Brad Inger reviews the Round 4 clash between the Warriors and Broncos at Moreton Daily Stadium; here’s how the match went.
MATCHDAY RESULTS
SCOREBOARD
Warriors 20
Tries: Jesse Arthars 4, 21, Marcelo Montoya 35
Goals: Reece Walsh 5, 22, 71, 77
Broncos 6
Tries: Adam Reynolds 27,
Goals: Adam Reynolds 28,
Sin Bin: Thomas Flegler 20, Jake Turpin 75
MATCH REPORT
Embed from Getty Images1st Half
Both sides started the match better than they did last round, trading sets without errors. The Broncos had the first scoring threat when Tesi Niu attempted a chip and chase that Reece Walsh defused. A penalty against the Broncos handed the Warriors good field position, and they wasted little time, scoring on the right edge when Jesse Arthars latched onto a Shaun Johnson cutout pass. Another penalty against Brisbane on the next set saw the Warriors back on attack deep in the visitor’s territory, but they were unable to convert it to points with the ball going to ground when they pushed out to the right; Corey Oates scooped up the ball and made a break before being dragged down by Walsh. Brisbane had a few set restarts to help them march down the field but let the Warriors off the hook with a handling error from Selwyn Cobbo. The sides traded sets with neither able to get the upper hand, the Warriors forced a repeat set, but the Broncos recovered the short dropout to keep the pressure on the home side. The errors started to creep in for both clubs, with neither being able to complete a set for a stint. Brisbane had a chance with some space outside, but Herbie Farnworth dropped the ball after a monster hit from Ed Kosi; not long after that, the Broncos looked close to scoring again after getting a scrum deep in the Warrior’s RedZone, but their hands let them down. The New Zealand side marched up the field on the back of some strong runs by their forwards. They were given another penalty that saw Thomas Flegler sent to the bin. With the one-man advantage, the home side clicked into gear and were over the try line again, with Arthars scoring his second after Walsh spun his way out of a tackle before throwing a cutout pass. The Broncos survived the next set, and after a penalty against Jazz Tevaga were in the Warrior’s half again; Adam Reynolds stepped up and got his side on the scoreboard, pushing a grubber through and picking it up to score. A penalty against Walsh for his kickoff going out on the full handing Brisbane a chance to level the scores, but it was left hanging with another handling error, this time by Billy Walters. Back-to-back penalties against the Warriors saw Brisbane on attack in good field position, but a Marcelo Montoya hit on Kotoni Staggs saw the visitors lose possession again. Montoya found himself involved once again moments later, latching onto an Adam Pompey flick pass to cross for the Warrior’s third try of the afternoon. The New Zealand side was not done yet as a Tevaga offload saw Walsh dart down the field before shifting the ball to Chanel Harris-Tavita, who then passed to Adam Pompey. The Broncos scrambled and managed to keep the Warriors contained with a Pompey flick pass going over the sidelines as the first half started to wind to a close, seeing the New Zealand side go into the sheds with a 16-6 lead.
HALF-TIME: New Zealand Warriors 16 Brisbane Broncos 6
Embed from Getty Images2nd Half
The Broncos started the second half better, completing their first set and doing some damage with a few breaks on the back of some quality offloads. They kept the pressure on with their next set and were close to scoring when Oates dived in the corner, but he was unable to place the ball in the field of play. The Warriors started to get back into the contest, but their momentum waned as a head clash saw Wayde Egan busted open, and the game stalled. Once the game got back underway, the Warriors looked to be building to another try-scoring opportunity; however, Walsh lost the ball in contact. Both sides started trading sets again, with the Broncos looking the more dangerous with the ball in hand with a few half breaks that were stopped by either scrambling defence or unforced errors. The home side sustained the pressure and ran with intent but could not turn it into points. An untimely error from Cobbo handed the Warriors great field position; however, it almost went to waste when a Walsh no-look pass went to ground; Kosi managed to regather it and earn his side a penalty when Farnworth dragged him over the sideline after the tackle had been completed. Luck was on the Warrior’s side when they tried to push a pass on the next set as Oates intercepted it but dropped the ball. That luck ran out as Josh Curran dropped a short ball as the Bronco’s goal-line defence stayed strong. Both clubs took turns having brain snaps, with Brisbane handing the ball to a forward on the last tackle and the Warriors kicking early via a Curran grubber. The home side kept control of the match and earnt a repeat set after Johnson kicked a grubber through and almost nabbed it for himself before Oates managed to bat it over the dead-ball line. The Warriors were building pressure and gained another penalty when Flegler was pinged for another hip drop tackle which saw Ben Murdoch-Masila injured; Walsh kicked the penalty to push the lead out to 12. With momentum heavily in the New Zealand side’s favour, they kept knocking on Brisbane’s door and were given another penalty when Jake Turpin held onto the tackle for too long; this saw the hooker sent to the bin while Walsh pushed the lead out again. As full-time was drawing near, the Broncos had one last attempt as Cobbo streaked down the sideline, but he was carried over the line by a solid defensive effort by Montoya. The Warriors played safe one-out football as they watched the timed run out as the final whistle blared, getting their second win in a row with a much better performance as they defeated the Broncos 20-6.
FULL-TIME: New Zealand Warriors 20 Brisbane Broncos 6
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS
Embed from Getty Images3 pts – Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors), 2 pts – Reece Walsh (Warriors), 1 pt – Payne Haas (Broncos)
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