SG Ball Match Report: Brave effort falls short

Victory was once again within reach but slipped through their fingers at the last minute as the NZ Warriors fell 18-22 to Western Suburbs in their sixth-round SG Ball Cup (under-19) clash in Sydney on Sunday.

There were shades of their gut-wrenching 26-28 defeat to Illawarra two weeks ago when they were left reeling in the final moments after holding the lead.

This time they were ahead by a slim margin with eight minutes left on the clock but then let in a decisive try and couldn't claw their way back.

The Warriors got off to a shaky start as the Magpies notched up two early tries to take an 8-0 lead, but from then on it was a tight contest.

With fullback Joseph Ratcliffe making a big impact, the Warriors put together a well-executed try that began deep in their own territory.

It ended with interchange hooker Rico Lemalie, loose forward Paea Sikuvea, and halfback Maui Winitana-Patelesio all getting involved before second rower Kahu Capper delivered a perfect pass for centre Mason Lome-Hindle to touch down.