LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
The NZ Warriors are heading to the New South Wales Cup grand final after overpowering Parramatta 42-14 in a thrilling preliminary final at Jubilee Stadium in Sydney. The Warriors bounced back from a surprising loss to St George Illawarra the previous week, capitalizing on their second opportunity with five tries and 26 consecutive points, setting up a rematch with the Dragons in next Sunday's premiership decider at CommBank Stadium.
After a week off, the Warriors faced some initial challenges against St George Illawarra but started strong against Parramatta. They led 16-0 after an impressive first 20 minutes, with tries from Taine Tuaupiki and two from Moala Graham Taufa. However, they allowed two tries before halftime and one shortly after the break, leaving them with a slim 16-14 lead.
Before the match, the Warriors made two significant late changes, with Tanah Boyd starting at halfback and Leiataua making his eagerly awaited return. In contrast to their previous performance, where they struggled against the Dragons, the Warriors delivered a strong overall display against Parramatta.
They excelled in crucial statistics, achieving an 85 percent completion rate compared to Parramatta's 73 percent, gaining 1613 metres to Parramatta's 1370, and registering 559 post-contact metres against 469. Additionally, they made 12 line breaks to Parramatta's 3 and succeeded in 61 tackle breaks compared to 33 from their opponents.