Shaun Johnson on his way to the tryline for the Warriors. Photo / Getty
Warriors 28
Titans 18
If there was any complacency around Warriors headquarters, there won’t be now.
After all the talk about finals football and a possible top-four charge, they were brought sharply back to earth on Friday night.
Playing against 12 men for more than an hour – after Titans prop Moeaki Fotuaika was sent off for a high tackle on Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad – the Warriors produced one of their most untidy efforts of the season
They couldn’t shake off the Titans for long periods, needing two tries in the last eight minutes to break an 18-18 deadlock, as they eventually prevailed 28-18.
Their attack was clunky coming off the bye, while their ball control was far below the standards set in 2023.
It was a performance that wouldn’t have been good enough in other circumstances, though the Warriors will be happy to get this one out of the way. The Titans have been difficult recent opponents – with their pace and unpredictable style – and caused problems all night, despite their numerical disadvantage.
Shaun Johnson had another match to remember, crossing twice and also contributing two try assists while orchestrating the kicking game superbly in the second half, while captain Tohu Harris was typically consistent.
The livewire Taine Tuaupiki also impressed – and may be needed next week, with Nicoll-Klokstad likely to miss at least one match after failing his HIA.
The result means the Warriors remain inside the top quartet and it was their fifth consecutive victory across the Tasman, a statistic not seen since the 2002 season.
After a high intensity start – with tackles flying in - the flashpoint came in the 17th minute, with the dismissal of Fotuaika after a sickening shot on Nicoll-Klokstad. It was a strong precedent – only the second sending off since March – and there have been worse ones ignored this season.
But it was still an awful tackle, which ended the fullback’s night. It had been coming, with the Titans coming out full of aggression, with back rower Chris Randall fortunate to avoid sanction after smashing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak with his shoulder.
That brought Tuaupiki into the match, for only his third appearance of the season. The Warriors were fired up and Marata Niukore momentarily lost his head, sinbinned after a trivial – but needless – scuffle with David Fifita.
The home side were running on adrenaline, especially when Fifita crashed over from close range. Not much was going right for the Warriors; their angles weren’t quite right; they were coughing up possession and the Titans’ line speed was creating pressure whenever they tried to spread. They were too lateral – trying to go coast to coast before they went north.
Johnson’s first try eased the pressure, stepping across from first receiver after a bullet pass from Wayde Egan.
He crossed again eight minutes later, splitting the line – with a fend on Fifita – before Watene-Zelezniak came up with one of passes of the season, with an impossible around the corner pass to Johnson, despite the presence of three defenders. The winger should have added a third try right before the break, but it was scratched for obstruction.
Coach Andrew Webster’s halftime instructions were to be more direct and the Warriors heeded that call, as Jackson Ford ran off Johnson. There should have been more, as Dylan Walker passed forward to Luke Metcalf with the line open.
But the errors kept coming, inviting the Titans back into the contest, before Joe Stimson did well to ground a precise Jayden Campbell grubber. Campbell was electric – trying to spark the home side – while Metcalf was desperately unlucky with a chip and chase, getting an awful bounce after busting the line.
That became a 12-point swing, after Campbell’s 80-metre intercept try, when Ford got too cute after Harris had retrieved a bomb.
It got nervous for a while, before Egan’s superb ball set up Harris for his first try of the season, then Watene-Zelezniak gathered in a Johnson kick to make the game safe.
Warriors 28 (Shaun Johnson 2, Jackson Ford, Tohu Harris, Dallin Watene-Zeleniak tries; Johnson 4 cons)
Titans 18 (David Fifita, Joe Stimson, Jayden Campbell tries; Tanah Boyd 2, Jayden Campbell cons)
Halftime: 12-6
Tanah Boyd arrives on a two-year deal after Shaun Johnson’s retirement.