie of the year contender Tui Lolohea saw the Warriors overcome a 10-point deficit to lead 22-20 in the last 10 minutes at ANZ Stadium.

But it wasn't to be; with England front-rower and Canterbury captain Graham barging his way over in the 77th minute, to see the finals-bound Bulldogs claim a fifth spot finish.

The Belmore side will now prepare for an elimination final against the eighth-placed St George Illawarra Dragon at the same venue next Saturday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Despite the cruel nature of the defeat the Warriors showed great character in the second-half after improving their play following a frustrating and error-ridden first 40 minutes.

The Warriors forwards showed a willingness to promote the football early on and a try to departing hooker Nathan Friend got them off to a good start, but mistakes quickly negated their attempts at expansive play.

Despite having numerous chances to extend their lead, bad ball control proved costly, with poor set finishes and no less than seven knock-ons inside the opposition red zone letting the hosts of the hook.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

With Cronulla-bound five-eighth Chad Townsend back after missing the last two games with a groin injury, the Warriors directed much of their attack to the left, bar one clean line break from right-edge playmaker Mason Lino.

They continued to dominate territory but completed just eight of 19 sets, with two Bulldogs tries from Josh Morris and Curtis Rona leaving them trailing 8-6 at the break.

Fortune finally favoured the Warriors in the shadow of halftime, when Morris was ruled to have lost the ball as he attempted to ground the ball ingoal.

A repeat set at the start of the second-half gave young centre Solomone Kata the chance to reclaim the lead for the visitors, with his 12th try of the year seeing him overtake Manu Vatuvei to become the club's leading try scorer for the season.

Discover more

Warriors

I've made some mistakes - McFadden

03 Sep 05:00 PM
Warriors

Mannering open to chat over captaincy

03 Sep 05:00 PM
Warriors

It's been how long since they last won?

03 Sep 10:10 PM
League

Departing Warriors worth the price?

04 Sep 05:00 PM

But the Bulldogs lifted and struck back with two quick four-pointers to right wing Chase Stanley and impressive fill-in hooker Damien Cook, with front-rower Tim Browne converting both for what looked like the beginnings of an unassailable 20-10 lead.

But after almost two months of ill-fortune and uninspiring attacking play, the Warriors dug their heels in, and with much improved handling and discipline came back to stun Des Hasler's side.

A brilliant individual try to hot-stepping fullback Lolohea helped them shorten the margin to four, and five minutes later the 20-year-old dashed over for a second, before adding a third conversion to give his side a two-point lead.

They only had to hang on but the clinical Bulldogs smelled blood three minutes from time, with their skipper bounding through close to the ruck to deny the 13th-placed Warriors the much-needed yet ultimately elusive victory.

Bulldogs 26 (Josh Morris, Curtis Rona, Chase Stanley, Damien Cook, James Graham tries, Tim Browne 3 cons)
Warriors 22 (Nathan Friend, Solomone Kata, Tui Lolohea 2 tries, Tui Lolohea 3 cons, pens)

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Warriors

Warriors

'We beat ourselves': Webster rues Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers

21 Jun 08:00 PM
Warriors

Understrength Panthers stun Warriors

21 Jun 07:34 AM
Warriors

Ivan Cleary on Andrew Webster, Warriors regrets and building a team first culture

20 Jun 05:00 PM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Warriors

'We beat ourselves': Webster rues Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers

'We beat ourselves': Webster rues Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers

21 Jun 08:00 PM

Andrew Webster is confident the Warriors will bounce back next week against the Broncos.

Understrength Panthers stun Warriors

Understrength Panthers stun Warriors

21 Jun 07:34 AM
Ivan Cleary on Andrew Webster, Warriors regrets and building a team first culture

Ivan Cleary on Andrew Webster, Warriors regrets and building a team first culture

20 Jun 05:00 PM
Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

20 Jun 04:58 AM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

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
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • 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