Belief paid off for the Warriors, says Lawton

first 44 sets of the game, which is believed to be an NRL record.

If ever an example was needed for a backs to the wall victory, this was it.

‘‘There was relief,’’ Lawton said of the emotions in the ‘home’ changing shed after the game.

‘‘All of the work we’ve put in on and off the field, that mini preseason we did for a couple of weeks was terrific and we put it all to work and it paid off.’’

Before the NRL season was suspended, the Warriors looked dreadful, lacking a killer blow on attack, while making mistakes aplenty.

But it seems their time locked away together in Australia has paid off. They’ve fixed their problems, made adjustments and demonstrated that the culture inside the team is now as good as it’s ever been.

‘‘There was strong belief, we had put in all of the hard work, done the research, watched the videos and it paid off,’’ Lawton said.

‘‘Credit to all the guys, it was all about dedication, doing the small things, the 1 per cents, the extras in the gym and the extras on the conditioning field.’’

A factor in the win was that the Warriors had adapted to the new rule changes better than the Dragons.

When the Warriors were given the six again call, they punished the Dragons up the middle. Especially new boy Eliesa Katoa, who’s showing the potential to eventually be as good as Jason Taumalolo.

The Warriors also adapted to there being one referee, they were able to play the game at a high pace and benefited from their being fewer of those niggly penalties. They gave away just three in this game, compared to 10 against the Dragons in their season opener.

Lawton was supposed to double team the hooker role with Wayde Egan for the game but when Peta Hiku came off with a rib injury after 25 minutes, he had to come into the centres.

Egan did a superb job in lasting 80 minutes in what’s become under the new rule changes, one of the most arduous positions on the field, making 43 tackles, but Lawton was also outstanding filling in at centre.

While this victory is a memorable one, the opposition won’t always be as poor as the Dragons were and things will be tougher in the weeks ahead. They play the Panthers, Cowboys, Storm and Broncos over the next four Fridays, who will all challenge them more than the Dragons did.

However, this win will lift the confidence of the players and show them that this sacrifice has been worthwhile.