The One New Zealand Warriors produced a stunning turnaround in the space of eight days to beat the Newcastle Knights 26-12 in today’s fourth-round New South Wales Cup match at Go Media Stadium.
Coming off a disappointing 4-42 loss to Canberra on the road, the Warriors were a rejuvenated side back on their own patch.
They made the worst possible start conceding a try in the opening minute but they rallied superbly to grind out their second win of the season.
Providing much of the magic throughout the match was fullback Ben Farr.
He carved through for the Warriors’ first try before centre Moala Graham-Taufa went in off a Setu Tu ball to give his team a 10-6 halftime lead.
Match: Warriors v Knights
Round 4 -
home Team
Warriors
10th Position
away Team
Knights
12th Position
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
The opening stanza of the second half was a classic arm wrestle but at the 50-minute mark the One New Zealand Warriors imposed themselves on the scoreboard with two tries, first through winger Edward Kosi (50th minute) and then the irresistible Farr with his second five minutes later.
That extended the lead to 22-6 and it then became 26-6 with a Geronimo Doyle touchdown in the 72nd minute.
While the Knights had the last say it did little to detract from an impressive Warriors display, especially after conceding 80 points in their previous two matches.
They’re away to defending premiers the Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium next Saturday. They had a win and two losses in the three matches they’ve played.
