The Warriors celebrate Addin Fonua-Blake's try against the Cowboys. Photo / photosport.nz
Warriors 22
Cowboys 14
This is the kind of victory you can build a season on.
It wasn’t pretty – as the Warriors were riddled with mistakes and lacked cohesion – but the home side still found a way to win, edging the North Queensland Cowboys 22-14 in a tense, albeit scrappy, contest.
It was a courageous effort, as the Warriors spent much of the match defending, with the Cowboys dominating possession (57 per cent) and territory.
In that way, it was the perfect response after the Newcastle defeat, played out in front of a 23,695 crowd, and will further build on the Andrew Webster revolution.
Their 5-2 record is a great platform ahead of a tough stretch of matches, and given the amount of top-line players missing, it was further proof of the depth this season.
Dylan Walker’s 61st-minute try proved decisive, before a late Shaun Johnson penalty extended the margin. The home side led for most of the match, but couldn’t pull away, with errors constantly handling initiative back to the Cowboys.
It was a result built in the trenches. After a fortnight of leaky defence, they righted the ship, defying the Queensland side for long spells in one of their best defensive displays of the season.
Walker proved an inspired selection at five-eighth, while Tohu Harris made his presence felt upon his return. Wayde Egan’s control was missed around the ruck, but the forwards kept rolling regardless, while the back five made a strong contribution.
And Shaun Johnson continued his personal revival, kicking well, taking good options and laying on a couple of tries.
The Warriors finally snapped their poor starting sequence as well, with Addin Fonua-Blake crashing over beneath the posts in the third minute. The opportunity came after a timely Adam Pompey intercept, before Harris and Walker created space for the prop.
The home side had further chances, before the Cowboys hit back through powerful wing Murray Taulagi. The try came after sustained pressure, with six consecutive goal-line sets, before the Warriors cracked, with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak being outflanked. The blustery wind was causing issues, with a Johnson drop-out sailing well over the sideline.
After Ed Kosi forced an error with a stinging hit on Peta Hiku, the young winger crossed in the next set, thanks to outstanding work from Marcelo Montoya, who busted three tackles on a powerful 40-metre run, with Kosi doing well to back up and reel in the low pass.
That should have been a signal to lift, but the Warriors couldn’t find their rhythm, with another needless yardage penalty. Taulagi went close - outwitting Watene-Zelezniak again - but grazed the sideline. But the visitors kept coming and Reuben Cotter slipped past Johnson to score, after Chad Townsend delayed the pass.
It was a messy half from the home side, as the Cowboys dominated possession and territory. The crispness wasn’t quite there on the attack – though the Cowboys were resolute, and any progress was extinguished through indiscipline.
It didn’t get much better after the interval, with mistakes stalling the Warriors, as they were pinned in their own half. They finally got going again in the 50th minute, with Josh Curran running off a smart Johnson pass, but again they couldn’t consolidate – with cheap mistakes – and they were eventually punished by a delightful try by Valentine Holmes.
After Kyle Feldt went close, some show-and-go magic from Walker regained the lead, after Johnson cleverly gathered the rebound from his attempted kick.
It was a nervy finale, but the Warriors lifted in the last 15 minutes to make sure of the result.
Warriors 22 (Addin Fonua-Blake, Ed Kosi, Josh Curran, Dylan Walker tries; Shaun Johnson 2 cons, pen)
Cowboys 14 (Murray Taulagi, Reuben Cotter, Valentine Holmes tries; Holmes con)
Halftime: 10-8
Leka Halasima and Jacob Laban have been locked down until the end of the 2029 NRL season.