NRL: Bunnies boiled by Warriors

Warrior Manu Vatuvei scores one of his three tries in last night's victory. Photo / Getty Images

Warriors 48
Rabbitohs 16

The Warriors are streaking again - this time in the right direction thanks to yesterday's impressive demolition of the Rabbitohs in Sydney.

The New Zealand club ran in nine tries, including three in the opening 15 minutes, to blow the Rabbitohs off the park and notch a third straight win.

The victory continues a trend of significant surges in each direction by the Warriors. They dropped their first three games of the season, won seven of the next eight, and then dropped four in a row. The latest upswing has consolidated their place in the top eight and, with the lowly Raiders to visit Auckland next Sunday, the streak appears unlikely to come to a halt any time soon.

Yesterday's result kept the club in sixth place. With six games to play they remain four points adrift of the Broncos and Cowboys, but more importantly have put a four-point gap between themselves and ninth-placed Penrith.

The Warriors' left side had a field day, with Manu Vatuvei bagging a hat-trick and centre Joel Moon a double.

Livewire bench hooker Pita Godinet rounded out an impressive debut with a try in the final minutes. Godinet's sharp effort capped a remarkable Cinderella story that saw him progress from unwanted part-timer to a pre-season trial contract and then to a full NRL debut in the space of six months.

"It is just a dream come true, really," Godinet said. "That's all I can say. A lot of hard work paid off. I am stoked, and to win by that margin on debut is just a good feeling."

The 23-year-old one-test Samoan international admitted he had endured sleepless nights and a nasty bout of pre-match nerves in the changing room before his chance to take the field finally came.

A specialist halfback, Godinet took the bench place of injured utility Lance Hohaia and played 34 minutes, spelling Aaron Heremaia at hooker.

"I'm tired, man," he said afterwards. "It was a real test for me. I was blowing after five minutes."

Godinet's strong showing underscores the impressive depth the Warriors are developing in the crucial playmaking positions. Rookie halfback Shaun Johnson bagged an 80m intercept try and produced three try-assists, while five-eighth James Maloney was the game's dominant figure, complementing an outstanding kicking game with 16 points from a try and six goals.

Right wing Bill Tupou displayed nifty hands and feet to score the opener before Johnson and Vatuvei, thanks to fine work by Moon, sent the Rabbitohs reeling in a blistering opening 15 minutes.

The Rabbitohs kept it interesting with a spell of pressure and three tries either side of halftime. But with Vatuvei returning to his most prolific try-scoring form - he would have had four tries but for a botched grounding - and Moon and Shaun Berrigan again extremely solid in the centres, the Warriors now look a genuinely dangerous outfit.

The feelgood moment of the match was undoubtedly Godinet's dart over the line from dummy half. Having missed the cut for the club's inaugural U-20s team because he was 10 days too old, Godinet juggled a welding career with part-time league for three years. He was named the Vulcans player of the year last year, but until this season's short-term offer he assumed a potential NRL career had passed him by. On yesterday's evidence, it is only just beginning.

Make no mistake, a player with prodigious attacking flair fully intended to score on debut. When the chance came, he took it.

"I tell you I was trying," he said. "I thought I was going to score when I put a little chip through but it just went through my hands. When another opportunity came, I just went for it."