Match Details
Match Date	11th May, 2013
Opponent	New Zealand Warriors
Result	Win 24-16
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	Michael Ennis
Venue	New Zealand (Westpac Stadium)
Crowd	30,112
Referee	Adam Devcich Chris James

On paper and in the stats columns, it will read like another match the Warriors led heading into the final minutes, and blew.

On the paddock at Westpac Stadium on Saturday night, that was certainly the case, with the Warriors losing 24-16 to the Bulldogs.

But if there was any rub of the green going in Wellington, it certainly wasn’t going the way of Matt Elliott’s men, who are second last on the NRL table with only two wins from nine games.

They fought hard, with top quality performances by Glen Fisiiahi and Russell Packer, but were broken by a Bulldogs side who looked like they have finally turned the corner this year.

The referees had their role too, with two particular incidents heart-breakers for the Warriors.

Bulldogs skipper Michael Ennis seemed to tackle Fisiiahi without the ball in the second half as the Warriors fullback went up for bomb – though the incident was missed. The Warriors were made to perform a drop-out, which eventually led to a Bulldogs try.

Ben Barba’s go-ahead try in the left-hand corner was just as tough for Elliott to watch – with a fair case to be made that a Bulldogs defender obstructed halfback Shaun Johnson. “I think it’s an appalling decision,” Elliott said of the Fisiiahi-Ennis incident, which he plans to discuss with referees’ boss Daniel Anderson.

“This could be me playing the victim, but you talk about close losses of the last five weeks, we’ve led in the last 10 minutes of every game. From forward passes to other calls, rules interpretations changed, [referees] sticking their hand up and saying they got calls wrong – it feels consistent [that the Warriors aren’t getting a fair go].”

Make no mistake, the Warriors first-half performance was one of their better 40-minute stanzas this season in the first NRL game in Wellington since 2004.

Led by Thomas Leuluai, the only survivor from that game, they were organised out of the ruck, put a stonewall effort on defence, and opened up space along the edges for their powerful back three to play with. Fisiiahi, in particular, was a standout. Standing in for the injured Kevin Locke, the Warriors No.1 was solid throughout, flashing the speed and quick hands that made him such a hyped prospect moving through the under-20s ranks.

He created the Warriors first try – sending Vatuvei over after a 40-metre run – before scoring their third. A barging run by Packer, who also had two offloads in a busy night in the engine room, set up Leuluai for the Warriors’ second.

Post-match, Ennis spoke about the importance of Tony Williams carting Nathan Friend back into the Warriors in-goal late in the first half for the match’s momentum – and it certainly appeared the Bulldogs got sustenance from the play.

The Dogs’ forwards rotation was brutal, with giant Kiwis Sam Kasiano and Frank Pritchard pulverising Warriors tacklers in the middle of the park.

Too much defending will tire any team out – Friend made 45 tackles – and eventually the cracks began to show for the Warriors, allowing the likes of Josh Reynolds and Barba, who both scored tries in the final 10 minutes, to strike. With the ball, ruck speed all but disappeared for the Warriors, meaning their ability to raid, through Fisiiahi and Vatuvei, was gone.

“We probably only had one or two sets down on their line in that second half, and it’s too hard to be stuck in your end for 40 minutes and try and hold on,” Warriors skipper Simon Mannering said.

Put simply, the Warriors just got worn down in the end. However, it’s worth noting the skill of Bulldogs goalkicker Trent Hodkinson. The halfback booted four from four, with three difficult kicks from the touchlines.

Source: The Sun Herald

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