League: Warriors playmaker back to his best

It is never easy to win in Brisbane, and while the Warriors will be pleased with their 24-12 victory there on Saturday night, they will take even greater comfort from the return of Stacey Jones.

The halfback played a complete game, setting up the first try for Ruben Wiki, driving the Warriors around well with his choice of attacking options and kicking game and nailing six-from-seven goals.

In the end that was the points difference, each side scoring three tries but Darren Lockyer unable to convert any for the Broncos.

It was a strong performance from the Warriors, with their forward pack laying the best-possible platform from which Jones could profit.

Captain Steve Price delivered an almost unbelievable 223m and 27 tackles, Wiki made 161m and 20 tackles, Awen Guttenbeil 140m and 25 tackles, Monty Betham 132m and 26 tackles.

Hooker Nathan Fien continually challenged from dummy-half and with his kicking game, and the result was that the Warriors attack, which had looked inept against Manly, was constantly threatening.

In front of a vocal crowd of 24,719, which included a solid Kiwi contingent, the Warriors overcame repeat penalties in their own 20m and the defence held.

It was a different team and the cog on both offence and in scrambling cover defence was Jones.

Coach Tony Kemp rated it his best win since taking over mid-season last year. Of Jones, he said: "I always knew that was there. We'd spoken about it."

Before Manly, he had told Jones not to approach the season-opener like a grand final. Before Brisbane, he talked about recovering confidence. "I think he did that and he's going to feel good about that."

He had told Jones he had to take the ball to the line, Kemp said. The halfback certainly did, first putting Wiki in close to the posts on a delayed pass and with the conversion added to two early penalty goals, the Warriors took a 10-0 lead.

It was Jones and fullback Brent Webb who cut down Broncos forward Corey Parker, then wing Leon Bott, as both steamed at the line. But a penalty conceded for a hold-down allowed Shaun Berrigan to slide around the defenders and it was 10-4 at the break.

It was the sort of situation where Warriors fans might rightly have been nervous of a home-team comeback, especially when Webb was sin-binned for a hold-down just after the re-start.

But while he was off Jerome Ropati, despite two earlier errors, showed good confidence to run at the line and scored for 14-4. Jones missed the conversion, his only goal-kicking failure, but continued to threaten and thus the Warriors had the territory for another successful penalty.

At 16-4 and with the last quarter approaching, the Broncos found another gear.

Brad Thorn scored when Lockyer ran on the last tackle and cut the Warriors up, then fullback Karmichael Hunt profited as the defence hung off him and it was 16-12.

Jones secured things with a solo dart from 20m to score under the bar and there was the feeling this was not a team about to let a lead slip in the last 10 minutes. The Broncos felt it too, and the pressure kick-off went out on the full.

It was the Warriors' first win in Australia since they beat Souths in round 11 last season. Kemp took over in round 13 and after Saturday night's win his record is five from 15. He's confident they have turned a corner.