League: Hohaia checks Knights in tightly fought match

Warriors 13
Knights 0

It took just five minutes last night for Lance Hohaia to prove that he should be playing the full 80 minutes every weekend.

And nothing illustrated that more than the late field-goal that killed the Newcastle Knights' hopes at Mt Smart Stadium.

Hohaia accelerated through a gap and pushed his way through four defenders to get the first points in the first half.

Then under-20s graduate Kevin Locke brought the team home with his third try from three games when he pounced on a loose ball and ran from the Warriors' half to score on the hooter.

"Hopefully this is a sign of things to come," Hohaia said afterwards.

He had enjoyed playing five-eighth outside Stacey Jones, as they had in earlier seasons. "Hopefully I can be there again," Hohaia said.

Rarely have the Warriors scored early and first this season.

The 6-0 start (after Locke converted), in conditions in which points were always going to be hard to get, was good.

But after the Warriors enforced two goal-line drop-outs, the suspicion was that the home side should have scored more with the prospect of facing a cold gale for the second 40.

In the first 40 the Warriors enjoyed a great ground-gain from the boots of Jones (playing his 250th game for the club and arguably his best this season) and from Hohaia, who both found grass more often than not.

The two halves also kept taking on the line straight-forward and offered a threat the Warriors have been sorely missing in recent games.

Newcastle desperately missed their number-one strike weapon, captain Kurt Gidley, and suffered from a lack of injection in the backs.

The late start (8.30pm) did nothing to encourage the Mt Smart turnout which, at 14,255, was the lowest so far this season but great given the recent losses and the extremely bleak conditions.

* The Junior Warriors produced their most impressive performance of the season in overpowering Newcastle 34-6.