The Warriors have just missed out on a rare piece of rugby league history, finishing the NRL regular season in second place instead of first.
Going into the last round of the season, the Warriors were narrowly ahead of the Penrith Panthers on points differential (a tie-breaker based on how many points a team has scored compared to how many they’ve let in). To pinch top spot, the Panthers first had to beat the Manly Sea Eagles, which they did, 31-30. That meant they then needed to beat the last-placed Wests Tigers by two points or more to finish above the Warriors.
The Panthers did exactly that, thrashing the Tigers 38-10 in Sydney, with Kiwi forward Casey McLean scoring a hat-trick of tries.
That result pushed the Warriors into second place, with 18 wins and six losses from their 27 games. Missing out on finishing first, known as the “minor premiership,” is a blow, but Warriors coach Andrew Webster says his side has bigger goals in mind.
“There will be no one prouder if we happen to be minor premiers. It’s a historical trophy and we’d be proud of it, but not at the expense of what we need to do,” Webster said.
The Warriors will now host the Redcliffe Dolphins in the first week of the finals at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, kicking off at 6.05pm on Saturday.
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