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Winger Sio Kali’s classy – and pure – second-half hat-trick propelled the One New Zealand Warriors to outright ownership of the club’s all-comers record for most consecutive wins when they beat the North Sydney Bears 32-18 in Saturday’s round 20 New South Wales Cup match at North Harbour Stadium.
The victory was the Warriors’ 13th on end, moving them clear of the record mark set by the Auckland Warriors’ reserve grade side which won 12 matches in a row to reach the grand final in 1996.
With the victory the Warriors have leapt to 38 points on the ladder with 17 wins and just one loss; for now they’re seven points clear of their nearest rival St George Illawarra.
While their record-setting victory was ultimately convincing it didn’t always play out that way with the seventh-placed Bears cutting the margin to six points at 12-18 straight after halftime.
Then with 13 minutes to play they were within 10 points at 18-28 and also playing against a Warriors side down to 12 players for the last nine minutes after prop Jason Salalilo was sin binned.
Match: Warriors v Bears
Round 20 -
home Team
Warriors
1st Position
away Team
Bears
9th Position
Venue: North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
The Warriors kept their nerve, though, and finished the match off in the ascendant when the promising Kali snared his third try in the final moments.
The performance was all the more meritorious given the adversity the Warriors faced.
They were forced to play 20 minutes of the match a man short with Tom Ale also sin binned after only 15 minutes and then Salalilo following later while they were also handicapped by being without a number of their key players in front rowers Bunty Afoa and Freddy Lussick, hooker Sam Healey, second rower Eddie Ieremia-Toeava and standoff Luke Hanson.
They opened assertively and put together a slick play from a scrum for right winger Edward Kosi to run in easily after five minutes.
While the Bears responded with a converted try through former Warrior Israel Ogeden, the Warriors quickly hit back with two tries.
Ali Leiataua, switched to the halves for the injured Hanson, held up North Sydney’s defensive line superbly to open a hole for second rower Kayliss Fatialofa to score his 11th try of the season followed minutes later by interchange prop Toby Crosby bumping over from close range.
With halftime nearing, captain Kalani Going scored a stunning individual try when he swooped on a loose pass 35 metres out and dispensed of four defenders on a charge down the sideline to score in the corner.
While Jett Cleary could convert only one of the four tries, there was enough to indicate the Warriors should have been able to go on with it.
That came into question when the Bears started the second half well to move within six points but the Warriors aimed up from a penalty set soon after, Salalio carrying powerfully to within a metre of the line and then lovely hands on the left from Cleary, Leiataua and centre Moala Graham-Taufa giving Kali a sight of the corner. He had some work to do but shoved defenders out of the way for his first try.
Six minutes later he had his second, this time showing off his speed. North Sydney attacked to the Warriors’ left but a pass went astray, Kali picked it up and saw open field with the try-line 95 metres away. No one could stop him, Kali throwing up a victory salute 35 metres out before he scored in the corner.
His uninterrupted hat-trick was completed in the final minute, Leiataua flicking out a pass to his left where it hit the ground but bounced up sweetly for Kali to collect and score.
The Warriors are at Go Media Stadium for their third consecutive home game next Saturday when they face the bottom-placed South Sydney.
