PLAYOFFS GONE
Warriors battle but fall short in Townsville
Much, much better — but still not good enough. The Warriors fell 24-12 to the Cowboys in Townsville last night, in a result that surely ends their finals hopes for 2017.
They probably deserved more, and forced an incredible defensive effort from the home side.
The result was in the balance until the final seconds, when Javid Bowen regathered and sprinted 80 metres to score, after the Warriors lost the ball pressing the Cowboys line.
The performance gave hope that the Warriors haven’t thrown in the towel and there was a lot to like about last night.
They brought spirit, hunger and physicality to their work, in one of their better performances across the Tasman this season. Their defence — especially on their goal line — was impressive and the game had the intensity of a finals match.
It begged the question — where was this kind of performance and attitude last week? But that is the enduring mystery of the Warriors, who can’t match performances with occasions.
The Warriors weren’t helped by an inconsistent display by the match officials, who served up some home town oriented calls, especially in the second half, while Warriors coach Stephen Kearney’s decision to spell Issac Luke in the final 10 minutes was a curious one.
The match turned in the 49th minute, when Kieran Foran looked certain to score, before having the ball knocked from his grasp by Cowboys captain Gavin Cooper. An Ethan Lowe try broke the 12-12 deadlock minutes later, and the Cowboys had the momentum to get home.
The Auckland club were up against it last night. Not only were they facing an awful record in the tropical north — they had won only once in Townsville since 2002 — but they were missing the injured Shaun Johnson, while James Gavet was ruled out with a broken arm hours before kickoff. He was replaced by Tongan-born Chris Satae, impressive in reserve grade this year.
The Warriors opened the scoring, with Bunty Afoa crossing in the ninth minute. The try, Afoa’s first since his memorable double in Perth last year, was a product of sustained pressure, which finished with Roger TuivasaSheck putting Afoa through a yawning hole.
The visitors dominated the first quarter but the Cowboys regained some momentum through Justin O’Neill’s try in the 20th minute, after some swift ball movement caught out the Warriors left edge.
The Warriors then had their chances: Mason Lino was grounded centimetres short — by an offside defender who went unpunished — while Ligi Sao should have scored from close range, before their play got a bit scrappy. They coughed up possession, gave up penalties and the sequence ended with an inevitable but lucky Cowboys try. But the visitors showed impressive spirit to force a mistake, and Mannering’s try on halftime was a tonic.
But the first set of the second half summed up why the Warriors can be so frustrating. After advancing 70 metres, they failed to get the fifth tackle kick away and then gave away a penalty. Still they pressed after that and Foran came agonisingly close — stopped by one of the plays of the season from Cooper — as the Warriors got no dividend from three repeat sets before Lowe broke through, again down the Warriors left edge.
Cowboys 24 (J. O’Neill, J. Bowen 2, E. Lowe tries; Lowe 4 goals) Warriors 12 (B. Afoa, S. Mannering tries; I. Luke 2 goals). Halftime 12-12.