Warriors forward Adam Blair is tackled by the Raiders defence. Photo / Getty
Warriors forward Adam Blair is tackled by the Raiders defence. Photo / Getty
Raiders 20 Warriors 6
At the end of a bizarre week, an all too familiar result.
The Warriors have won many admirers during a trying period, but this 20-6 defeat to the Raiders continued their unconvincing start to the season.
Like last week, there were some moments of inspiration, but overall the Warriors were thoroughly outclassed by the 2019 grand finalists, who at times seemed to be content in third gear.
A 74th-minute penalty try to Kodi Nikorima at least provided some relief, avoiding the ignominy of being only the second team in premiership history (and in almost a century) to be held scoreless in their first two matches of the season.
While you can't discount the mental toll of the past eight days, this was still a performance that left plenty of questions, especially around their offensive abilities, with little profit from long periods inside the Canberra quarter.
Despite all the talk of a new game model, on this evidence, not too much has changed from 2019. There was still too much one-out running and predictable plays, and the jury is still out on David Fusitu'a at centre.
They are missing several frontline players but there is much work to be done by the current group. The Warriors had endured a week full of questions and uncertainty before committing on Friday to staying in Australia for the foreseeable future.
So it was a trying build-up, though Raiders coach Ricky Stuart showed little empathy ahead of kickoff.
"They haven't done anything special, said Stuart. "It's our job to play football and that's the way it is."
In blistering hot conditions, the Warriors made a decent start. They dominated the first 20 minutes, and could have been ahead by one, maybe two tries, but couldn't take advantage of a weight of possession and territory. The Raiders looked off their game in the first quarter and were full of errors, as the Warriors enjoyed 61 per cent of the ball.
But despite multiple penalties and repeat sets on the Raiders line, they couldn't break through.
They were a bit unlucky, with Lachlan Burr forcing the ball over the line in the seventh minute, but the try was ruled out by a generous interpretation of the new rules around tackling players in the air. New left centre Adam Keighran was stopped a few metres short after a promising run and Eliesa Katoa also came close.
Warriors forward Adam Blair is tackled by the Raiders defence. Photo / Getty
But aside from that, there was precious little shown on attack. The Warriors couldn't generate much momentum in the ruck, which meant they were often facing a set defensive line, and lacked the variety and angles to penetrate them.
After all that pressure, it was almost inevitable that the Raiders opened the scoring. Jarrod Croker wrong-footed three defenders before finding Elliott Whitehead with a lovely inside ball, the kind of precision at pace the Warriors had been looking for, but just couldn't find. The Warriors had to respond in the second half but conceded a soft try three minutes after the break.
Josh Hodgson's grubber kick was clever but allowing 33-year-old prop Iosia Soliola to get there first was disappointing.
It got worse four minutes later, with a spilled ball from Adam Blair leading to a 70-metre counter-punch try to Bailey Simonssen.
The Raiders celebrate a try from Bailey Simonsson. Photo / Getty
The Raiders were much sharper, and the Warriors spent most of the half under pressure. The Green machine went close twice, ruled out by forward passes, while the Warriors toiled fruitlessly.
But Nikorima's late penalty try rescued some pride, as he was hauled back chasing an Wayde Egan grubber, before Curtis Scott scored on the hooter.
