NZ Warriors have kickstarted their 2023 NRL campaign with a gritty 20-12 win over Newcastle Knights in Wellington.
While it's certainly premature to declare it 'our year' just yet, there were plenty of encouraging signs from this new-look Warriors group, who marked the beginning of the Andrew Webster era with a high-character victory founded on a resolute defensive effort to set a positive tone for the season.
Perhaps the most heartening aspect was the performance of their new recruits, best exemplified by a stellar all-round effort from fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
The fullback shook off a costly early error to deliver a performance that had all the hallmarks of his breakthrough 2019 with the Canberra Raiders, scoring a richly deserved try and making perhaps the most critical play of the game to somehow deny superstar Kalyn Ponga a try that would have given the Knights the lead with just over 10 minutes to play.
Mitchell Barnett and Jackson Ford were industrious and a threat with ball in hand. Marata Niukore was a menace on both sides of the ball, while Te Maire Martin was assured in the halves.
Of the old brigade, hooker Wayde Egan was outstanding, constantly threatening from dummy half and ensuring the Warriors maintained dominance through the all-important middle third of the park with slick service.
Captain Tohu Harris was a colossus, making a match-leading 52 tackles, while Shaun Johnson showed signs he has some juice left in his tank - testing the line with a running game that was all too often missing last season.
The Warriors and club debutant Nicoll-Klokstad made a nightmare start to the match, as the marquee signing spilled a high ball with his first touch, which led to Kalyn Ponga putting Lachlan Fitzgibbon over from close range for the Knights to open the try-scoring inside two minutes.
The Knights' cause was dealt a cruel blow at the quarter mark. Star forward Tyson Frizell took a shot to the head, which he got into an awkward position attempting a tackle on Nicoll-Klokad. He failed his subsequent Head Injury Assessment and would play no further part in the contest.
The hosts ground their way back into the contest and were eventually rewarded with a try to Edward Kosi in the 26th minute.
Superb in replacing late scratch Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in the starting side, Kosi benefited from a superb break sparked by Tohu Harris' deft short-ball to new Mitchell Barnett - an advantage clinically cashed in by Shaun Johnson.
That turned into a quick double-strike for the Warriors. Johnson ghosted through a hole to put his side swiftly back on attack, leaving Egan to find a rampaging Bunty Afoa on the inside angle and the prop powered over under duress between the uprights to give the hosts their first lead.
The Warriors took a slender 10-6 advantage into the second half which was promptly overturned by the visitors.
A high shot by Niukore and Ponga put the Knights inside the redzone, before some slick handling to expose a blindside overlap finished with Hymel Hunt diving to finish in the corner.
But the Warriors replied quickly. Brayden Williame broke through the midfield before finding Nicoll-Klokstad support and the fullback stepped inside the final defender to cross for his first try in a Warriors jersey.
Repeated offside infringements by the Knights on their own line saw Phoenix Crossfield given a spell in the sinbin, but the Warriors failed to capitalise on the scoreboard.
In fact, the Knights had the better of the 10-minute spell, which included some superb scrambling defence by the Warriors, highlighted by Nicoll-Klokstad's brilliant solo effort to hold Ponga up over the line.
Moments after that tackle, Ponga was ordered to leave the field by the independent doctor for an HIA and never returned, leaving the Knights staff furious and dealing a massive blow to their hopes of a comeback.
After surviving a lengthy tryline assault, Martin was on hand to force a defender collecting a spilled Johnson bomb into touch, giving his team superb attacking position late.
Egan then stepped up to provide the killer blow, exploding from dummy half to score a well-deserved try next to the uprights and give his side an eight-point buffer they held on to for the final six minutes.
The Warriors will try to build on their impressive start next Saturday against the Roosters in Sydney.
NZ Warriors 20 (Kosi 25th min, Afoa 29th min, Nicoll-Klokstad 51st min, Egan 74th min tries; Johnson 2 goals) Newcastle Knights 12 (Fitzgibbon 2nd min, Hunt 45th min tries; Hastings 2 goals)
