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Warriors 40- 6 Bulldogs
80 min: Full-time at Mt Smart Stadium - a complete performance by the home side to win their first game of the new season.
76 min: The Bulldogs looking to get another try here - but its has been all Warriors all evening.
73 min: Really good work from Lachlan Lewis and the Bulldogs ear six more.
69 min: TRY - Warriors, quick play the ball from Keighran who finds Peter Hiku who scores. Kick is good. Warriors 40-6 Bulldogs.
67 min: Good from Adam Keighran who force a Bulldogs line drop out.
64 min: Warriors have made eight tackle busts, Bulldogs just three.
60 min: TRY - Warriors, The home side shifts the ball right and Tuivasa-Sheck sets up Kata for his second. Kick is good. Warriors 34-6 Bulldogs.
58 min: Great kick from Keighran, it's going to be a 40 20 but it bounces into Hopoate's shin and goes out.
55 min: TRY - Bulldogs, Jazz Tevaga loses the ball and it falls to the Bulldogs and it's Christian Crichton who goes over out wide. Kick is good. Warriors 28-6 Bulldogs.
52 min: The Warriors look the goods at the moment - but lets face it, the Bulldogs don't.
49 min: That is a negative to points - another completion for the Bulldogs but they can't produce the goods.
48 min: Warriors give away a penalty deep in their own half, points maybe for the Doggies here.
46 min: TRY - Warriors, Roger... Tuivasa... Sheck... the show and go makes Will Hopoate look silly with a dummy and the captain goes over. Kick is good. Warriors 28-0 Bulldogs.
44 min: Adam Keighran makes a break but it didn't result in anything - he was jogging looking for options.
43 min: The Bulldogs get through their first set in the second half, not threatning the line at all though.
41 min: Back underway here at Mt Smart Stadium.
Half-time - What a half from the home side.
38 min: TRY - Warriors, Nathaniel Roache finishes it off but the pass from Kata was fantastic, he finds Fusitu'a who finds the young fella for the try. Kick is good. Warriors 22-0 Bulldogs.
36 min: Nothing really for the visitors here, they look knackered, Warriors slowly grinding them down.
33 min: Another solid set of tackles completed by the Warriors - Bulldogs need to score next you feel.
30 min: TRY - Warriors, Blake Green passes it to Adam Keighran who beats three defenders with quick feet to score a fantastic try - on his Warriors debut. Kick is good. Warriors 16-0 Bulldogs.
29 min: Another penalty for the Warriors - pressure right on the Bulldogs here.
25 min: Completed set from the Bulldogs, little pressure on the home side as they kick the ball out on the fifth.
22 min: TRY - Warriors, glorius from Blake Green, kicks it wide to Fusitu'a who taps it back in the air to Kata who falls over the line. Kick is good. Warriors 10-0 Bulldogs.
20 min: Great set from the Bulldogs and Montoya goes the closest the visitors have been, but it's called a knock on. Warriors ball.
19 min: Good completetions from both sides, but it's the Warriors who look better with ball in hand.
15 min: TRY - Warriors. Blake Green with an early kick and it falls to Ken Maumalo who does really well and scores. Kick is wide. Warriors 4-0 Bulldogs.
14 min: Really good kick from Green and the Bulldogs have no choice but to knock the ball dead.
13 min: The Warriors look really good on defence and have had plenty of ball in hand going forward.
10 min: Huge kick from Keighran, and a good tackle from Kata, big defence from the Warriors.
9 min: Knock on from Holland as the Bulldogs go close to the Warriors line.
7 min: Fusitu'a hands the ball to the Bulldogs on an offload, visitors ball.
6 min: Fusitu'a tackled in the out wide, huge appeal for a penalty but nothing - Bulldogs ball.
4 min: Great defence from the Warriors as six tackles goes by, and the hosts win a penalty.
3 min: Kata pinged for an incorrect play the ball. Dogs in good position.
1 min: Completed first set for the Warriors and start with some good defence.
1 min: Kick-off here in the Warriors' season, from Mt Smart stadium.
With the flag at half mast, Lapi Mariner is singing the national anthem at Mt Smart.
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Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newhub's live coverage of the opening round clash between the Warriors and the Bulldogs from Mt Smart Stadium.
Pre-match chat: Rebuilt right edge ready to fire for Warriors
The most lethal right-edge in the NRL has been dismantled, but winger David Fusitu'a believes the Warriors are now freed up to fire on both sides.
Fusitu'a was the competition's leading try-scorer in 2018, with 23 tries from 23 games, more often than not on the back of some fluent work inside.
The Kiwi club's right edge laid on a competition-high 42 tries, often sparked by halfback Shaun Johnson, or timely passes from second-rower Tohu Harris or centre Pita Hiku.
Johnson has left for Cronulla, while Harris and Hiku will line up on the left side in Saturday's opener against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Auckland.
It isn't yet clear whether Blake Green or fellow-half Adam Keighran will be stationed on the right, with Keighran only recently certified as Johnson's starting replacement.
But Fusitu'a is satisfied with the combination established over the off-season, with experienced pair Adam Blair and Solomone Kata inside him.
"It's exciting," he said. "We've been working hard on those combinations on attack and defence on both sides of the park.
"We'll go into this weekend with a lot of confidence in our game structure."
Coach Stephen Kearney is equally confident the transition will be seamless.
Harris was a left second-rower for four seasons at the Melbourne Storm, while Kata played most of his junior football on the opposite edge, only switching when Konrad Hurrell locked down the Warriors right centre berth.
Kata ran strongly last year, but was often accused of failing to link effectively. He was also caught out defensively at times.
It prompted a plea to Kearney early in the off-season.
"Sol demanded that he go to the right edge," Kearney said. "He wanted to go and work on the right-hand side with his fellow Tongan teammate in David.
"I thought 'that sounds pretty good, they've got a closeness there'. It's working out ok."
AAP
TAB Odds: Warriors $1.67 Bulldogs $2.08
Line-ups:
Warriors: 1-Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 2-David Fusitu'a, 3-Peta Hiku, 4-Solomone Kata, 5-Ken Maumalo, 6-Adam Keighran, 7-Blake Green, 8-Agnatius Paasi, 9-Nathaniel Roache, 10-Bunty Afoa, 11-Adam Blair, 12-Tohu Harris, 13-Lachlan Burr
Interchange: 14-Jazz Tevaga, 15-Sam Lisone, 16-Lesson Ah Mau, 17-Blake Ayshford, 18-Gerard Beale, 19-Ligi Sao, 21-Karl Lawton, 22-Chanel Harris-Tavita.
Bulldogs: 1-Will Hopoate, 2-Christian Crichton, 3-Kerrod Holland, 4-Marcelo Montoya, 5-Reimis Smith, 6-Kieran Foran, 7-Lachlan Lewis, 8-Aiden Tolman, 9-Michael Lichaa, 10-Dylan Napa, 11-Josh Jackson, 12-Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 13-Adam Elliott
Interchange: 14-Jeremy Marshall-King, 15-Danny Fualalo, 16-Corey Harawira-Naera, 17-Sauaso Sue
