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Hooker-turned-middle forward Freddy Lussick and young back rower Kayliss Fatialofa snared career-first hat-tricks as the One New Zealand Warriors went on another scoring spree in Saturday’s 10th-round New South Wales Cup clash at Collegians Sporting Complex in Wollongong.
In reinforcing their position at the top of the points table, they had a 46-30 win over Canberra and would have topped 50 for the second week running if their goal kicking had been up to their usual standards (nine tries scored but only five converted).
When they led 32-0 at halftime and improved it to 42-0 in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, an even bigger score-line than their 56-14 demolition of North Sydney was in store.
For the first 50 minutes they were sublime on attack and ruthless on defence but just when a half century was well within reach, the intensity dropped off as the Raiders scraped themselves off the deck and set about extracting something out of the contest.
They did more, much more, than that as they put together a run of 30 points in 21 minutes from five converted tries to pull to within 12 points at 30-42.
Match: Warriors v Raiders
Round 10 -
home Team
Warriors
1st Position
away Team
Raiders
8th Position
Venue: Collegians Sporting Complex, Wollongong
Fortunately for the Warriors the clock was in their favour with only four minutes left, putting an end to any notion of further damage being inflicted.
In fact, it was the Warriors with the final act, underlining what might have happened if they’d maintained the rage across the second half.
Fittingly, it was Fatialofa, oozing muscular intent with his ball carrying throughout, who brushed off defenders to complete his hat-trick.
In the opening minutes it was Lussick who defied expectations and career history with his assault on the try line.
Five minutes in Lussick had his first as Kalani Going spun in the tackle, off-loading to his unmarked teammate. Four minutes later he had doubled up, hitting Sam Healey’s dummy half pass near the line and charging over with defenders on him.
Coming off a hat-trick against North Sydney, centre Moala Graham-Taufa was next on the board when Raiders fullback Chevy Stewart couldn’t clean up a Tanah Boyd bomb and Lussick had his hat-trick after only 20 minutes supporting a Luke Hanson break to score between the posts.
Two more tries followed before halftime, the first via a slick shift to the left for Setu Tu to score and then Boyd rolled in a grubber for Fatialofa’s first try.
In the opening minutes of the second half the Warriors went wide to the left again for Hanson to put Tu in for two and in the 49th minute Fatialofa had his second try off a short ball from Boyd.
At 42-0 the Warriors were coasting but the Raiders didn’t go away as they gathered themselves for their late salvo.
Next up for the Warriors is a trip over the Tasman again to play the Roosters in Sydney next Sunday.
