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Warriors 16 Dragons 28
Warriors - Watene-Zelezniak, Katoa & Egan tries, Johnson 2 conversions
Dragons - Ravalawa 3, Mbye & Bird tries, Lomax 3 conversions & penalty
Fulltime
40th minute - Dragons clear their line and head towards halfway, intent on not giving the ball back. De Belin covers up in the tackle, as the siren sounds and the Dragons celebrate their season-opening win.
The result snaps an eight-game losing streak that dates back to their last win over the Warriors last season.
39th minute - Curran offloads near the goal-line, but Egans pass is knocked down by Amone. Warriors scrum 10m out, but time is running out.
Off the scrum, Egan finds Nikorima, but Vailea is in front of his half, when he receives the next pass and that's surely the end for the Warriors.
38th minute - Montoya has an open run to the corner, but tries to cut infield, closer to the posts and is knocked on his back by Ravalawa and Sloan. He never forces the ball before sliding into touch in goal - Montoya has had a shocker.
Sloan is pinged for contact to the head, so Warriors have a penalty.
37th minute - Amone dies wiht the ball, but Vailea is smashed in a tackle from Molo. Warriors spread right, where Vailea pops up again.
Harris-Tavita crosses halfway.
36th minute - Johnson tries a short kickoff, but Ramsey secures it for the Dragons.
34th minute - TRY to Mbye
De Belin breaks over halfway, Sloan almost finds the tryline, but Mbye scampers from dummy half to catch the Warriors napping. Lomax converts, STG 28-16
33rd minute - Dragons move the ball right again, but Lomax is tackled before he can unleash Ravalawa. Hunt puts a kick through, Vailea gathers, but is dragged in goal.
Johnson's goal-line dropout goes 90 metres with the wind.
32nd minute - Dragons break upfield and Amone's kick is wobbly. DWZ is tackled as he tries to pass infield and then Harris-Tavita knocks on trying to tidy up.
Horrible sequence for the Warriors, who are again under pressure.
31st minute - Katoa reaches halfway and Afoa barely gathers a marginal pass. Johnson kicks up and Ramsay catches on his goal-line.
30th minute - Dragons gather the kickoff and Su'A reaches halfway. Hunt kicks high and Harris-Tavita catches.
27th minute - TRY to Ravalawa
An ill-advised crossfield kick puts the Dragons back on attack. When the ball move right, Lomax gives his winger the run to the line, Montoya is wrongfooted and Harris-Tavita can't arrive in time to stop Ravalawa's third try.
Great if you have him in Fantasy NRL (I do), but not so good for the Warriors. Lomax start his sideline conversion wide right and it stays there, STG 22-16
26th minute - Woods has left the field for Dragons with a hamstring injury. Kerr reaches halfway, Hunt kicks infield, Bird steals the ball and tries to kick ahead, but DWZ is there to tidy up.
25th minute - Fonua-Blake offloads, Johnson kicks towards DWZ's wing, but it rolls into touch.
24th minute - Dragons head towards halfway, but Hunt kicks from his own territory. Montoya catches and Warriors searching for a way upfield.
23rd minute - Johnson kicks from his 40, but Ravalawa stops it rolling into touch.
22nd minute - Dragons trying to break out of their territory. Mbye crosses halfway, Hunt kicks high and Harris-Tavita is safe underneath.
21st minute - Harris-Tavita shapes to pass right, but stops his pass and has the ball knocked from his grasp. Another wasted chance.
20th minute - Johnson kicks off and Ravalawa drops the ball cold inside the 10. Warriors immediately have a chance to hit back.
18th minute - TRY to Ravalawa
Hunt goes right and Mbye gives his winger a one-on-one situation with Montoya. Ravalawa seems to lose his grip, but replays confirm he retained control.
Lomax misses from the sideline, STG 18-16
17th minute - Dragons lay seige on the Warriors line.
16th minute - McCullough tries to kick, but Nikorima tidies up. Watene-Zelezniak immediately offloads forward in a tackle and now the Warriors must defend desperately.
15th minute - Warriors spill the ball in their own half and Dragons on attack. Sloan almost pierces the line to score, but is dragged down short.
Everyone gets a bit niggly, but Dragons go right, then left.
14th minute - De Belin crosses halfway and Hunt kicks high. Montoya underneath again and Nikorima scrambles from dummy half.
13th minute - Johnson and Katoa cross halfway for the Warriors. Johnson kicks high and Ravalwa catche on his goal-line.
12th minute - Dragons cross halfway and Amone kicks high. Montoya claims it in traffic.
11th minute - From the scrum, Johnson runs right and lobs a long pass to DWZ, who can't put it in. Wasted opportunity.
10th minute - Warriors on attack and Nikorima kicks behind the goal-line. Hunt manages to get back into the field of play, but fumbles the ball.
Warriors have a scrum 10 metres out.
Ninth minute - Dragons kickoff is short and Nikorima is forced to take the first hit.
Seventh minute - TRY to Katoa
Warriors hot on attack from the 40-20 and move the ball right, where Johnson puts Katoa expertly through a gap to score. Suspicion of a forward pass, but no-one calls it back.
Johnson slots the conversion to give his side the lead, WAR 16-14
Sixth minute - Warriors bring the ball upfield, Johnson kicks early and long, Ravalawa tries to keep the ball in, but it touches the line for a 40-20. Actually, a 30-20.
Fifth minute - Suli cuts against the grain. Hunt finds a space on the final tackle, but Harris-Tavita brings him down with an open line just metres away.
Fourth minute - Kerr crosses halfway and Warriors are penalised for interfering in the ruck. Dragons only 20 metres out.
Third minute - Montoya tries to offload close to the sideline, Amone dives on the ball and Harris-Tavita scrags him around the head. Clearing penalty for the Dragons.
Second minute - Warriors get a set restart and Tevaga tries to charge over from a couple of metres out. Dragons are penalised for molesting the dummy half.
First minute - Warriors kick off with a wind at their backs for the second half. JOhnson's kick is measured, but still reaches the goal-line.
Hunt kicks from halfway, but Curran charges down and gathers inside the 20.
Halftime
40th minute - Katoa dives on a loose play-the-ball and is penalised for not squaring up. Lomax will take the kick at goal, as the halftime siren sounds, and slots it STG 14-10
39th minute - Dragons kick for touch and have the ball 20 out.
38th minute - Johnson kicks from his 40 and Ramsey runs it back from his goal-line. Dragons cross halfway and win a penalty.
37th minute - Bird and Suli cross halfway down the left. Lawrie takes on Nikorima and Amone kicks high, but Curran is safe underneath by the posts.
36th minute - Curran and Pene reach halfway, Johnson tries a flat kick, but Ramsey takes it at head height.
35th minute - Dragons back on attack, Sloan tries to find Suli cutting behind, but he drops the ball 10 metres out.
34th minute - Nikorima crosses halfway, but Vailea chases a high ball and arrives early, but has no idea where the ball is.
33rd minute - From the kickoff, Pene hits the ball up.
32nd minute - TRY to Egan
Warriors get a set restart and Curran charges through a tackle, then finds Egan steaming up in support. Good defence creates a try at the other end.
Johnson slots the conversion, STG 12-10
31st minute - Ravalawa is drilled in a tackle at the end of a set and Warriors try to break out.
30th minute - New set of six for St George in the Warriors half. Su'A challenges Nikorima again.
29th minute - Warriors spread the ball left to Motoya, but can't make halfway. Johnson kicks long.
28th minute - Hunt kicks high again and DWZ is equal to the task. Suli is on top of him and Lawrie buries Vailea with the next tackle.
27th minute - Johnson kicks long into the wind and Warriors chase quickly.
26th minute - Hunt goes left, but forces a pass that goes forward and loose, so Warriors survive again.
25th minute - Hunt kicks to touch on the 30 and Dragons back on attack.
24th minute - Fonua-Blake is booked for a crusher tackle on Ravalawa, so he's in trouble already.
Dragons already over halfway, but a pass goes astray. They regather, but lose the ball at the play-the-ball.
Dragons challenge and they're successful, with Aitken coming through the ruck.
23rd minute - On the last tackle, Montoya tries to tiptoe his way down the left, but dies with the ball.
22nd minute - From the kickoff, Fonua-Blake busts a tackle and races to halfway with the first hit-up.
20th minute - TRY to Watene-Zeleniak
Shaky passing from the Warriors, but DWZ puts a little grubber kick ahead to the corner. It takes a horrible bounce, evading two defenders, and DWZ touches down for the try.
Johnson starts his conversion outside the right upright, but it blows outside the left, so that's how strong the wind is, STG 12-4
19th minute - Vailea tries a kick, but Hunt charges it down and Ramsey hares off upfield. Vailea turns his ankle and hobbles back to the line.
Sulie spills the ball on the 30, so the Warriors have great position.
18th minute - Aitken over halfway and Afoa makes metres.
17th minute - Warriors kick off again and try to secure some field position. Su'A crosses halfway.
Hunt puts up another high kick, Montoya catches it and receives Ravalawa at the same time. They quickly receive a clearing penalty.
15th minute - TRY to Bird
From 10 metres out, the ball moves left, where Hunt finds Sloan, who has Bird cutting behind him to score. This could be a long night.
Lomax converts, STG 12-0
14th minute - Fonua-Blake drops the ball in his own half and the Dragons race back on attack.
13th minute - Lawrie cops a shoulder from Curran in the tackle and is spitting blood. Tohu Harris is running water for the Warriors, making a cameo appearance.
Lawrie is being led off, replaced by Molo.
Hunt kicks high, high, but DWZ is safe underneath and throws an outrageous pass that puts the Warriors upfield.
12th minute - Katoa reaches halfway and Johnson kicks high to Sloan, who tumbles in his catch.
11th minute - Hunt tries to put Su'A through a hole, but he spills the ball. Dragons complain that Nikorima tackled early and actually knocked on.
Onfield decision stands, but vision inconclusive, so Dragons retain their challenge, but that Su'A-Nikorima match-up is one they'll want to exploit again.
10th minute - Johnson fires a long pass to Watene-Zelezniak, but it slips forward, giving the Dragons a scrum 10 metres out.
Ninth minute - Warriors kick off and Lawrie runs it back. De Belin crosses halfway. Warriors can't claim a high kick, but Harris-Tavita eventually covers it on the ground.
Seventh minute - TRY to Ravalawa
From the tap, Hunt goes right and Sloan finds his winger with a long pass that puts him outside Montoya to open the scoring.
Really, three Warriors mistakes in that try - Katoa's drop gifted possession, Aitken conceded the penalty and then they did not cover the long kick to touch. Lomax converts from the sideline, STG 6-0
Sixth minute - Aitken is penalised and Dragons kick long, they will have the ball 10 metres out.
Fifth minute - Curran gets through a half-gap and offloads, Johnson kicks ahead and Ramsey forces for a goal-line dropout.
Sloan shanks his dropout, but Katoa makes a mess of his catch and knocks on. What a left off!
Fourth minute - Hunt goes left, but Vailea latches onto a long pass for the Warriors to relieve pressure.
Third minute - Dragons hitting the ball upfeidl and cross halfway through Su'A.
Second minute - Marcelo Montoya gathers a long pass from Harris-Tavita and is bound for the corner, but the quick pass has floated forward.
First minute - Dragons kick off for the first half and Fonau-Blake takes the first hit-up for the Warriors.
Warriors get a penalty late in their first possession, so will enjoy early position advantage.
*****
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to our live coverage of NZ Warriors' NRL season-opening clash with St George Dragons at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
After yet another season without playoff football, the Warriors begin 2022 optimistic that this will be their year.
And why not, don't they have superstar half Shaun Johnson back on board, after three years with Cronulla Sharks.
For sure, they have made some intriguing off-season pick-ups and owner Mark Robinson has laid down the law that perennial underachievement is not part of his plan for the club.
Coach Nathan Brown will not have wiz kid Reece Walsh or enforcer Matt Lodge at his disposal, after they were suspended a week for their part in the ugly brawl against Gold Coast Titans at the end of last season. Walsh will also miss next week, after he was arrested for cocaine possession at a Surfer's Paradise bar.
Instead, Chanel Harris-Tavita will make his first appearance at fullback for the club, while Kodi Nikorima will partner Johnson in the halves and rookie Viliami Vailea will made his debut in the centres.
The Dragons finished just above the Warriors on the 2021 ladder with the same record, but slightly better points difference.
The Warriors won their opening clash last season, but let victory slip from their grasp on July 2, when Dragons wing Cody Ramsey scored a last-minute try to level the scores, then Corey Norman kicked a Golden Point field goal to steal the game.
TAB Odds: St George $1.80, NZ Warriors $1.97
NZ Warriors: 1-Chanel Harris-Tavita, 2-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3-Viliami Vailea, 4-Rocco Berry, 5-Marcelo Montoya, 6-Kodi Nikorima, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Addin Fonua-Blake (c), 9-Wayde Egan, 10-Bunty Afoa, 11-Euan Aitken, 12-Eliesa Katoa, 13-Josh Curran
Interchange (from): 14-Jazz Tevaga, 15-Ben Murdoch-Masila, 16-Aaron Pene, 17-Bayley Sironen, 18-Jack Murchie, 20-Ash Taylor
St George Dragons: 1-Tyrell Sloan, 2-Cody Ramsey, 3-Moses Suli, 4-Zac Lomax, 5-Mikaele Ravalawa, 6-Talatau Amone, 7-Ben Hunt, 8-Aaron Woods, 9-Andrew McCullough, 10-Blake Lawrie, 11-Jack Bird, 12-Jaydn Su'A, 13Jack De Belin
Interchange (from): 14-Moses Mbye, 15-Francis Molo, 16-Josh Kerr, 17-Jack Gosiewski, 18-Jackson Ford, 19-Mathew Feagai
'You'll be shown the door': Warriors star Tevaga inspired by coach Brown's ultimatum
At the end of a frustrating and dramatic 2021 campaign, NZ Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga was faced with a choice.
By his own admission, Tevaga hadn't been "too red hot" in the previous two seasons, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and while his 'mongrel' can be his best asset, it can also be a hindrance, evidenced in their final game of the season against the Titans, where chaos erupted with him at the fore.
Fast forward six months and the Papakura local's "worked his arse off" in pre-season and made changes in all areas of his game, after a confronting conversation with coach Nathan Brown.
"I spoke to [Brown] at the end of last year and it was almost like, 'if you don't pull your head in, you'll be shown the door'," Tevaga tells Newshub.
Hard words to hear, especially for someone like Tevaga, whose passion for his boyhood club is obvious. He publicly insisted last year his desire to stay at the club, despite negotiations stalling at the time.
His chat with Brown was exactly what he needed.
"It just made me realise and reflect on who I wanted to be as a player," he says. "It was a hard self-reflection.
"I had to make some changes, I've worked my arse off in the pre-season and put myself in a position to play some good footy."
Reflecting now, Tevaga, 26, is thankful for Brown's honesty and admits things could have been very different, had he not taken the feedback on board.
"I look back at it now and think, thankfully he did have that conversation, because I wouldn't be in this position I'm in now.
"It was definitely a learning curve, but I don’t want to look back and I'm looking forward to putting on some good performances this year."
The coaches have noticed a change too and not just in Tevaga, with the entire squad forced to ask themselves some tough questions.
"We need players that aren’t just content with playing NRL or just playing for the Warriors," assistant coach Justin Morgan tells Newshub. "We want players who want to win competitions.
"Those tough conversations have had to be had with those players and to be fair to them, most of them have really taken that information on board, and they've come back and they've shown they want to play in September.
"For those things to happen, they've had to get their body in shape, their life away from the club in shape... their recovery, food, their diet, all those things that go into being an exceptionally good NRL player.
"That was the challenge that was set out to a lot of players… do you want to just play the 26 rounds, or do you want to leave a legacy at this club and with this jersey, when you move on at some point?"
For Tevaga, who came through the Warriors system and grew up supporting the club, a third season away from home is taking its toll, making a return to Mount Smart all the more enticing.
"I didn't mind it at first," Tevaga recalls. "I was a young man essentially, had no partner, no kids, but just recently, it's started to get a bit hard.
"I've been away from home for three years now. Even with them opening the borders, we still weren't able to get home for a quick visit.
"All the boys sort of got excited, and the coaches explained to us there's a delay with getting PCR results and all that. It got our hopes up for a bit and they got shut down pretty quick.
"I think we're going to have a massive crowd at home, regardless of where we sit on the table, but it's going to be a better welcome home, if we’re coming off some wins."
