Brisbane (RNZ), August 15, 2021
Back-rower Josh Curran kept the Warriors’ finals hopes alive with a stellar performance in their 24-10 win over Canterbury in Brisbane on Sunday, August 15, 2021.
The victory means they finish the weekend just one win outside the top eight with three games remaining.
Curran used his line running to great effect, breaking the line in his team’s first set, scoring one try, setting up another and finishing the match with three line breaks, 175 run metres and 43 tackles.
It was the Warriors’ third straight win and with winnable games to come against the Broncos, Raiders and Titans, they’re not out of the finals hunt just yet.
Bulldogs frustrated
It was another frustrating afternoon for the Bulldogs, who finished on the wrong side of a 9-2 penalty count that included four dangerous tackles, two illegal steals and a kick-off sailing dead on the full.
They also failed to get to a kick on last tackle multiple times.
Warriors halfback Sean O’Sullivan had an action-packed start to the game, creating three tries – two for the Warriors and one for their opponents – inside the opening 15 minutes.
He threw a perfect short-ball for hard-running Curran to score just three minutes in, then threw an intercept straight to Aaron Schoupp three minutes later. The Dogs’ centre never looked like being caught.
O’Sullivan then reloaded with another great ball for Curran, who almost crossed himself but tossed the inside ball for Jazz Tevaga to score his first try of the year.
Edward Kosi, the powerhouse
The Warriors went further ahead through powerhouse winger Edward Kosi, who received a lovely cut-out pass from Reece Walsh to make it 16-6 after 22 minutes.
Some poor execution from both sides on the attack ensured a few chances went to waste but with halftime looming the Bulldogs struck an important blow.
They were awarded a six-again call with just over a minute to go and capitalised through a set play with Nick Meaney setting up Jayden Okunbor to make it 16-10 at the break.
Twelve minutes into the second half when the Dogs failed to get to their kick on the last tackle – this time inside their own half – the Warriors capitalised with a third-tackle kick and a stunning chase from Walsh to go up 22-10.
Unhappy sequence for Canterbury
Thereafter followed an unhappy sequence for Canterbury; they forced a goal-line drop-out then were awarded multiple repeat sets for repeated offside infringements against the Warriors.
The Warriors’ defence was untroubled by the Dogs’ unimaginative attack and eventually got the ball back from a poor kick only for Edward Kosi to drop it and the Dogs to pick it up and score.
However, Kosi was hit in the head by Sione Katoa after losing it, with the subsequent penalty leaving Katoa on the report and negating both the Warriors error and Canterbury try.
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