LeagueNews.co | Nick Loken
The NZ Warriors have kicked off their Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) campaign with a disappointing start, going down 4-50 to Canberra in their season opener at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney on Saturday.
Playing as the warm-up act to the New South Wales Cup showdown between the two teams, the Warriors showed some early promise but ultimately couldn't keep up with the pace of the game in their first official match together.
As Canberra notched up two tries for centre Regan Carr, taking a 10-0 lead after 21 minutes, a clever move straight from a scrum led to a fantastic try for centre Caelys Putoko on the Warriors' right flank.
Trailing 4-10 after 23 minutes, the Warriors were still in the mix, but mistakes began to take their toll, allowing Canberra to extend their lead with another try in the 33rd minute, heading into halftime with a 16-4 lead.