The NZ Warriors could find no miraculous comeback on Saturday, as they slumped to a 24-16 defeat against the bottom-of-the-table Gold Coast Titans at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium.
Early tries to centre Adam Pompey and second-rower Leka Halasima put the home side in prime position, but they conceded the next 24 points, including try doubles to Titans centre Jojo Fifita and winger Phillip Sami, to lose control of the contest.
They lost hooker Wayde Egan to concussion in the first half and then had to play short-handed, when winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was sent to the bin for taking out a player without the ball on his goal-line.
With their next possession, Fifita scored his second to put the game beyond reach for the Warriors and not even a try to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck could spark a revival.
The result is a blow to their chances of a top-four finish – they remain in fourth on the NRL table, but are now vulnerable to those chasing.
Victory means Gold Coast coach Des Hasler can celebrate his 500th game in a season, when he has been under threat of losing his job.
The Warriors now meet the Dolphins on Friday at Mt Smart, desperately needing a better performance to restore credibility to their championship hopes.
rnz.co.nz