Warriors steal defeat from jaws of victory
THE WARRIORS have suffered a loss that only they could, leaking 14 points in the final seven minutes then conceding a field goal in the 83rd minute to lose an extra-time thriller 27-26 to the Titans.
It’s perhaps a fitting way for the Warriors to end a season at Mt Smart last night that brought with it so much disappointment.
Up 26-12 with seven minutes to go, the Warriors had this game in the bag, but capitulated in spectacular style as the Titans got the game into golden point from a seemingly impossible position.
Each team failed with their first attempt at a field goal, but the crucial moment came when Addin Fonua-Blake lost the ball by the halfway line. The Titans marched down the field and Tanah Boyd kicked the winning point.
It was a crushing way for the Warriors to end their season, but at least a line can now be put through their 2022 campaign.
The Titans should have scored in the third minute when Phillip Sami broke through, but his pass out wide to an open Greg Marzhew was a shocker.
Straight after, the Warriors were on the board, with Reece Walsh, in his final game for the club, throwing a superb cutout pass to Jesse Arthars for the try.
The Warriors struck again a few minutes later with Josh Curran going in for his third try of the season.
The early domination was continued as Dallin WateneZelezniak scored a wonderful diving try in the 13th minute. The Warriors were up 16-0 already, but every veteran Warriors fan knew this wasn’t game over.
The expected rain started to fall midway through the first half and around that time momentum changed, with the Titans getting into their groove and creating damage up the middle.
On the back of that, AJ Brimson crashed through three tacklers for his ninth try of the season, but crucially, just before the break, Curran beat Brimson
to ground the ball in goal for another try and with the conversion the Warriors led 20-4 at halftime.
The Warriors gave up a bizarre try early in the second half. Players stood around thinking the ball had been knocked on, but Beau Fermor played on, picked up the ball and touched it down over the line.
However, again the Warriors were able to respond with Viliami Vailea running 60m to score in the 53rd minute.
In the final seven minutes Jayden Campbell and ex-Warrior Paul Turner scored tries for the Titans, with the conversions making it a two-point game.
With a minute to go Boyd kicked a penalty to level the scores and without Shaun Johnson on the field, the Warriors were always unlikely to kick the winning field goal.
The big moment
Fonua-Blake losing the ball by the halfway put the Titans into a perfect position to win and they didn’t waste that opportunity.
Match rating
7.5/10: Two footy teams with nothing to play for were prepared to chance their arms and it gave the 20,512 spectators a cracking footy game to watch.
The big picture
The Warriors finish 15th.
MVP
Bunty Afoa, the Warriors’ super sub, had his best game of the season. Timely for him as he’s about to start negotiations for a new contract.