NRL: Woeful Warriors down and out

Lance Hohaia of the Warriors is tackled during the round 23 NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and the Warriors. Photo / Getty Images

When Aaron Heremaia was knocked senseless trying to tackle Fuifui Moimoi inside the first 30 seconds, Warriors coach Ivan Cleary might have been tempted to throw in the towel then.

What he witnessed in the remaining 79 minutes and 30 seconds was knockout blow after knockout blow. By the end, his players were punchdrunk, playing the game in a daze.

Last night the Eels did to the Warriors what they did to teams in an irresistible run to the finals 12 months ago. How Cleary would love to be able to turn back the clock.

The Eels have now won their last five to, almost unbelievably, move into the top eight. Not that long ago, scribes were sharpening their pencils to write their season obituary.

They have a difficult end to the season, with games against fellow finals contenders the Wests Tigers (A), Panthers (H) and Dragons (A), and funny things can happen when the pressure ramps up.

Until this moment they have played with the freedom of a side with nothing to lose. In their run, they have knocked over two current top-four teams, the Bulldogs and Storm, as well as hammering the Sharks 30-0, Knights 40-8 and now the Warriors.

But they have plenty to lose now.

Their two biggest assets are their momentum - and last night, they eradicated a large chunk of their negative points differential which could prove important - and the brilliance of fullback Jarryd Hayne.

He is playing the game on a different level to everyone else and the Warriors were powerless to stop his jinking runs, deft passes and clever chip-kicks.

He was instrumental in their electrifying start to the match, when the Eels scored three tries inside the first 14 minutes against some dreadful Warriors defence, and set up another two in the second spell as he went through his range of tricks.

Joel Reddy got the ball rolling in the fifth minute after some swift ball movement, Daniel Mortimer finished off a long-range Luke Burt break, while Matthew Keating was set up by Hayne, who mesmerised Warriors fullback Wade McKinnon.

It was as painful and embarrassing for Warriors fans as it was thrilling for their Eels counterparts.

There was some respite, as the Eels stopped to catch their breath, and it was enough time for Manu Vatuvei to score his 11th try of the season.

The Warriors are a one-trick team at the moment. Teams know it's coming - the Stacey Jones bomb to Vatuvei's corner - but they can't always stop it.

Vatuvei spilled one chance, failing to ground the ball in the 23rd minute, but made no mistake 10 minutes later.

But the Eels made sure they made the final statement of the half when Burt somehow stabbed a kick next to the sideline, squeezed ahead of McKinnon and dotted the ball down before it crossed the dead-ball line.

Cleary was pointing a few fingers at his troops at halftime but it made little difference.

Reddy scored his second in the 51st minute running on to another clever Hayne ball and Eric Grothe crossed after a brilliant Hayne chip and gather.

As good as the Eels were, and they were often scintillating, the Warriors lacked the sort of urgency, guile, basic skills and defensive solidity to compete.

Although they're unlikely to suffer the ignominy of the wooden spoon, it almost feels like it. They have failed badly to live up to expectations and that has left everyone involved battered and bruised.

Eels 40 (J. Reddy 2, L. Burt 2, D. Mortimer, M. Keating, E. Grothe tries, L. Burt 6 gls) Warriors 4 (M. Vatuvei try). HT: 24-4.

* THE JUNIOR WARRIORS took another step towards finals football with a comfortable 42-22 win over the Eels in Sydney last night. Tony Iro's Toyota Cup side trailed 12-0 after 25 minutes but scored 36 unanswered points in a six-try blitz to help them move into seventh on the ladder.