NRL: What we learnt from NZ Warriors' win over Wests Tigers

Analysis: Twelve months ago, NZ Warriors had already begun an insidious slide down the NRL table.

At 11-5, they had suffered back-to-back losses against Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, and were about to suffer three more, as their campaign ran out of steam later in the regular season.

In 2026, their 32-6 victory over Wests Tigers finds them at exactly the same record, but a couple of places better off, after a month when they have been racked by injuries and Origin commitments, while losing three of their four games.

Yet somehow, they are in a much stronger position to kick on.

As they slowly reclaim some of those players that have been missing, this performance was a sign the Warriors were about to pick up momentum when they need it most.

At a traditionally unfriendly venue, against niggly opponents that had upset them at home earlier in the season, the Warriors showed their resilience during a flat patch and kicked away in a second half that saw them hold their rivals scoreless.

"Just out of the bye, we started like a team well rested," coach Andrew Webster reflected. "We went after it, we were physical and got off to a good start.

"Really happy with how we finished - a big tackle from Charnze [Nicoll-Klokstad] and those things are important - but we definitely lost our way at different stages. We were creating lots of opportunities, but probably overplaying at times.

"We earnt the right to play and we played some really nice footy, but we'd come up with an error off the back of it. We had a lot of linebreaks and didn't quite finish, but that's OK.

"We want to keep mounting pressure and putting fatigue into the opposition, and while we weren't capitalising, we were still doing that at times."

Here's what we learnt from the Warriors win over Wests Tigers.

Best player

Fresh off a month on the sidelines with a calf injury, watching his team crumble to three losses in four games, co-captain James Fisher-Harris made up for last time, immediately putting them on his back with a try in the opening minutes.

In the process, he ran over former Panthers teammate Jarome Luai on his way to the tryline and exchanged happy salutations afterwards.

"I didn't say nothing, just a bit of laughter," Fisher-Harris insisted. "We've got that brotherhood and a little competition between each other - nothing but love."

He ran 17 times for 145 metres - one of nine Warriors to reach triple-figures - and made 32 tackles in an inspirational performance.

Perhaps the most destructive Warriors forward was second-rower Jacob Laban, who topped fantasy scoring with 69 points, running for 160 metres, with two linebreaks and a try assist, and 35 tackles.

Laban has turned into a genuine NRL starter, which may see Leka Halasima shunted back to the bench, when Kurt Capewell returns from Origin duty.

After a couple of subpar performances, lock Erin Clark was strong again, running for 158 metres, 55 of them after contact, and making 34 tackles.

Wing Alofiana Khan-Pereira was another returning from injury and two tries again put him ahead of his NRL scoring rate - 63 games, 64 tries.

"I think, the thing with Lofi, if they had a poor kick chase, he made them pay," Webster said. "He was good out of the backfield and looked for opportunity, but at the same time, he knocked the door down if needed.

"He's a good finisher - we knew that - but it's the other stuff in his game. Just keep working on the effort and discipline, he's going to be a hell of a player."

Halfback Te Maire Martin celebrated his contract extension with another solid outing, assisting on four linebreaks and providing the last pass for Ali Leiataua's try.

Fullback Taine Tuaupiki ran a game-high 209 metres without a linebreak, while hooker Wayde Egan topped the Warriors' tackle count with 37.

Best try

With six minutes remaining and 20 points ahead, the Warriors saved their best for last, when replacement hooker Sam Healey found Clark on halfway and Martin made the initial break, holding up his pass, before finding Laban storming off his shoulder.

The second-rower had plenty of options - Chanel Harris-Tavita outside, and Healey and Clark inside - but opted for Healey to score.

His try meant both Warriors hookers crossed for four-pointers in this encounter.

Key moment

Front-rower Bunty Afoa has long been a Warriors fan favourite, but he now wears a Tigers jersey.

Perhaps he was over-hyped to meet his old teammates, because 12 minutes into the contest, Afoa was just a little too enthusiastic to greet Nicoll-Klokstad long after he had offloaded the ball.

That late (and hard) hit earned him a spell in the sin bin and, in his absence, the Warriors ran in tries to Khan-Pereira and centre Ali Leiataua for an early 14-0 lead.

Tigers were next to score and finished the half strongly, but they weren't able to capitalise on that momentum, and another one-two strike from Khan-Pereira and hooker Wayde Egan put the contest out of reach in the second half.

Afoa further blotted his account, when he was ahead of a short kickoff, as his team desperately chased late points.

Stats

The Warriors dominated many of the key stats, producing 11 linebreaks, before their rivals managed two late in the contest.

They ran for 1818 metres and were 12 metres better per set.

Defensively, they made more tackles (353), missed fewer (40), but 21 were deemed "ineffective".

They also committed six ruck infringements, gifting the Tigers extra sets.

Surprisingly, they weren't particularly effective in set completion, which has been their trademark under Webster, finishing just 74 percent (32/43), compared to the Tigers' 84 percent (38/45).

Injuries etc

Khan-Pereira's successful return from his quad contusion has relieved some concern over the wing positions, where Dallin Watene-Zelezniak can now take his time recovering from his hamstring twinge.

Luke Laulilii has been signed from the Tigers, as short-term cover for the wing positions, but may not be needed now.

Fisher-Harris and Halasima also bolstered the forwards, where the Warriors should have Origin stars Mitch Barnett and Kurt Capewell available for their next outing.

The only concern from this game was the early exit of front-rower Tanner Stowers-Smith with a shoulder complaint, while Nicoll-Klokstad was apparently cited for a foot trip.

"I think he's fine," Webster reported on Stowers-Smith. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's sore - he was throwing himself at them."

Tigers tamed

If anything, the scoreline flattered the Tigers, although they were dominant during that 20 minutes before halftime.

The Warriors kept piling up linebreaks without fully capitalising and they would have had memories of the March defeat, when they led 10-0 early, but conceded the next four tries to lose their grip on the contest.

The Tigers try was a little opportunistic - a wobbly kick and a loose ball behind the tryline, which Leiataua failed to cover - and their next best effort was a late break by Luai, who was run down by Nicoll-Klokstad.

Middle forwards Terrell May and Alex Twal were their best performers, second-rower Samuela Fainu was their only tryscorer and dangerous whenever he had the ball.

The Tigers' playoff hopes are fading - they're now four points outside the top eight, with all those above them still to play this weekend - and coach Benji Marshall has a big job ahead holding them together down the stretch, with Luai's uncertain future proving an unwanted distraction.

What the result means

The Warriors improve to 11 wins and five losses, good for second on the competition table, still four points behind leaders Penrith Panthers, who are idle this weekend.

They are two points clear of Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights, who now face Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs respectively.

The scoreline propels them to second in pointscoring, points allowed and - significantly - points differential, all behind the Panthers.

After dropping three of their previous four games, the Warriors now face a month of teams with losing records and a convincing win over the Tigers was just the way to start that run.

What's next

The Warriors return home for only the second time in three months, when they host St George Illawarra Dragons next Saturday.

The Dragons are currently bottom of the table with only two wins this season, and they've already lost to the Warriors at home in May, falling 30-12 at Kogarah.

Wings Khan-Pereira and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, and halfback Te Maire Martin all scored try doubles for the Warriors.

They have at least become more competitive since that last meeting - they were averaging 20-point losses before, but have brought that deficit back to just three points since, with a couple of wins along the way.