A much-changed One New Zealand Warriors side stayed close in the first half but couldn’t stick with top two team St George Illawarra in its final SG Ball Cup regular season outing at Pukekohe’s Navigation Homes Stadium on Sunday.
With finals football off the table six of the Warriors’ under-19 regulars were promoted to assist their development, five to the club’s Jersey Flegg (under-21) side and another to the New South Wales Cup.
That provided a chance to plan for 2025 by bringing in players from the wider squad to give them some game time and exposure to playing against elite players in their age group.
The Dragons brought some serious game into the contest having won six from eight to lie second on the ladder. They duly made it seven from nine and did so emphatically in the end winning 54-18.
Match: Warriors v Dragons
Round 9 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Dragons
Venue: Navigation Home Stadium, Pukekohe
There was some encouragement in the first half as the Warriors scored two converted tries to trail just 12-18 at halftime.
The Dragons were in ruthless mood in the second half, though, piling on six tries to run away with the match.
The only joy for the Warriors was a second try for centre Hiraka Waitai-Haenga while Tallan Egan converted all three tries.
