LIVE COMMENTARY (Be sure to refresh your browser)
Warriors - 18 Dragons - 0
FULLTIME - That will do us, as the Warriors stun the listless Dragons with a near-perfect performance. Check out the highlights above and a full wrap here.
76 mins - Incredible defensive play by Maumalo who strips Ravalawa as the Dragons wing looked to have an open tryline ahead. A play that says it all for NZ tonight.
75 mins - The streak is over! Murchie fumbles one to end NZ's 100 percent completion
74 mins - Make it 43 from 43 completions for the Warriors.
70 mins - Warriors roll past halfway. Green's kick collected comfortably. The Dragons are positively limp right now.
68 mins - Piggyback penalty for NZ. Grubber on the last, Dufty cleans up and returns to the Dragons 20m.
65 mins - Make it 40 from 40 sets completed for NZ - a new NRL record.
63 mins - Dragons looking fatigued out there. Key playmaker Ben Hunt has a boil that's supposedly troubling him. Not ideal. Meanwhile NZ are still 39/39 set completions. Remarkable.
62 mins - Another six restart helps NZ up the field.
61 mins - Dragons able to regather a chip ahead. Last tackle metres short but the Warriors rally to keep their tryline clean and force the handover.
58 mins - Crossfield kick off the post, helter skelter football ensues, ultimately the Dragons able to clean up the ad-lib chip.
57 mins - Dufty can't pull in the bomb, NZ collect and have another crack at the line here.
54 mins - TRY WARRIORS - Nikorima explodes out of dummy half, reels off 30m before linking with Green, who fumbles but manages to get a boot to ball and go to ground in the tackle. Ball is played quickly, easy one-out pass for Nikorima who finishes the movement in fitting fashion. Can't cap it off with a conversion. (NZ 18-0)
53 mins - RTS puts on a hefty fend as he returns the ball to the NZ 40m.
50 mins - Dragons put up an easy one for Maumalo on the last. Just can't get themselves any decent field position with this mistake-free football the Warriors are playing.
49 mins - Loose ball, RTS kicks in behind, Dragons win the chase to take tackle one at their 20m.
48 mins - Warriors stay sharp, 27/27 completions. NZ definitely winning the physical battle too.
46 mins - Katoa with another monster run. Nikorima chips of the line off the back of it, RTS tackled in the air and NZ win a penalty. Nikorima lines up a shot at goal from right at front and makes no mistake. (NZ 14-0)
45 mins - Hiku's day is over due to a rib injury. Katoa and Blair pass their HIAs.
44 mins - Big set for the Warriors, Dragons have to run it out of their own 10m. Warriors chasers charging into the tackle.
43 mins - Josh Kerr lunaches at the line and meets Katoa head on, ball spills loose. Killer for the Saints on just the second tackle.
42 mins - Late tackle from Paasi on the kicker. Huge chance for the Dragons now, fresh set 10m shy of the line.
41 mins - Dragons bang it off the tee to get the second stanza started. Paasi makes a rampaging run to pick up 15m. Green bungles a kick to kill the momentum of the set.
Second half underway....
HALFTIME - A flawless 24/24 completion rate for the Warriors and they have their tails up here against Dragons, who have been largely devoid of creativity. Join us for the second half shortly.
40 mins - Huge metres from NZ. Green snaps a drop goal attempt as the clock ticks away, skids into Dragons' hands. Norman takes the tackle and that will do us.
38 mins - Dufty safe under the high ball. Fifth tackle 30m from the NZ line, Norman chips over the top and the ball rolls dead in-goal.
37 mins - Shoddy ball from dummy half spills free, Murchie cleans up and NZ survive.
35 mins - Back-to-back set restarts for the Dragons. Then comes the penalty, Dragons tap and go, 20m out...
34 mins - Third six-again for the Warriors gives them a helping hand. Bomb well taken by Dufty under pressure from RTS.
33 mins - Dragons kick to touch just shy of the corner flag. NZ scrum, as they look to run it out from their own redzone.
31 mins - Katoa and Blair both off the field for head injury assessments, while Hiku receives treatment on his ribs. Only 14 men on deck for them at the moment.
30 mins - Bit of confusion over the last tackle and NZ's set comes to a toothless end.
29 mins - Egan pounces from dummy half, over the try line but looks comfortably held up.
28 mins - Nikorima makes a half break, dummies and grubbers off a Dragons player. NZ scrum 20m out with another prime attacking opportunity.
27 mins - Dufty takes tackle one after being driven back to his own 10m.
24 mins - TRY WARRIORS - Nicely worked set play by NZ sees Nikorima hold up the defensive line then hit a charging Katoa, who powers out of a tackle and goes 10m to score his first NRL try. Nikorima converts on the angle. (NZ 12-0)
22 mins - Both teams trading set for set at the moment. Maumalo reels in the Hunt grubber, NZ piggyback penalty again and they'll take tackle one at halfway.
20 mins - Break from Corey Norman, taken 20m out. But again, the Dragons die with the ball as the NZ defence scrambles.
19 mins - Dragons hand over after taking the tackle on the last. NZ work from their own 20m.
17 mins - Another completed set for NZ, 12/12 so far. Still lacking a bit of attacking bite.
16 mins - 53 m set for NZ, ends with a Green chip and Dufty is taken just outside of his own in-goal.
15 mins - Hunt finds touch at the NZ 20m.
12 mins - Messy on the final tackle, Hiku goes to the line and is easily taken to end the set.
11 mins - NZ launch from halfway. Six again for NZ, Harris taken just short of the line, as is Katoa.
10 mins - Hunt with a break down the right edge, stranded with no support. Frizzell guns for the line but he's held short. Warriors hang on, then earn the piggyback penalty.
9 mins - Warriors restart from the 20m. Nikroima with a well place dbomb, NZ contest and the ball comes free. Ref says it was off NZ first. Dragons tap and go from their 10m.
8 mins - Another clinical set for NZ. Nikorima plugs the corner and Dufty almost makes another has of it. Dragons tackle five at halfway, bomb bounces off the chaser's noggin and dead in goal.
7 mins - TRY WARRIORS - Green grubbers on the last and Dufty makes a meal of it in front of his own posts. The chasing Jamayne Taunoa-Brown does well to pick it up by his fingertips and crash over to score. Easy conversion for Nikorima.
5 mins - Hunt chips for the corner, comfortably taken by Herbert again. First set restart for NZ, NZ keeping the pace high.
4 mins - Simple and direct from NZ. Final tackle bomb taken shakily by Dufty who falls into a high tackle. Dragons take the tap at their own 30m.
3 mins - Nikorima chips to the corner on the last, Warriors chasers drive them back in the tackle.
2 mins - Big metres for the Dragons on the first set. Hunt bombs to the corner and Herbert takes it well in spite of the sun shining directly in his eyes.
1 mins min - Warriors kick off to get us started.
4:57pm - The players are making their way out of the tunnel on to a sun-soaked Central Coast Stadium ground. Just minutes away from action now...
Kia ora and welcome to all play-by-play coverage, as the Warriors try to restart their 2020 NRL campaign with victory over the Dragons at Gosford's Central Coast Stadium.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action.
Commentary will start from around 5pm (NZT). In the meantime check out the video above for a preview of tonight's game.
Betting odds:
Warriors - $2.55 Storm - $1.50
Pre-match banter:
Why the Warriors can bounce back from their rough start
By Ben Francis
Plenty has been made about the NZ Warriors' sacrifices to take part in the revamped season and while that will be key, it shouldn't be the driving factor for their campaign.
Stephen Kearney and co have made it clear that they want to make fans, but more importantly their families proud of what they're doing.
Yes, the Warriors are not the only people in the world who have to spend lengthy periods away from their loved ones, but given the current crisis and the continual uncertainty till the moment they boarded the plane, you see why that is a factor.
The team has effectively been in camp together for four weeks due to their isolation in Tamworth and you'd hope that it would strengthen bonds and relationships between the team.
The players are saying and doing all the right things and seem bonded by their commitment to remain in Australia until the end of the season, but they must replicate those actions on the field.
Kearney will be continually reminding them of all these factors and if that isn't enough, 12 players off contract so if they're not motivated by doing well for their families, playing well to earn another deal should be getting players along.
It's a big year for: Stephen Kearney and Adam Blair
Coach Kearney headed into the season knowing his head would be on the chopping block. He was one of the favourites alongside Dragons coach Paul McGregor to be the first coach sacked in 2020.
And after two games it looked like his time would be up sooner rather than later.
But due to the extreme circumstances the world is in due to COVID-19, his job might be saved if the Warriors once again struggle.
But his value as a coach will be tested more than ever as he has to keep on top of his players and help spur them on to victory.
The injuries and other circumstances will make his job even much tougher considering how many inexperienced players are on the team. In the team to face the Dragons, eight out of the 17 named have less than 50 games of NRL experience.
They will be similar messages coming from the senior players including Blair.
