Herald reporter Michael Burgess joins 300 Warriors fans on an Air NZ charter flight direct to Las Vegas, ahead of the NRL season opener.
If the difference between a good side and a great side is the ability to win ugly, the Warriors’ class of 2025 showed their character in spades with an NRL Magic Round victory over the North Queensland Cowboys.
As Brisbane resembled New Zealand in more ways than one – with both a legion of Warriors fans and torrential rain overhead – halfback Luke Metcalf produced arguably the greatest 80 minutes of his career so far to inspire the 30-26 win at Suncorp Stadium.
Things shouldn’t have been so close for the Warriors, who almost let victory slip from their grasp at 30-12 ahead.
But the efforts of Metcalf in both attack and defence ultimately proved the difference. Against a Cowboys side hunting a fifth straight victory, the halfback scored twice, kicked five goals and ran for a game-high 164m.
However, arguably his most important contribution came in defence, when the 26-year-old made a try-saving tackle on Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi that would have levelled the scores at 30-30 with a kick to come.
Metcalf’s display came in conjunction with halves partner Chanel Harris-Tavita, who himself added one try, two assists and 27 tackles, while the pair of Mitch Barnett and Erin Clark registered 46 and 38 tackles respectively.
Meanwhile, Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater was instrumental in his side’s comeback efforts, registering two try assists to go with 137m run and 269 kicking metres, many of which came behind the Warriors’ line.
The win lifts the Warriors to second place on the NRL ladder for the time being, moving level with the competition-leading Canterbury Bulldogs, despite having played one game more.
Ed Kosi runs in to score against the North Queensland Cowboys. Photo / Photosport
However, given the Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders face each other on Sunday, it is almost certain the Warriors will finish the round in third, unless those two sides play out a draw.
The Warriors were dealt an injury blow before kickoff as centre Ali Leiataua was forced out by an ankle injury sustained in training. Winger Ed Kosi came into the starting side in his place and Adam Pompey moved infield.
Meanwhile, hooker Sam Healey was moved on to the interchange bench for his Warriors debut in place of Te Maire Martin.
After repelling an early assault on their tryline, the Warriors were able to hit the Cowboys on the counter to open the scoring.
A quick play-the-ball exchange between Wayde Egan and Erin Clark put Metcalf into a gap, before a one-two with Kurt Capewell set the halfback in for the first points of the night.
They wouldn’t be the last either. Metcalf was again at the fore as the Warriors added a second try in the opening quarter, this time freeing halves partner Chanel Harris-Tavita to send Kosi over on the left wing.
Down 10-0, the Cowboys showed things wouldn’t all go the Warriors’ way. A short ball from Drinkwater freed Jeremiah Nanai, who drew in the final defender before finding Jaxon Purdue unmarked outside him to run through and score.
But even as the heavens opened over Brisbane, the Warriors kept their composure. Making the most of the slippery conditions, Harris-Tavita kicked through the line and pounced on the Cowboys’ mistakes at the back to score himself.
Another Metcalf break carried the ball deep into the Cowboys’ half, before a clever Harris-Tavita kick caught North Queensland offside. From the resulting set, the two halves combined once more, as Harris-Tavita put Metcalf away for his second of the night.
Five-eighth Tom Dearden grabbed a try back for the Cowboys, only for the Warriors to have the final say in the half when Adam Pompey intercepted Jake Clifford‘s attempted pass out to the right edge to signal halftime.
Despite trailing 28-12 at the break, the Cowboys have made a habit of turning matches around in the second half. For that reason, the Warriors made sure to take what points were on offer, as Metcalf opened the second spell with a penalty, to move the scoreline to three converted tries.
But the absence of Rocco Berry, who left the field with a hamstring injury, saw the Warriors without one of their defensive leaders and opened the door for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys managed the first of those with 25 minutes left on the clock, as a clever kick on the fourth tackle from Jake Clifford caught Kosi napping, as rival winger Robert Derby produced an acrobatic finish in the left corner.
Minutes later, the Cowboys had another, as Taulagi beat the diving tackle of Capewell to score in the corner. A stabbed kick through the line forced an error from Taine Tuaupiki, which allowed Jeremiah Nanai to close the gap to just six points.
That lead looked to have been completely squandered when Taulagi went over again, only for replays to show that Metcalf had tackled the winger into touch.
Regardless, the Warriors’ lead had been cut from 30-12 to 30-26 as the Cowboys had a stranglehold of the momentum heading into the last 15 minutes.
The Warriors hoped to have scored the winner with five minutes to play, as a stabbed kick through from Healey saw him regather and bat back for Pompey – only for replays to show the ball had gone dead.
From there, the Cowboys ultimately ran out of time to complete another comeback victory, as the Warriors limped home for their sixth win of 2025 so far.
The win is the Warriors’ first on their three-week assignment in Australia, with trips to face both the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Dolphins over the next two rounds.
