Warriors v Dragons: Warriors Women’s NRLW playoff hopes take a hit in loss to Dragons

Patricia Maliepo scored for the Warriors in their loss to the Dragons. Photo / Photosport

In the race for the playoffs, small moments can prove haunting.

As the Warriors Women looked to fight their way back inside the top six in their clash with the St George Illawarra Dragons in Sydney, there were several such moments.

A double to fullback Teagan Berry led the Dragons to a 26-18 win over the Warriors and ended their five-game losing streak, while extending that of the New Zealand side to three.

As the Warriors chased the game in the final 20 minutes, their execution lapsed and they made at least six errors.

That included at least three in the final 10 minutes, giving themselves no opportunities to attack the Dragons’ line.

After a raft of changes coming into the contest, the visitors were slow starters.

The Dragons ran out to a 10-0 lead through tries to winger Maria Paseka and Berry in the seventh and 16th minutes respectively.

When the Warriors got going, though, they looked like a side challenging for a playoff spot.

Payton Takimoana, playing at centre, scored in the 24th minute to get the Warriors on the board. It was a milestone moment for Takimoana, who became the first NRLW player to score in eight-straight games and broke the NRLW single-season try-scoring record with her 12th for the year.

Five-eighth Patricia Maliepo scored three minutes later – the ensuing conversion putting the Warriors in the lead.

They held that two-point advantage until halftime, before the Dragons edged ahead through Berry’s second.

That lead was short-lived, however, with Takimoana scoring a second to give the Warriors an 18-16 lead with just over 20 minutes to go.

However, they weren’t able to close it out down the stretch as errors and penalties welcomed the Dragons into attacking territory.

The hosts struck around the 47th minute to take the lead through hooker Tori Shipton, before Jayme Millard closed the result out in the final minutes.

With two rounds to play, the Warriors remain a top-six chance. However, further results over the weekend could now make achieving that spot a tougher task.

The side will be back in Hamilton next week to host the second-placed Brisbane Broncos, before finishing the regular season in Sydney against the bottom-of-the-table Wests Tigers.

Warriors 18 (Payton Takimoana 2, Patricia Maliepo tries; Maliepo 3 cons)

Dragons 26 (Teagan Berry 2, Maria Paseka, Tori Shipton, Jayme Millard tries; Millard 3 cons)

HT: 12-10.