NRL: Warriors walk away wounded after surviving heavyweight battle with Raiders

While it’s still early days, Warriors coach Andrew Webster will be pleased to come away with wins against teams who are expected to compete for the title, and without two of their best players in Mitch Barnett and Luke Metcalf.

A heavyweight contest for the ages

If there was ever an NRL game to compare to a 12-round heavyweight title fight, this was it because from the stands it felt like Mike Tyson going toe-to-toe with Evander Holyfield.

The teams traded early jabs before the middle of the match turned into an arm wrestle in which neither side wanted to make a mistake. The Warriors struck the knockout blows in the final quarter to pull away.

Tension was felt throughout the stadium, and it was even felt on the field after the fulltime siren when some of the players got stuck into each other.

Are the Raiders the Warriors’ biggest rivals?

When you ask somebody who the Warriors’ biggest rival is, either the Brisbane Broncos or Melbourne Storm are mentioned.

But after many thrilling contests over the years, the Raiders should be that side.

There have been numerous close matches. Before this game, seven of the past 10 meetings had been decided by 10 points or less and there have been plenty of golden-point thrillers.

Adding to the mix is the Kiwi connection the Raiders have had over the years, from Ruben Wiki in the 1990s to Joseph Tapine and Matt Timoko among today’s crop.

Last season, when the Raiders won 16-10 in Auckland, Tapine aimed a cry baby gesture towards the Warriors and their fans.

When the siren sounded on Friday night the camera cut to Warriors chief executive Cameron George, who appeared to taunt the Raiders with his own cry baby gesture.

The Warriors fans also mocked the Raiders players with a Viking clap, which is a tradition at the Canberra side’s home games when the team runs out on to the field.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart and Warriors winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck tried to downplay a potential rivalry post-match, but there is no denying one exists.

If you want more proof, Friday’s match was the 55th meeting between the two sides, making the Raiders the team the Warriors have played the most since entering the NRL.

Sadly, this is their only meeting this season, unless both sides make the finals.

Battle of Kiwi captains

Part of the heavyweight feel to the round two clash was because of two of the most influential Kiwi players in the NRL. James Fisher-Harris for the Warriors and Tapine for the Raiders.

Both men have been among the best Kiwi players in the NRL for some years and are viewed as leaders in club and representative football.

You could see how much the game meant for both players and while the tension on the field was high, there is a clear mutual respect and, once the dust settled, there was a friendly embrace.

Fisher-Harris was immense and led the way with 152m and 35 tackles, while Tapine had 113m and 32 tackles. Safe to say that’s a win for the Warriors.

Warriors walk away wounded

While the Warriors claimed the crucial two points, there will be some concern with Kurt Capewell and Chanel Harris-Tavita joining the casualty ward.

Capewell suffered a calf injury in the warm-ups while Harris-Tavita’s night lasted 10 minutes after being knocked out attempting to tackle Noah Martin.

Both players are unlikely to feature in the trip to Newcastle on Saturday and the Warriors will likely have to switch their spine up.

There will be plenty of questions about who slots into the halves. Does Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad play at six again, or do they hand a debut to Luke Hanson or Jett Cleary? The former will be the most likely option, if he passed his head injury assessment.

In better news, Marata Niukore made his return from injury via the New South Wales Cup, while recruit Morgan Gannon got some crucial minutes in the reserves also.

Warriors enjoy benefits of extended bench

Before a ball was kicked, Taine Tuaupiki wouldn’t have expected to get any game time, but he got his chance and he didn’t disappoint.

A new rule change for the season means teams may now have six players on the bench, but they’re only allowed to use four of them for a maximum of eight interchanges.

Last week, Tuaupiki didn’t get a run, but after Harris-Tavita went down, he was called upon and ended up being one the Warriors’ best on the field with 210m with the ball and six tackle breaks.

Had this happened last year, the Warriors would have made a massive reshuffle and played a forward out of position, but instead it was a simple backline change.

As teams adjust to the new rules and some struggle with them, the Warriors have certainly made the most of it, even though Webster has previously said he’s “not a fan” of them.

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