Warriors players celebrate with Shaun Johnson after he kicked the winning field goal in golden point against the Raiders. Photo / Photosport
Warriors 21
Raiders 20
It’s time to ask the question – can this Warriors season get any better?
In a campaign of unprecedented thrills and spills, this was perhaps a sign that they are destined for something special.
They prevailed 21-20 in golden point on Friday night, thanks to a clutch Shaun Johnson field goal in the 82nd minute.
It was another twist, after the Raiders had scored twice in the final two minutes.
The Warriors had looked home, with a 20-10 lead in the 78th minute, before tries to Elliott Whitehead and Jack Wighton stunned the 19,112 crowd.
At that stage the visitors seemed to have all the momentum but the Warriors stayed composed and found a way, like they have done so often in 2023.
And Johnson’s kick was a beauty, from 35 metres out and under pressure, as the fans partied like it was 2011.
This win was about pure guts and grit.
It wasn’t always pretty – and lacked the razzle dazzle of recent weeks – but it was a performance of courage, after a short turnaround.
The result means the Warriors move into the top four and they will be hard to dislodge, with a tasty home stretch after next week’s bye.
It was a brutal contest, which says so much about what coach Andrew Webster has built. They were under pressure for long periods but refused to yield, against a dangerous Raiders team.
Johnson had another impressive game, while Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was superb against his former team. Addin Fonua-Blake led another powerful forward effort, where it was hard to isolate particular players.
The first half was an endurance test. Not much went right, as execution was slightly off and completions were down.
The Warriors had clicked into gear almost immediately, with Wayde Egan’s no look pass sending Marata Niukore across in the third minute after a powerful Mitch Barnett charge created momentum. That try should have been the kickstart but it didn’t happen. There were early chances as they split the Raiders on both edges but passes went astray.
Canberra worked their way back. Wighton was stopped in a brilliant tackle, but the visitors crossed moments later after a messy combination between Johnson and Niukore presented Hudson Young with a dash to the line.
Niukore had been dazed in an earlier tackle and failed his HIA soon afterwards.
The pressure was building as the Warriors struggled to get out of their own half.
A turning point came just before the break as Dallin Watene-Zelezniak managed a miraculous play, jolting the ball from Sebastian Kris, as the centre was braced to dive over following a clever Jamal Fogarty chip. That intervention felt even more vital after Nicoll-Klokstad’s impressive try, following a sweeping right edge set play.
The game came to life with a thumping Josh Curran hit on Young, which provoked Corey Horsburgh into a WWE shoulder charge on the Warriors player. That sparked an all-in melee and while the angry redhead went unpunished, it fired up the home side. They scored a sizzling try to Watene-Zelezniak, following slick right-edge play – before Adam Pompey and Luke Metcalf were both inches away.
A Johnson penalty – following a bungled drop out – extended the Warriors’ lead but the Raiders wouldn’t go away. A remarkable Pompey tackle saved a certain try but the pressure eventually told, with a trademark Jordan Rapana leap snaring a Wighton bomb.
The Warriors looked safe, but the Raiders conjured a minor miracle. Whitehead slipped through down the short side before an amazing long-range raid, with the right edge caught out leading to Wighton diving across in the corner. Jarrod Croker missed the conversion, allowing the Warriors to reset, before Johnson’s special moment.
Warriors 21 (Marata Niukore, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak tries; Shaun Johnson 2 con, 2 pen, field goal)
Raiders 20 (Hudson Young, Jordan Rapana, Elliott Whitehead, Jack Wighton tries; Jarrod Croker 2 cons)
Halftime: 14-6
Tanah Boyd arrives on a two-year deal after Shaun Johnson’s retirement.