Johnson leads miracle comeback
IT’S only three rounds into the season but this Warriors outfit is already starting to develop a habit of making history.
And judging by their miracle comeback in Canberra yesterday, they will only continue to defy the odds.
Two weeks after winning in Perth for the first time, Shaun Johnson nailed back-to-back field goals at the death as the Warriors stunned the Raiders 20-19 to record the club’s best start to an NRL campaign.
Never before has the Auckland club started off 3-0, but this is a team that has shown they know how to get the job done, no matter the situation.
After conceding an avalanche of penalties early, that saw them make 50 more first-half tackles, the Warriors trailed 19-6 with 30 minutes to go.
But they refused to go away. Tries to Tohu Harris and Issac Luke gave them a glimmer of hope before the team showed great composure to put Johnson in position to send the game to golden point.
There was no need for extra time, though, as they again marched up field for the halfback to snatch victory with seconds remaining as his kick floated over the crossbar.
‘‘We had so much stuff go against us today, it’s evident in the penalty count but we stuck in there,’’ Johnson told Fox Sports after the game. ‘‘We said to ourselves, no-one’s giving us a chance here. We stayed tight, we kept at it, and we’re walking away with the win.’’
Discipline has been an issue for most teams this season but the Warriors were almost penalised out of the game in the first half.
They conceded the first six penalties in the opening seven minutes. And when Adam Blair was caught for a late shot on Aiden Sezer, the referee had seen enough.
With the Raiders camped down in their red zone, the Warriors did well to keep them out as long as they did, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck pulling off another impressive try-saving tackle.
But the signs looked ominous when Blair was sent to the sin bin.
After former Warrior Siliva Havili barged his over way over, Canberra powered upfield in the very next set and Elliott Whitehead scored off an offload from Iosia Soliola.
The visitors had barely touched the ball at that point and in previous years they would have folded. Yet this team is more resilient. They made the most of their first penalty when, despite being a man down, Peta Hiku caught the Raiders short on the right edge to slice through.
The Warriors probably should have went to the break on level terms.
They wasted several attacking opportunities with poor passes before Raiders halfback Sam Wil- liams slotted a field goal to give his side a seven-point buffer.
Say what you like about the NRL’s crack down on discipline, it’s up to the players to adjust. And the Warriors didn’t. They started the second half much like the first as back-toback penalties put Raiders winger Nick Cotric in a position to muscle past multiple defenders to score.
Another penalty for offside saw the Raiders stretch their lead.
Just when you thought they were out of it, the Warriors mounted their comeback.
Harris still had plenty to do when he received a superb late offload from Ligi Sao, but the Kiwis back-rower showed great footwork to reduce the deficit back to seven.
Luke then went through a huge gap three three minutes left to cut the deficit to one-point before Johnson’s two moments of magic.
The victory was only the Warriors’ fourth in 16 matches in the Australian capital.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Warriors with another tough road trip to the Roosters next week.
But few will be writing them off after that performance.