Luke Metcalf kicked the winning penalty in golden point as the Warriors topped the Brisbane Broncos. Photo / Photosport
Warriors 20
Broncos 18
Whatever you think of the Warriors, they rarely do things the easy way.
This was crazy. This was ridiculous. And it was also pretty amazing.
The Auckland team beat the Broncos 19-18 on Saturday night, thanks to a 50m penalty from Luke Metcalf in golden point, after a thrilling contest.
On a ground that Shaun Johnson had produced so much magic with his boot, Metcalf added a chapter of his own, with a sweet strike from halfway, after Reece Walsh’s kickoff had gone dead.
It was the ultimate finale, after it looked like the Warriors might have blown it. They looked home with an 18-6 lead and 15 minutes to play. But they contrived to lose that advantage, as the Broncos came storming back with two late tries to force extra time.
That was a hammer blow, but the Warriors reset before Metcalf’s moment. It was ironic, as he had struggled all night off the tee, missing three conversions and a penalty. Granted, most were from wide out, but he wasn’t striking it cleanly.
That was all forgotten with the penalty, which never looked like missing, to seal the Warriors’ fourth win of the season.
And this was a special one, with more than 800 games of NRL experience on the sideline and off the back of the humbling in Melbourne last week.
They stood up to the challenge well, coming over the top of the Broncos in the third quarter to break a 6-6 deadlock.
It was a new-look team, because of injuries and concussion. Taine Tuaupiki was at fullback, Kurt Capewell in the centres and Leka Halasima got his first NRL start.
Before the match there was a tribute to John Mayhew – before Walsh was smashed in the first tackle, much to the crowd’s delight. Brisbane hooker Billy Walters scooted over from dummy half to open the scoring, through a hole that James Fisher-Harris would normally have covered.
From that shock, the Warriors settled. They had a prolonged period in Brisbane territory, though were too lateral and well covered. The first half was a battle, with the ball control admirable in the rain.
With the Broncos’ bigger pack and a superior kicking game, it wasn’t easy for the Warriors, especially into the wind but they competed well. They were also fortunate with some calls, especially when the referee found a penalty after Taine Tuaupiki was forced back into his in goal.
That proved crucial, as the Warriors scored minutes later, Halasima, who grabbed his third consecutive try. There wasn’t much on as he ran inside Metcalf, before a burst of acceleration, a step and he was over, after a Tuaupiki break had created momentum. The Warriors had a narrow escape on the stroke of halftime, after a chaotic phase of play. Metcalf’s penalty attempt hung up in the wind, before Brisbane broke from inside their own 10 metres, outstripping the Warriors on the right edge but the move was called back for a forward pass.
The rain cleared in the second half, while the Warriors had the benefit of the breeze. Their second try came after a brilliant Metcalf 40-20, though it needed a slice of fortune, as Tuaupiki’s half volley skewed perfectly for Ed Kosi to force in the corner.
That sparked the crowd, before the spectacular third try. Capewell sprinted 50m from halfway after a turnover, was corralled just before the corner flag, then produced a brilliant one-handed pass to Metcalf, who managed an equally adept catch.
A botched kickoff gave the Warriors possession, then Marata Niukore stormed over with 15 minutes to play. That should have been it, though a poor Metcalf conversion attempt – from a handy angle – left the door slightly ajar. In a blink the Broncos had scored, with Walsh setting up Arthars, with Reynaolds nailing the sideline conversion.
Walsh’s try added more pain, after the bunker overruled the on-field decision, following a prolonged review, though Ed Kosi’s failure to ground the ball was costly.
Metcalf then missed consecutive field goal attempts in normal time – though the set-up wasn’t great on both occasions – before his ultimate redemption.
NZ Warriors 20 (Leka Halasima, Ed Kosi, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore tries; Metcalf con, pen)
Brisbane Broncos 18 (Billy Walters, Jesse Arthars, Reece Walsh tries; Adam Reynolds 3 cons)
HT: 6-6
Andrew Webster’s side face the Newcastle Knights in Christchurch.