Warriors 22
Panthers 20
Ten gamers lacking, a five-game winless run and the three-time defending champions within the reverse nook.
However even with their monumental problem solely growing after kickoff, the Warriors recorded one among their most well-known current wins.
Andrew Webster’s injury-ravaged aspect pulled off a shocking upset of Penrith on Sunday afternoon, placing an unlikely spell on the reigning premiers in Magic Spherical at Suncorp Stadium.
The Warriors’ season had appeared destined to fall additional right into a tailspin, with out a victory since early April whereas dealing with a high-flying Panthers aspect using a four-game profitable run.
But after falling into an early gap, and regardless of being pressured to play most the match with none member of their first-choice backbone, the workforce rediscovered a few of final yr’s wizardry to kickstart this marketing campaign.
“We wanted that, we actually did,” halfback Te Maire Martin instructed Fox Sports activities. “We’ve been in a little bit of a rut the final couple of weeks, and to return out of that with a win in opposition to a aspect like Penrith is big.
“Typically it really works in your favour, having a couple of of your high fellas out. You want individuals to step up. We had that feeling at the beginning of the week, we had been nonetheless assured we may do stuff.”
What they did was hand the Panthers solely their third defeat in 10 video games, working in 4 tries in opposition to the sternest defence within the competitors. And victory was totally deserved.
With the makeshift halves mixture of Martin and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad repeatedly opening up the opposition, and with younger duo Taine Tuaupiki and Ali Leiataua making key contributions at fullback and centre, the Warriors spent massive stretches in command.
After, that’s, Tuaupiki put the opening kickoff out on the complete and the Panthers made him pay inside 90 seconds. And after Wayde Egan’s return to the beginning aspect lasted lower than 12 minutes earlier than being dominated out by way of a head knock, a troubling growth for a participant with a historical past of concussion points.
The hooker’s absence solely added to a casualty ward headlined by Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, one which additionally grew in quantity on Saturday when skipper Tohu Harris was dominated out with a finger damage.
But with all these issues, the Warriors performed carefree soccer. They had been lacking solely the ultimate contact throughout a primary half through which that they had extra of the ball, a greater completion price, fewer tackles missed and half as many errors because the opposition.
Mitch Barnett was immense out and in of possession, repelling the Panthers within the deal with as simply as he pushed them again within the carry, whereas Dylan Walker offered a greater than in a position companion in each points.
But this was nonetheless the Panthers, overflowing with finals expertise. Even with out the guiding hand of long-term absentee Nathan Cleary, they had been absolutely assured of shaking off their shaky begin and including to a 10-4 halftime lead.
However when Isaah Yeo went to the sin bin — caught out by a fast faucet from Nicoll-Klokstad, excelling in his second profession begin at 5 eighth — the Warriors added 12 factors in opposition to 12 gamers by way of tries for Leiataua and Adam Pompey.
And when ill-discipline and errors threatened to devour their recreation at precisely the mistaken second — as Penrith had been allowed again in entrance with 12 minutes to play — Webster’s males belied their callow nature to retake the lead.
Martin pulled the strings to place Tuaupiki throughout earlier than the second-year fullback slotted a difficult conversion, displaying a cool head that Dylan Edwards was unable to match with a last-minute penalty try.
As his impressed teammate later revealed, Tuaupiki’s composure got here regardless of some testing circumstances.
“It’s a giant credit score to Taine,” Martin mentioned. “His companion’s due any day so he was 50-50 whether or not he was going to play. I do know being a mum or dad myself how your thoughts may be someplace else, however I assumed Taine did an enormous job.
“It was a superb alternative for among the younger boys now we have to get a recreation, and to style [victory] in entrance of a crowd like that in Magic Spherical is big.”
Warriors 22 (Marcelo Montoya, Ali Leiataua, Adam Pompey, Taine Tuaupiki tries; Taine Tuaupiki 3 cons)
Panthers 20 (Dylan Edwards, Jarome Luai, Isaah Yeo, Izack Tago tries; Dylan Edwards 2 cons)
HT: 10-4
