NZ Warriors have suffered a potentially crippling blow to their NRL playoff hopes, stumbling to a lacklustre 30-20 defeat to Parramatta Eels at soldout Go Media Stadium.
Desperately needing to win all their remaining games in the regular season, this encounter against the second-to-bottom team in the competition loomed as one they should have put in the bank, but the Auckland side were never really in the contest, conceding the first two tries, trailling 18-4 at halftime and conceding 18 unanswered points, as their rivals ran away with the win.
Coach Andrew Webster sprung a pre-game surprise, promoting hooker Freddy Lussick into the starting line-up, with Wayde Egan dropping back to the bench.
Wasted opportunities
Parramatta struck first against the run of play, when a set restart deep in the Warriors half saw winger Jake Tago beat counterpart Dallin Watene-Zelezniak on the outside to score in the corner.
That try broke the ice for the Eels, who benefitted from a couple of defensive knockons from their opponents for hooker Joey Lussick — playing opposite his younger brother — to scramble across for their second.
The Warriors needed to score next to stay in the contest and a series of penalties had them on attack, with quick hands by centre Ali Leiataua putting winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck over in the corner.
When Chanel Harris-Tavita was driven back over his goal-line in a tackle, the Eels took full toll of the short dropout, with half Daejarn Asi slicing through weak defence to score.
The Warriors squandered a chance to strike back before halftime, when centre Moala Graham Taufa dropped the ball cold within metres of the tryline, then halfback Shaun Johnson left a penalty attempt left of the uprights, as the visitors took a convincing lead into the break.
Those mistakes were compounded soon after the restart, when forward Tom Ale lost the ball just short of the tryline and Parramatta broke upfield. To his credit, Ale recovered quickly and backtracked to his own line to deflect the ball away, with another try beckoning.
The home side seemed to have scored, when Leiataua recovered a loose kick near the tryline, but replays showed a Warriors knockon in the contest.
Unable to take advantage of any of these chances, the Warriors suffered the backbreaker, when Parramatta centre Blaize Talagi sliced through a tackle to score. Fullback Clint Gutherson put the game beyond reach, before the home side finally converted their opportunities, with fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstand, second rower Marata Niukore and winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak finding their way to the line... to no avail.
The result leaves them three points outside the competition's top eight with four games and a bye remaining. Mathematically, they still have a chance, but they probably need other results to go their way now.
Parramatta Eels 30 (Tago, J Lussick, Asi, Talagi, Gautherson tries; Gutherson 5 conversions) NZ Warriors 20 (Tuivasa-Sheck, Nicoll-Klokstad, Niukore, Watene-Zelezniak tries; Johnson & Harris-Tavita conversions)
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