St George Illawarra has upset the One New Zealand Warriors 24-10 in today’s New South Wales Cup major semi-final to leave the minor premiers facing the long road if they’re to make the grand final.
Victory today would have taken them directly to the decider on September 28 but, after a week off, they were behind the Dragons throughout today’s contest.
The result sees the second-ranked St George Illawarra advance to the grand final while the Warriors, who have a second life, will have to beat the winner of today’s minor semi-final between Parramatta and Canberra to go through.
The Dragons, benefiting from their week one victory over Parramatta, set the tempo against the Warriors with two Matthew Feagai tries through their right edge to lead 10-0 after 13 minutes.
It took time for the Warriors to match the Dragons’ intensity but they found their way back when Jett Cleary’s flat pass put centre Moala Graham-Taufa over for his 14th try of the season just before halftime.
The halftime deficit of just 6-10 owed much to the One New Zealand Warriors’ resolve on defence but the work was undone 11 minutes into the second half when the Dragons went 16-6 ahead.
Match: Warriors v Dragons
Finals Week 2 -
home Team
Warriors
1st Position
away Team
Dragons
2nd Position
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Back and forth it went for the next period, the Warriors firing some shots without being able to find a way through while also denying the Dragons through their defensive work.
At last they found some joy, hitting their right for centre Morgan Harper to score, Cleary unable to convert but the margin down to six with 15 minutes to play.
They had more than a sniff only they turned the ball over immediately from the restart so losing the momentum as quickly as they had gained it.
Then a 74th minute penalty enabled the Dragons to go eight points clear before fullback Cody Ramsey iced a grand final berth with a late try.
Now the Warriors, who will undoubtedly benefit from the run, must go again next week when it’s anticipated their lineup will be boosted by the inclusion of eligible players from the club’s NRL side.
