League: Broncos easily buck off Warriors

The Warriors failed to give Brent Webb and Awen Guttenbeil the farewells they deserved when losing their final NRL match of the season against the Broncos in Brisbane yesterday.

Continuing their late season revival, the Broncos scored six tries to two and gave themselves a preliminary final at home next Saturday against St George Illawarra.

While the host team gave the retiring Shane Webcke a great 250th first-grade match tribute, their rivals from Auckland could not send off Guttenbeil and Webb in style.

Both are off to the British Super League after chalking up more than 100 matches each for the Mt Smart Stadium-based club.

To make matters worse, Webb had to leave the field with rib injuries after a heavy tackle from Tonie Carroll in the first half.

The Warriors were gallant, especially in the middle stages, but in the final analysis the Broncos had too much class and more than just pride to play for.

The Warriors found a hot and humid Brisbane day hard work in the first half as the Broncos made them pay for defensive lapses caused by the pressure of successive completion sets.

Brisbane led after eight minutes when winger Karmichael Hunt broke the Warriors' defence, which ultimately led to halfback Shane Perry scoring.

Shaun Berrigan then cut through three slack tackles to score in the 21st minute and Hunt really put the New Zealanders on the back foot seven minutes later when he scored down the right wing.

Another try loomed as centre Brent Tate stormed downfield, but the video official ruled he made a double movement in winger Manu Vatuvei's tackle before grounding the ball.

The Warriors began to string a few attacks together late in the half, with Todd Byrne, in his first game back after 14 weeks off with a broken arm, outjumping Hunt to claim a try after a kick from standoff Jerome Ropati.

It was 18-6 at halftime and the Warriors needed to score first in the second half to have any show of pulling off an upset.

They did, when George Gatis followed up a Grant Rovelli kick, and they could have drawn level but Byrne threw a ball forward to Lance Hohaia with the line open.

They continued to press, but a forward pass by Micheal Luck saw the Broncos storm back and tries to captain Darren Lockyer and Justin Hodges were enough to snuff out the challenge for the Warriors.

Hodges scored again late in the match to give his side third place in the minor premiership and plenty of confidence heading into the finals.

The result broke the Warriors' run of four successive wins, but after the drama of losing four competition points due to salary cap breaches they only just missed making the finals and came out of the season with plenty of admirers.

- NZPA