The Warriors were beaten by the Canberra Raiders in Las Vegas, the United States. Photo / Photosport
By Michael Burgess in Las Vegas
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
That has to be the hope for the Warriors, after a dismal start to their 2025 season in the Nevada city.
After all the build-up, the hype and the hope, everything fell flat on Sunday.
They were outsmarted, outmuscled, and outplayed by the Canberra Raiders, smashed 30-8 in their season opener.
Canberra scored five tries to two – and were close to two or three more – while the Warriors struggled to create many opportunities on attack.
But the main issue was defence, as they missed a mountain of tackles and couldn’t slow the ruck, along with their poor discipline and accuracy.
In contrast, the Australian side defended with grit and courage, simply wanting it more.
The Raiders led 16-4 at halftime and sprinted away after that.
It’s only one game, but this wasn’t the way to stamp their mark, in the post Shaun Johnson era.
Luke Metcalf had a mixed debut at halfback – including a costly intercept pass late in the first half – but both halves were often on the back foot, with the forward pack struggling to assert themselves, well beaten in the yardage battle. In fairness, hardly anyone emerged with credit.
It was a night when just about everything that could go wrong did for the Warriors, with uncharacteristic mistakes, poor options and general hesitation, against the hungry Raiders.
It also felt like the Warriors struggled with the occasion in the United States; they were nowhere near their best on the big stage.
The performance will leave coach Andrew Webster with plenty of questions to ponder, ahead of their round two match against Manly in a fortnight.
The Raiders had the better of the opening exchanges. The Warriors tried to impose themselves – with some driving defence - but Canberra scored after their first repeat set, with Sebastian Kris squeezing through on a short side play.
It was a strong effort by the centre, though it was an ominous sign as he found his way past three opponents before grazing the ball on the line.
The Auckland team didn’t get any change out of their first two attacking sets, as the Raiders compressed any space. When they did get free, there was an error or a fumble, while Canberra’s speed men were causing havoc through the middle.
Taine Tuaupiki tried to inspire his team with a big hit but Canberra’s second try came from a searing Tom Starling break to go 50 metres. He was stopped but Xavier Savage crossed in the corner on the next play, after the defensive line misread the numbers.
Even when things went right, they soon went wrong.
A penalty – after Chanel Harris-Tavita was taken out – offered some rare territory. But Savage came up with an 85m intercept try, a massive swing in momentum. Metcalf was rolling the dice with the pass - with the Warriors close to the defensive line - and paid a big price, head bowed as he ran back to halfway.
After 32 minutes the Warriors were running on fumes, having already missed 21 tackles.
Just before the interval, Kurt Capewell’s try – set up by Adam Pompey after sustained pressure - offered a ray of hope.
A stirring halftime performance by hip hop artist Savage got the Warriors’ fanbase going – as it was broadcast on the big screens around the stadium – but those good vibrations were short lived, after Kris’ second try just after halftime.
It summed up the day, as Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad fumbled a towering bomb – under pressure from chasers – and Kris mopped up.
In the 51st minute Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was centimetres away from forcing a Harris-Tavita grubber, after a promising attack but that was the Warriors’ last chance.
Any likelihood of an improbable comeback was extinguished by the Raiders’ fifth try to Matthew Timoko, which came from another long range break, with the Warriors’ outstripped on the edge.
There were still 25 minutes to play but no sense of a miracle.
The Raiders went close to two more – with a miraculous save by Nicoll-Klokstad at one point.
After Joseph Tapine was sinbinned for a shoulder charge on Mitch Barnett, Tuivasa-Sheck got a deserved try, after nice work from Harris-Tavita but there was nothing more to celebrate.
NZ Warriors 8 (Kurt Capewell, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck try)
Canberra Raiders 30 (Xavier Savage 2, Sebastian Kris 2, Matthew Timoko tries; Jamal Fogarty 4 cons, pen)
HT: 4-16
Michael Burgess travelled to Las Vegas courtesy of Air New Zealand
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
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