Leaders overthrown
On Saturday in North Sydney, a young One New Zealand Warriors team stunned leaders Penrith in the New South Wales Cup with a 22-10 surprise victory. After a lackluster start to the season, the Warriors maintained their great comeback, extending their unbeaten streak to five games and climbing to fifth place on the standings with 13 points.
With just two backline players left, they had a very different team than the one that defeated the Sydney Roosters 26–20 in the 10th round one week prior. Out of the 17 players, 11 were qualified for the club’s under-19 or under-21 SG Ball Cup squads, and the last player, winger Compton Fuatimau, was a rookie in the New South Wales Cup.
Coach David Tangata-Toa has lost prop Zyon Maiu’u, halfback Paul Roache, and fullback Ben Farr to the club’s NRL roster from the lineup announced on Tuesday.
The Warriors’ day was particularly poignant because of the black armbands worn by the players in honor of captain Kalani Going, whose great-uncle, the renowned All Black halfback Sid Going, passed away on Friday at the age of 80. The Warriors, who on April 27 overcame a run of injuries and misfortunes to tie 22–22 with the Panthers, enjoyed being the underdog in their rematch on Saturday.
They had a comfortable 10-0 lead in the first half thanks to attempts to hooker Makaia Tafua and center Moala Graham-Taufa. However, they faced further hardship when adolescent center Sio Kali was pulled off the field due to a leg injury. With the first two tries of the second half, the Panthers were able to tie the game 10-10, but the Warriors won 22-10 thanks to a double-strike in the final 11 minutes.
In the 69th minute, second rower Eddie Ieremia scored the first try. Fullback Motu Pasikala then showed incredible strength by fending off several opponents to score; Pasikala also converted both touchdowns to seal an incredible 12-point victory.
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