KEY POINTS:
The Warriors continue to play cardiac arrest with their fans but there were signs during their gutsy win over Brisbane that they have more chance of making the playoff eight than do some of the teams squashed around them on the competition ladder.
Adjustments to their attack paid
off, the defence returned to what it was in the win over champions Melbourne rather than what it was in the loss to second-last placed Souths.
Attack weapon Wade McKinnon played 80 minutes and when asked afterwards about the knee on which he had surgery he replied: "It's the same as the other one." He'd had sore lungs but a lot of fun, the fullback said.
It showed. He was regularly on hand to take the in-pass or off-load, always threatening. In defence, his chatter drove the rest.
Michael Witt's reinstatement after wake-up time with the Vulcans feeder side was good. He was a target for the Broncos runners, forced to make 21 tackles, but his field kicking improved the Warriors' game territorially. He bounced two goal attempts off the posts but slotted a late 40m penalty to help keep a gap in the scores and take puff out of the opposition.
Lance Hohaia's injection from the bench provided a big lift after the Warriors had weathered an early assault from the visitors. He frequently cut up the tiring forwards.
A crowd of 13,007 kept the faith and were repaid. Victory should encourage them back for the next match against the Sharks at Mt Smart this Saturday, another must-win. With four rounds to go the Warriors sit on 24 competition points, equal to the Raiders who are in eighth place as well as the Dragons and Tigers but behind those three on points differential.
The Broncos would rue their late changes on Saturday night as it was the replacements who produced crucial turnovers at critical times. Dave Taylor lost the ball and the Warriors rookie Ben Matulino scored his debut try. Derrick Watkins dropped the ball and McKinnon scored from Nathan Fien's kick after the scrum. Isaac Ah Mau was penalised and Witt slotted the penalty.
The penalty count was Warriors six, Broncos five and the errors eight apiece. The Warriors completed 31/41 of their sets, Brisbane 29/39.
Where it was won and lost statistically was in the tackle counts, the Broncos having made 50 more by half time and that imbalance remaining with the final total 359 to the Warriors' 299. Hence the Broncos missed more, 54 to 27.
There were confusing refereeing calls, and often non-calls, Matt Cecchin not using his whistle at times he should have. There is still work for the Warriors to do to smarten the play that follows the feed from dummy-half early in the tackle count and to ensure better punch on the fifth and last - too often the ball ends up in the wrong hands or the kicker is pressured more often than should be the case.
But they played with an enthusiasm that has been missing at times this season, with an intention that suggests they do want to go to the playoffs.
The run to the playoffs:
Dragons v Broncos (a), Warriors (h), Eels (h), Roosters (a).
Broncos v Dragons (h), Titans (h), Bulldogs (a), Knights (h).
Tigers v Eels (a), Eagles (h), Sharks (h), Titans (a).
Warriors v Sharks (h), Dragons (a), Panthers (h), Eels (a).
Panthers s v Bulldogs (h), Storm (h), Warriors (a), Eagles (h).
Knights v Raiders (a), Cowboys (h), Storm (h), Broncos (a).
Raiders v Knights (h), Souths (a), Cowboys (a), Bulldogs (h).
Titans v Cowboys (a), Broncos (a), Eagles (a), Tigers (h).
