Rugby league: Warriors fail final trial against Melbourne Storm, but show signs of hope for 2023 NRL season

Tohu Harris in action against the Melbourne Storm. Photo / Photosport

The Warriors have fallen in their final NRL trial against the Melbourne Storm - but showed enough to justify the feeling of cautious pre-season optimism around the club.

Against a perennial benchmark team, the Warriors were highly competitive for the first 50 minutes, before the Storm skipped away, scoring four unanswered second-half tries to prevail 24-6.

The final scoreline may have been disappointing, but when the contest was at its most intense in the first half, the Warriors demonstrated levels of defensive resilience that were rarely sighted last season, withstanding plenty of goal line pressure.

Their work with the ball was less convincing as they struggled to create much inside the opposition quarter, especially after the break.

But overall, it was easy to see the impact of Andrew Webster’s overhaul – and get the sense that this upcoming campaign will have more hits than misses.

The new recruits also demonstrated their worth.

Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad had a busy game and coped with the Storm’s aerial onslaught with some impressive bomb defusals, showing why he is an upgrade on Reece Walsh in that area.

The power and presence of Marata Niukore was obvious on the edge of the ruck, while Dylan Walker added energy off the bench and Mitch Barnett bought starch to the middle.

Adam Pompey was a late withdrawal – with Viliami Vailea replacing him at right centre – while Ronald Volkman came in for Te Maire Martin, with the Kiwis playmaker at home after the birth of his first child.

The first quarter was NRL-level intensity, albeit without the finesse.

The pace of the match was brutal, as was the contact, on a hot Christchurch afternoon.

Both teams made plenty of handling errors – with fumbles and stumbles, as the timing was slightly out – while Shaun Johnson missed touch from a penalty.

The Warriors opened the scoring against the run of play.

Just as the Storm looked to be clicking into gear – with two impressive attacking sets – the Warriors struck, with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak bursting through the heart of the defence from a quick scrum play in the 25th minute.

The resilience was heartening to see, as the Warriors had defended strongly before the Kiwis winger made his slashing 60-metre dash to the line.

The Storm lifted, but the Warriors had an answer, continuing to repel the Victorian team, with a mix of solid structure and pure effort.

Cameron Munster finally crossed just before halftime – after reacting first to a Jahrome Hughes bomb – but the bunker eventually scrubbed the try for obstruction.

What was missing in the first half was attacking execution, with pre-season rust still apparent.

Johnson had some nice touches but erred with a couple of fifth tackle kicks, while the offensive shape and direction wasn’t quite there, under the pressure imposed by the rush Storm defence.

After all their hard work in the first stanza, the Warriors were punished in the 44th minute with a classic Melbourne play finished in style by former Warrior Eli Katoa.

Harry Grant carved them open from dummy half, before Cameron Munster sent Katoa on a 40-metre run to the line.

The Storm took the lead six minutes later, as former All Black Sevens star Will Warbrick powered across after clever short side work from Hughes.

Both coaches emptied their benches for the final quarter, with replacement fullback Taine Tuaupiki making up for a mistake with an impressive try-saving tackle.

But he couldn’t repeat the dose later, as Nelson Asofa-Solomona got through three defenders from close range, before Xavier Coates managed a freakish catch to complete the scoring in the 74th minute.

Warriors 6 (Dallin Watene-Zelezniak try; Shaun Johnson con)

Melbourne Storm 24 (Eli Katoa, Will Wallbrick, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Xavier Coates tries; Nick Meaney 3 cons, Jonah Pezet con)

HT: 6-0