Stung by last week’s narrow loss to Penrith, the One New Zealand Warriors took it out on the Parramatta Eels by savaging the visitors 54-4 in their round 25 New South Wales Cup clash at Trusts Stadium in Waitakere on Saturday.
Not that their day began well with fullback Taine Tuaupiki forced to leave the field with a leg injury received inside the opening minute of the match.
Tuaupiki couldn’t continue after being the victim of an alleged hip drop tackle which resulted in Parramatta prop Wiremu Greig being sin binned.
Down to 12, the Eels couldn’t stop the Warriors scoring as soon as play resumed as they struck through their right edge for the first of what would be a hat-trick for winger Edward Kosi.
Parramatta held firm for the next 15 minutes but the signs were evident that the Warriors were primed. And so it proved.
Match: Warriors v Eels
Round 25 -
home Team
Warriors
1st Position
away Team
Eels
3rd Position
Venue: The Trusts Arena, Auckland
Tries to centre Morgan Harper, hooker Makaia Tafua and Kosi rained in between the 17th and 24th minutes to open up a 22-0 lead before the Warriors struck with the last play of the half. From a scrum on halfway impressive Luke Hanson – in his comeback from injury – sparked it with a lightning break, centre Moala Graham-Taufa on his outside to put left winger Sio Kali in.
At 28-0 the Warriors were charging, or should have been, but the halftime break slowed them up with the Eels managing to score their only try of the contest.
When the Eels were on attack again, the ball went loose, Tom Ale seized on it and shot clear up the middle of the park, slowing down to link with Kosi who bolted 60 metres for another wonderful try to complete his hat-trick.
Four more tries followed first through Kalani Going and Graham-Taufa and then a double to the just re-signed Kayliss Fatialofa who took his season tally to 14.
That brought up the 50 emphasising the Warriors’ dominance this season, notwithstanding last week’s loss.
The fact is they put 54 points on the competition’s second-placed side to open up an incredible 10-point gap at the top of the table. In doing so they have scored 777 points and conceded just 374, a staggering points differential of 403.
They finish their regular season campaign against the Knights in Newcastle next week.
