Dragons 22
Warriors 20
An uphill battle awaits the Warriors over the second half of the NRL season after they fell just short against the Dragons - and picked up yet another crushing injury - at Mt Smart Stadium yesterday.
Centre Brent Tate's big hit on Ben Creagh seemed to have given the Warriors the perfect start as James Maloney pounced on the loose ball and scampered away for the opening try.
Instead the collision resulted in another nightmare early end for a star Warrior, with Tate departing the field after just 13 minutes and exiting the ground in an ambulance shortly after for treatment on a broken jaw.
It was a cruel blow for Tate, who had been firmly in the frame to replace AFL-bound Israel Folau in the Queensland side for State of Origin II.
Tate was to have a plate inserted in his jaw at Middlemore Hospital and will be out for four to six weeks.
For Warriors coach Ivan Cleary it was an all-too familiar scenario.
"It just seems like deja vu really," Cleary said. "The footy gods aren't quite with us at the moment.
"We are just going to have to dig in and fight. I was pretty happy with the way the boys did that [yesterday]."
There were at least a few positives for Cleary. Manu Vatuvei made a storming return, completing just his third full match without any sign of the leg issues that have hampered him this season.
And replacement five-eighths Isaac John also performed strongly, finishing a searing Kevin Locke break to score a try and setting up another with a pinpoint kick to Simon Mannering.
For lengthy periods it seemed as if the Warriors' superior physicality - much of which came from the gargantuan duo of Vatuvei and Ukuma Ta'ai - would subdue the ladder-topping Dragons.
However, it was the artistry of Jamie Soward, who made light of the greasy conditions and light work of the Warriors' defence, that proved the difference.
A delightful Soward chip to Jason Nightingale on the stroke of halftime got the Dragons back into a match they had trailed 8-0. Two Matt Cooper tries then gave them control before Soward jinked over from a scrum to score what proved to be the decisive try.
Mannering and John's tries meant the Warriors were right in it at the death but they were left ruing a lack of composure at the finish and two disputable refereeing calls that gave the Dragons a leg up either side of the break.
A non-call on a Kyle Stanley forward pass followed by a harsh call on Ta'ai - decisions that ended with Dragons tries - irked Cleary.
"In a tight, tough game like that against good opposition those calls are crucial," he said.
So is executing under pressure when the game is on the line, something the Warriors failed to do after Lance Hohaia's break gave them a golden opportunity in the closing stages.
"We were not so much panicked but probably just not quite organised enough," Cleary said. "Part of that is that we lack a bit of cohesion because we change the team all the time because of injuries.
"When you are under pressure it is nice to be able to go to familiar faces."
In Joel Moon, Cleary at least has a ready-made replacement for Tate but, with Sam Rapira and Brett Seymour still out and the next two matches away to the Knights and then against the Roosters in Christchurch, clawing back into playoff contention won't be easy.
Cleary, however, firmly believes he is in charge of a top-eight quality side.
"Absolutely. We just have to keep at it. We have got to learn from some of the chances we had and how we handled the end of the game but it was against a good team, we gave it our best and gave ourselves a chance to win.
"There have certainly been some good signs [this season]. We've had some good wins. A couple of losses haven't been great but everyone knows we have been severely depleted at times. "We've had big injuries, key injuries, but I'm sure that will turn if we keep hanging in there.
"[Yesterday] was a real positive step in that sense.
"We didn't quite get the points, which was disappointing, but we can take a fair bit out of the game and push on to next week.
"We are a little bit behind the eight ball now in terms of where we sit on the table but I am sure our best football is in front of us."
