NRL round 26: Warriors make no mistakes against Eels
The New Zealand Warriors were able to pull off an end-of-season victory on the road against the Parramatta Eels over the weekend.
The Warriors showed their offensive prowess scoring five tries against the Eels on Saturday. The two sides were evenly matched in the first half as the Warriors were only able to take a two-point lead into the break. However, after the half, the New Zealand side took over, registering three tries and taking a 26-12 victory.
Recap
The Warriors were able to get on the board first as Jerome Ropati marched his way over the whitewash in the 16th minute to put the visitors up 4-0.
However, the Eels got on the board in the 29th minute courtesy of Timana Tahu who darted over the try-line, and Luke Burt put home the conversion to give the home side a 6-4 lead.
The Warriors were able to come back with a Brent Tate try in the 32nd minute, as the New Zealand side was able to take an 8-6 lead into half-time.
After the break the Warriors offence continued to press, first with a try from Jesse Royal in the 56th minute. James Maloney was finally able to put a conversion through the uprights and the lead was extended to 14-6.
The visitors kept the pressure on with tries from Kevin Locke in the 65th minute and Manu Vatuvei in the 68th minute. Maloney seemed to have found his game at the tee knocking down both conversions and giving the guests a dominant 26-6 lead.
The Eels would get a late try from Nathan Cayless in the 75th minute, however that would be all, as the Warriors were able to run away with the victory.
Analysis
The Warriors proved to be a force in the second half of the year moving into home field contention near the end of the season. Unfortunately, the New Zealand side finished one spot out of home field advantage in fifth place and will take on the Gold Coast Titans in the first round.
The Eels meanwhile remained in contention for a play-off spot until the final four weeks of the season. The Parramatta side was not able to find their form in high pressure competitions and will have to settle for a 12th place finish. It could be that the rumours of Union star Quade Cooper joining the club next season threw them off at the end of the year.
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