Warriors 14
Tiger 0
Youngster Kevin Locke made a dream debut today as the New Zealand Warriors arrested their slump in the National Rugby League.
The Warriors won a wintry arm wrestle against the Wests Tigers 14-0 in Auckland, with 20-year-old Locke scoring two tries from the wing.
Apart from his double, Locke showed his promise with his ability in defence and his footwork in att ack.
It was Warriors' first victory in four matches and it allowed them to leapfrog above the Tigers, who suffered their fourth loss in a row.
The Warriors did a good job of shutting down opposition danger man, Kiwi Benji Marshall, through whom most of the Tigers' attacks passed.
A big turnaround for the home side, who had conceded more than 70 points in the past two rounds, was their defence.
Winger Manu Vatuvei, with a series of strong runs, was also impressive for the Warriors, as was fullback Wade McKinnon, who showed a lot of resolve in running the ball out of the in-goal in heavy traffic.
McKinnon, who scored his side's second try, also produced a try-saving tackle on Rhys Hanbury with five minutes to go.
The cold, wet conditions set the scene for a cautious first-half, with solid defence keeping line breaks to a minimum.
The Tigers had a stiff breeze at their backs in the opening spell but, while they had a couple of half chances, couldn't turn them into points.
The deadlock was finally broken 10 minutes before halftime after Tiger second rower Gareth Ellis lost the ball in a tackle 15m from his own line.
From the ensuing possession, the Warriors worked the ball to both sides of the field, before Locke showed good judgment to cut infield to take a pass from centre Jerome Ropati and force his way over.
Up 4-0 and with the wind at their backs, the Warriors went further ahead early in the second half after Vatuvei produced another of his strong runs.
The attack was finished off by McKinnon, who powered his way under the posts, giving Locke and easy conversion for a 10-0 lead.
The Warriors had looked comfortable until the latter stages, when mistakes began to creep into their game, handing the Tigers good field position.
The visitors had their best chance to get on the board with 11 minutes to go, but couldn't turn a three-on-one advantage into points when fullback Tim Moltzen failed to find winger Taniela Tuiaki with his pass.
Locke sealed victory in the final minute, producing a carbon copy try to his first, running infield on to a Ropati pass.
- NZPA
