Brad Inger reviews the New Zealand Warriors clash with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Here’s how the match went.
MATCH TIMELINE
| Minute | Scoring Play | Score |
| 14th | Try Nick Meaney (Bulldogs) | Bulldogs 4-0 |
| 16th | Try Kieran Foran (Bulldogs) | Bulldogs 8-0 |
| 17th | Goal Nick Meaney (Bulldogs) | Bulldogs 10-0 |
| 29th | Try Jack Murchie (Warriors) | Bulldogs 10-4 |
| 30th | Goal Kodi Nikorima (Warriors) | Bulldogs 10-6 |
| 43rd | Try Will Hopoate (Bulldogs) | Bulldogs 14-6 |
| 47th | Try Adam Pompey (Warriors) | Bulldogs 14-10 |
| 50th | Try Jack Murchie (Warriors) | 14 All |
| 51st | Goal Kodi Nikorima (Warriors) | 16-14 Warriors |
| 61st | Try Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors) | 20-14 Warriors |
MATCH SUMMARY
1st Half
The Bulldogs had a start to forget when they were penalized for their kick-off sailing over the dead-ball line. The Warriors looked dangerous but failed to convert their early opportunity into points, losing possession in a Bulldogs tackle. Despite New Zealand’s early momentum, it was the Bulldogs that got the first honours when Nick Meaney crossed in the corner after a nice flick pass from Tim Lafai. Moments later the Bulldogs were over again when Jeremy Marshall-King darted out of dummy half and sent Kieran Foran over with an excellent draw and pass, pushing the Bulldogs lead out to 10. A blowout looked to be on the cards, but the Warriors defence improved and kept them in the game. After trading sets in the middle of the park, the New Zealand side finally got themselves on the scoreboard when youngster Jack Murchie snatched a kick out of the skies to score the first try of his NRL career. That appeared to wake the Warriors up as they had several more chances on attack but struggled with their last tackle options which saw the Bulldogs hold onto their 4 point lead as the sides went into sheds at the break.
2nd Half
The Bulldogs started the second half better than the first, only needing three minutes to score their third try of the night when Will Hopoate crossed in the corner. The Warriors bounced back quickly however when Adam Pompey strolled over in the corner after Murchie involved himself once again flicking a pass out the back to Peta Hiku who immediately put Pompey into space, keeping the New Zealand side in the match. Murchie was in the mix again minutes later finishing off a Kodi Nikorima break for his second try of the game, handing the Warriors the lead for the first time in the match. The tide turned in New Zealand’s favour, and it looked like debutant Paul Turner had pushed their lead out further, but his try was denied due to a double movement and allowing the Bulldogs to breathe a sigh of relief. Turner was over once again but also once again denied after Isaiah Papali’i was deemed to have obstructed Jack Cogger from being able to make a try-saving tackle. The Warriors kept the pressure on and were rewarded when Roger Tuivasa-Sheck latched onto a Nikorima offload and sprinted off to score untouched. The New Zealand skipper was involved again moments later when a Bulldogs knock-on ended up in his hands as he sprinted down the sideline before being chased down by Raymond Faitala-Mariner, the Warriors continued to dominate territory. Still, they were unable to turn that into more points. The Bulldogs, desperate to climb off the bottom of the ladder had only a few chances to level the scores, but a mix of some strong Warriors defence and poor Bulldogs handling saw the Warriors hold on to walk away with a hard-fought 20-14 victory.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
My highlight of the match goes to Jack Murchie’s second try, which handed the Warriors the lead. It was Murchie’s first game since round nine, and he didn’t miss a step. His combination with Nikorima on the right edge caused plenty of headaches for the Bulldogs and was ultimately the difference between the two sides. Expect to see Murchie in the Warriors 17 for the rest of the year if he continues to deliver performances like this.
SQUADS
New Zealand Warriors: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 2. Adam Pompey, 3. Hayze Perham, 4. Peta Hiku, 5. George Jennings, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 18. Paul Turner, 8. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, 9. Karl Lawton, 10. Lachlan Burr, 11. Isaiah Papali’i, 12. Tohu Harris, 13. Jazz Tevaga, 14. Wayde Egan, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Daniel Alvaro, 17. Jack Murchie
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs: 1. Will Hopoate, 2. Nick Meaney, 3. Tim Lafai, 4. Kerrod Holland, 5. Reimis Smith, 6. Kieran Foran, 7. Jack Cogger, 8. Ofahiki Ogden, 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Aiden Tolman, 11. Matt Doorey, 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 13. Josh Jackson, 14. Sione Katoa, 15. Luke Thompson, 16. Sauaso Sue, 17. Jake Averillo
