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Warriors 18 Dragons 24
FULLTIME
The Dragons restart, and Hunt looks for a field goal, but he misses.
The Warriors have 30 seconds to send this to Golden Point. Vailea breaks on the right and clears halfway.
They go back to the left through Walsh and Pompey. De Belin plays at the ball and the Warriors get six more.
They go to the right now, and keep throwing it around, but can't do anything with it.
Aitken has one last crack, but he's tackled. And that's game.
79 mins
The dropout is held by Ravalawa, and the Dragons will have the chance to win this.
Bird is smashed on the fifth, and Johnson stays down after the tackle.
Johnson looks hurt, problem with his neck.
Play is stopped, but there's less than a minute on the clock.
78 mins
The Dragons restart inside the Warriors' half. Points here will win it.
Hunt kicks on the last, but the Warriors play at it and give the Dragons six more.
Suli takes some stopping on the first, before Bird and Mbye combine on the second.
Amone goes at the line, but he's tackled. The Dragons go wide to their right, but Lomax loses the ball.
Hang on though, the ball ricochets off the Warriors for a dropout.
77 mins
Fonua-Blake is out of the rest of the game with a foot injury.
The Warriors break down their left, but Pompey's attempted offload for Montoya goes into touch.
76 mins
The Dragons have the ball inside the Warriors' half after the restart. Amone takes the tackle on the fifth, before they go left on the last.
Hunt finds Ramsey, but the Warriors make the tackle to get the ball back.
74 mins
Hunt kicks long on the last, and Walsh takes it on the run before finding Montoya, who finds Pompey on the left.
Pompey runs, but he's bundled into touch by Sims. Huge play for the Dragons.
73 mins
Suli loses the ball for the Dragons, and the Warriors have it back on halfway.
Walsh nearly slips through on the fourth, but Francis Molo makes the tackle. Katoa goes on the fifth, and they go to the right on the last.
Johnson runs into trouble, and finds Vailea, who's tackled for a handover.
71 mins - PENALTY DRAGONS
Katoa needs treatment and we'll have a stoppage as he's treated.
It looks like the Dragons will take a shot at goal after that Walsh penalty.
Lomax lines it up, and he's got it! The Warriors need a converted try to level scores from here.
WAR 18 DRA 24
70 mins
Walsh runs from the first after the scrum and gets close to the 20, before Fonua-Blake makes metres.
Walsh goes again on the third and gets to the 10. Johnson finds Fonua-Blake on the fourth, before he finds Harris on the fifth.
Johnson grubbers on the last, and Feagai gets there but passes to Lomax in goal. Lomax somehow manages to run out of the in-goal. Scenes.
The Dragons break as Amone breaks upfield. Walsh disrupts the Dragons' play-the-ball and a penalty is called.
Will Walsh be sinbinned? He looks like he's going to get away with it!
66 mins
Walsh is smashed by Mbye and De Belin, before Johnson kicks deep to Feagai on the Warriors' last.
Ravalawa gives away possession though, and the Warriors will have a scrum on the 30.
64 mins
The Warriors get to halfway, and Johnson bombs on the last, but Feagai has no trouble catching it.
The Dragons go inside the Warriors' half, and have an overlap on their left, but Montoya makes a vital tackle.
Hunt kicks on the last, but Lomax knocks on against Pompey's challenge.
There's a bit of push and shove from Lomax against Lussick, but nothing more than handbags.
Warriors' ball.
63 mins
The Dragons run deep into the Warriors' territory on the last, but Johnson tackles Suli to end any trouble.
61 mins
The ball goes into touch as Hunt and Murchie compete for it. The call goes in favour of the Warriors, so Hunt challenges.
Just to clarify, the Dragons were awarded their captain's challenge back after that accidental offside in the first half.
It looks like Hunt will win this one, and he does.
60 mins
Hunt kicks down to Watene-Zelezniak on the last. He fumbles it, but recovers before being hit by Sims.
Pompey runs to halfway on the fourth, and Fonua-Blake to the 40 on the fifth.
Johnson kicks on the last, Ramsey makes no mistake again.
59 mins
Lussick milks a penalty as Lomax doesn't roll away. Clever.
The Warriors restart on their 40. Tevaga takes the ball to the 30 on the third, and Fonua-Blake goes to the 20 on the fourth.
Walsh is tackled on the fifth, as Johnson puts a bomb up on the last.
Ramsey wins it in the air to save the Dragons.
57 mins
The Dragons go wide on their fifth, and kick for Ravalawa. He's tackled on the 10, and Amone kicks out to the right on the last.
Amone wins it, and six again is called, but Michael Molo loses the ball for a Warriors scrum.
55 mins
Hunt kicks down to Walsh on the Dragons' last, and he does well to hold on in pretty dire conditions.
Lussick runs to the 40 on the fifth, and Walsh puts a bomb up on the last. Lomax takes it well.
52 mins - TRY DRAGONS
Hunt kicks on the last for the Dragons, and Montoya takes it cleanly.
Afoa runs the ball inside the 30 on the fifth, and Johnson kicks to the right on the last.
Watene-Zelezniak looks to keep it alive, but Bird steals possession for the Dragons.
They go wide to Ramsey and he's through! He finds Amone outside him and he takes the tackle inside the 10.
Ramsey goes from dummy half, and he puts Lomax away and he'll score his second!
Can Lomax convert his own try? He misses just to the right of the posts.
WAR 18 DRA 22
48 mins - TRY DRAGONS
Feagai fields a Johnson kick, but the Warriors give away a penalty.
Hunt clears to restart just shy of halfway. Sims breaks through on the third and the Dragons get to te 20.
Michael Molo breaks again and wins a set restart inside the 10. Hunt plays dummy half, and goes to Molo again, and he holds off Afoa to score right under the posts! That's Molo's first try on his first-grade debut.
Lomax to convert and level scores, and he does.
WAR 18 DRA 18
44 mins - TRY WARRIORS
Pene takes the first tackle, and Afoa the second after the dropout.
Pene goes again on the third and gets to the 20. Harris and Johnson go wide to the right, and the Warriors go through the hands!
Johnson finds Walsh, who finds Vailea, who gets the ball to Watene-Zelezniak - and he dives in to score in the corner!
Can Walsh convert? Wide on the right, but his slices it left again. The Warriors lead by six.
WAR 18 DRA 12
43 mins
Pompey restarts on the 40, and the Warriors have their first attack of the half.
Afoa makes good ground on the second to get to the 30, before Pene takes the ball towards the 20.
Asi kicks on the fourth, and Lomax is forced to bundle it dead for a dropout.
42 mins
The Dragons get to the 40 on the last, before Hunt kicks on the last.
The wind gets hold of the ball, and Watene-Zelezniak lets it bounce. He claims it, but it won't matter.
The Dragons are offside, Michael Molo the culprit.
41 mins
The Warriors are back out first after the break. Followed by the Dragons. All to play for in this second half.
Walsh kicks off to start the second 40.
HALFTIME
Warriors scrum, inside the Dragons' half.
Lussick runs off the back on the first, and Pene does the same on the second.
Murchie takes the third, approaching the 10. Harris nearly puts Afoa away, and wins a set restart.
Asi goes, before Walsh is impeded on the second.
Walsh kicks on the fourth, but Amone gets in the way and the Dragons can restart.
They run inside the Warriors' half, but Suli is tackled as the siren goes.
That's the half.
38 mins
Johnson kicks on the last for the Warriors, and again Ramsey takes it as Walsh challenges.
Lomax is driven back in the second tackle, before Jack Bird comes up with an error on the fourth.
Hunt doesn't challenge, so that'll be a Warriors scrum.
36 mins - TRY WARRIORS
Walsh kicks off to restart.
Suli loses the ball in the tackle of Afoa and Lussick and the Warriors have the ball in the Dragons' half.
Asi goes on a slaloming run on the second, before Johnson nearly puts Aitken away on the third. Harris goes on the fourth and gets to the 10, before Lussick goes on the fifth.
Johnson kicks on the last, and Watene-Zelezniak and Feagai both go up for it. Feagai gets to it, but pats it straight to Vailea - and he scores in the right corner! Vailea has a double, and the Warriors take the lead again!
Can Walsh convert from the right? Nope, he slices it left.
WAR 14 DRA 12
32 mins - TRY DRAGONS
Ramsey runs from the back of the Dragons' scrum, but he's tackled. Woods goes on the second, as the Dragons go wide to the right.
Ramsey has the ball again, and slips right through the Warriors' defence for a try that levels the scores!
Lomax lines up his second kick of the afternoon, and shapes it back through the posts to give the Dragons the lead.
WAR 10 DRA 12
31 mins
Hunt kicks on the Dragons' last, and Montoya takes it cleanly.
Pompey appeals for a penalty, but instead is deemed to have lost the ball in De Belin's tackle.
Harris challenges the decision. Lomax still has Pompey in the tackle when he's hit by De Belin, so the decision will stand.
The Warriors lose their challenge and the Dragons restart on the 20.
30 mins
The Dragons get inside the Warriors half, and Hunt kicks on the last - but Walsh holds on for the Warriors.
Johnson kicks on the last, inside the Warriors' half, but Ramsey is flawless under the high ball.
28 mins
The Dragons kick-off to restart. Afoa takes the first tackle, before De Belin gives away a penalty on Fonua-Blake.
The Warriors will restart just inside their own half as Murchie runs the first. Harris does the second and gets past the 40, as Fonua-Blake gets to the 20.
Johnson kicks on the next, but Feagai gets there first, and gets rid of the danger.
25 mins - TRY WARRIORS
Hunt kicks on the last, and the ball bounces into touch for a Warriors restart.
Montoya takes the first, and Watene-Zelezniak the second. Pompey takes the third, but the Warriors are still in their own half.
Watene-Zelezniak goes again and gets to halfway. Harris, Fonua-Blake and Johnson combine on the fourth, before Tevaga breaks on the fifth.
Johnson runs on the last, and he runs all the way as the Dragons wait for the kick! Johnson holds off Hunt, and scores his first of the year!
Walsh lines up the kick, and he nails this one!
WAR 10 DRA 6
23 mins
Another set for the Warriors, but Asi loses the ball trying to find Aitken! De Belin has passed his HIA elsewhere, as the Dragons restart in their own half.
Mbye looks for a 40/20 on the last, but Watene-Zelezniak stops it happening.
Pompey does well to get the ball past the 20, and Tevaga takes it past the 30. Johnson kicks on the last, straight to Ramsey.
21 mins
Another set for the Warriors. Johnson throws a wayward pass after contact, and the Warriors lose ground on the third.
Lussick kicks on the last, Suli gets there, but Lussick tackles him in-goal. Great play from the young hooker.
20 mins
Fonua-Blake takes the first tackle from the restart, and gets to the 10. They go wide to the left through Johnson and Asi, before he's tackled.
Walsh slips out of a tackle and offloads to Harris, who takes the third tackle.
Johnson kicks on the fourth, and there's a scramble in goal. Walsh bats it back, before Ramsey hits it into touch for a line dropout.
18 mins
Hunt puts a bomb up on the last, and Montoya takes it before he's smashed by Lomax.
Aitken runs past the 20, before the Dragons give away a penalty against Watene-Zelezniak, high tackle from Molo. He's placed on report for that too.
Pompey restarts and gets to the Dragons' 40. The Warriors go wide to Walsh, who beats his man but then throws a flick pass out the back that Hunt intercepts.
Knock on is called against Hunt, but he uses his captain's challenge. The ball came off Hunt's face, and onto Suli's foot before it goes back to Hunt.
That'll be an accidental offside, and the Warriors' ball. Unsuccessful challenge for the Dragons.
16 mins
The Dragons restart from halfway after Johnson's error. Amone kicks on the last, and Watene-Zelezniak wins it in the air to stop the attack.
The Warriors get to the 40 on the last, and Johnson kicks, but Ramsey is under no pressure as he takes it.
14 mins
Word coming through that De Belin is off for an HIA. The Dragons restart and Fonua-Blake takes the first hit-up.
Murchie takes the second and gets to the 30, Aitken takes the third tackle. Murdoch-Masila takes the fourth and Fonua-Blake the fifth.
Johnson kicks on the last, but it's out on the full looking to expose Feagai on the wing.
12 mins - TRY WARRIORS
Molo loses the ball for the Dragons inside his own half. The Warriors have a set inside opposition territory.
Fonua-Blake does well and wins a set restart, as Aitken takes the ball inside the 10.
Murdoch-Masila takes them within 5m, before the Warriors go to the right. Asi tries to step through before he's tackled.
They go left through Harris on the fourth. Tevaga has a go at the line on the fifth, but he's short.
Johnson kicks to the right on the last, and Watene-Zelezniak bats it back infield to Vailea - and he scores! Great work from Watene-Zelezniak in the air!
Jack De Belin is limping off for the Dragons as Walsh lines up his kick.
Can Walsh add the extras? He can't, he pushes it wide to the left.
WAR 4 DRA 6
8 mins
Ramsey tries to break down the Dragons' left, but he goes too close to the sideline and slips into touch as Watene-Zelezniak covers.
The Warriors restart on halfway. Murdoch-Masila wins a set restart on the first, but Johnson's pass to Harris is wayward. Harris recovers though, and the Warriors are inside the Dragons' half.
Asi goes wide to Pompey, but he's tackled into touch on the Warriors' left.
Tricky conditions so far.
6 mins
Hunt kicks on the Dragons' last, and Walsh takes it again, just outside the 20.
Montoya and Pompey both make runs on the second and third, and Harris takes the fourth tackle.
Vailea takes the fifth, and Johnson kicks on the last.
Ramsey takes it again, no danger for the Dragons.
5 mins
Awful start for the Warriors. Walsh kicks off to restart, and the Dragons have the ball in their own half.
They get to their own 40 on the last, before Hunt kicks down to Walsh.
Walsh goes on a run before he's tackled, as does Watene-Zelezniak on the second. Montoya takes the third, and Pompey the fourth.
Fonua-Blake takes the fifth, and Johnson puts a bomb up on the last.
But Ramsey does brilliantly to claim the ball ahead of Watene-Zelezniak.
2 mins - TRY DRAGONS
No way! Johnson drops the kick-off, and gives the Dragons a scrum on the 10m line, right in front.
They go to the right through Hunt and Amone, before going up the middle through Lawrie. Ramsey has a go, as does Molo.
Amone kicks through on the fifth, but the ball is missed by Aitken in goal - and Lomax pounces to open the scoring!
Lomax lines up to convert his own try, in from the right. And he does.
WAR 0 DRA 6
KICKOFF
Right then, we're all ready to go - and Ben Hunt gets us underway.
5:00pm
There's a moment before kick-off as the Dragons remember club legend John Raper, who passed away earlier this year.
Raper won eight premierships with the Dragons.
4:58pm
Jazz Tevaga leads the Warriors out of the tunnel, on his 100th NRL appearance.
Ben Hunt does the same as captain of the Dragons, as both teams walk out side-by-side.
4:50pm
Around 10 minutes to kick-off.
This is the second time these two sides have met this season - after the Dragons took a 28-16 victory all the way back in round one.
Winger Mikaele Ravalawa was the hero for the Dragons that day, scoring a hat-trick. Will he be a thorn the Warriors' side again today?
4:30pm
Good afternoon! We're on for a huge game for the Warriors' top four hopes, up against the 12th placed Dragons.
But they enter today's clash under a cloud of uncertainty, following Matt Lodge's release yesterday.
As a result, Ben Murdoch-Masila comes into the front row, as Eliesa Katoa comes onto the interchange bench.
Kick-off is around 30 minutes away, so stay tuned.
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Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the NRL clash between NZ Warriors and St George Dragons at Sydney's Jubilee Stadium.
Another eventual week was seen the Warriors rattle home against South Sydney at 'Magic Round', falling narrowly short of an incredible victory, then lose hardman prop Matt Lodge, as he ruled out a shift across the Tasman next season.
Lodge and fellow prop Addin Fonua-Blake were supposed to be the Warriors' 'X-Factor' this season, terrorising the middle of the park in the battle for physical supremacy, but he never quite shook his reputation for overstepping the mark, both on and off the field.
Instead, the Warriors must look to the likes of Aaron Pene, Bunty Afoa, Ben Murdoch-Masila and Eliesa Katoa to step into that void against a Dragons side sitting one spot below them on the competition table.
Second-rower Euan Aitken - another refusing to cross the ditch next season - returns from injury to the starting line-up, while Murdoch-Masila takes Lodge's spot in the front row.
The Warriors dropped their season-opener to the Dragons, with powerhouse winger Mikaele Ravalawa scoring a hat-trick of tries over counterpart Marcelo Montoya.
TAB Odds: Dragons $1.61, Warriors $2.27
Warriors: 1-Reece Walsh, 2-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3-Viliami Vailea, 4-Adam Pompey, 5-Marcelo Montoya, 6- Daejarn Asi, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Addin Fonua-Blake, 9-Jazz Tevaga, 15-Ben Murdoch-Masila, 11-Euan Aitken, 12-Tohu Harris, 13-Jack Murchie
Interchange: 14-Aaron Pene, 16-Bunty Afoa, 17-Freddy Lussick, 18-Eliesa Katoa
Dragons: 1-Cody Ramsey, 2-Mathew Feagai, 3-Moses Suli, 4-Zac Lomax, 5-Mikaele Ravalawa, 6-Talatau Amone, 7-Ben Hunt, 10-Blake Lawrie, 9-Moses Mbye, 18-Francis Molo, 11-Jack Bird, 15-Tariq Syms, 13-Jack De Belin
Interchange: 14-Jayden Sullivan, 16-Aaron Woods, 17-Michael Molo, 19-Tyrell Fuimaono
Lightweight Tevaga thriving in game of giants as Warriors milestone looms
By Reece Labuschagne
Jazz Tevaga may be one of the NRL's smallest forwards, but in a game of giants, he will make his 100th appearance for the NZ Warriors against St George Dragons on Saturday.
With most opposition players outweighing Tevaga by 30kg, few would've expected him to reach such a milestone, after his debut against Melbourne Storm in 2016.
Tevaga was forced from the field, after suffering a head knock, but would play 59 minutes, after injuries to hookers Isaac Luke and Nathanaiel Roache.
His bravery that day set the tone for his NRL career, but he admits it's nothing new to him.
"I've been in the middle my whole life and one thing I've been doing since a young age is tackling," Tevaga said. "All my family played footy and I can remember from a young age tackling my older cousins.
"It's nothing new to me tackling bigger blokes. I like getting in there and getting dirty with the big fellas.
"It does take a toll, I don't come right for about 3-4 days after the game. It is hard, but if you get your technique right, you get through it.
"If you go out like a headless chicken, trying to whack blokes, that's when you get injured."
Tevaga is the second-most capped active Warrior, with only returning veteran Shaun Johnson playing more NRL games and Bunty Afoa in a distant third.
He admits the achievement has caused some reflection, but his focus remains firmly on the clash with the Dragons and, after a spirited comeback against South Sydney last week, he believes his team are close to finally putting it all together.
"It's good to recognise milestones, but I'm pretty much just focused on the footy tomorrow. I want us to put in a good performance and get the win more than anything.
"Obviously, that second half [against Souths] - that's our template and that's how we want to play. We've had a good weekend of training, we've had some honest conversations after the game.
"We've had a bit of a confidence slump the past couple of weeks, but it feels good and I'm pretty confident we are going to do a job on the Dragons tomorrow.
"We just have to go out there and play the way we want to play. We haven't done that for a while."
