In their debut season in the Harold Matthews Cup, the One New Zealand Warriors have today caused a huge boilover stunning Parramatta 30-20 in their week one finals clash at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney.
Claiming the sixth and final spot for the under-17 competition’s playoffs, they were rank outsiders to upset the third-ranked Eels who had trounced them 34-6 in the opening round of the regular season in February.
But now, after this exceptional performance, the TJ Ashford-coached side is one win away from icing an impressive year by making the grand final.
They rocked Parramatta with a blistering start, second rower Dezman Laban – younger brother of NRL rookie Jacob – scoring in the opening minute followed by an eighth minute try to centre Jeremiah Lemana.
Match: Eels v Warriors
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Eels
away Team
Warriors
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Both converted by winger Kairus Booth, the 12-0 lead became 18-0 when he converted a second Laban try five minutes from halftime for a commanding 18-0 advantage.
Playing 30-minute halves, the Warriors were just as lethal in the second half with a try to winger Ezekiel Davidson-Faaiuaso in the first minute, Booth again converting for an astonishing 24-0 lead.
The shocked Eels regathered themselves with two tries in two minutes to cut the deficit to 12-24 with 20 minutes to play but the Warriors weren’t done, responding swiftly with Davidson-Faaiuaso’s second try and another Booth conversion to extend to 30-12 with 15 minutes to play.
While Parramatta scored two unconverted tries in the final 10 minutes the One New Zealand Warriors closed out the contest for a famous victory.
