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At Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland: Warriors 44 (Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 19 min and 64 min, Rocco Berry 25 min, Addin Fonua-Blake 28 min, Luke Metcalf 31min, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 57 min, Josh Curran 60min, Adam Pompey 77 min tries; Shaun Johnson 5 goals, Metcalf goal) Sharks 12 (Nicho Hynes 9min, Briton Nikora 73 min tries; Hynes 2 goals) HT: 22-6.
Talk about a momentous few days for Shaun Johnson.
Two days after the birth of his second child, daughter Sachi, and signing a fresh one-year deal, Johnson turned in a masterclass in the Warriors’ 44-12 thumping win over the Cronulla Sharks on Sunday.
Johnson’s imprint was all over the Warriors’ performance, producing the first 40-20 of the season for the side, which resulted in a try to Addin Fonua-Blake.
The Warriors made it five wins from their last six starts, moving to 26 competition points from 18 games and jumping to fourth on the ladder.
Fonua-Blake’s try capped a Warriors’ offensive onslaught, where they scored three tries in nine minutes during the first half to turn a 6-0 deficit into a 16-6 advantage.
That quickly became four tries in 12 minutes when Wayde Egan bust through the defensive line, sending in Luke Metcalf for the Warriors’ fourth try of the first half.
Dave Rowland/Getty Images
Shaun Johnson starred for the Warriors in their big win over the Sharks on Sunday.
Johnson ran out onto the field with eldest daughter Millah before the game and put on a show for her and the 24,012 fans at Mt Smart against his old side, the Sharks.
There were no shortage of standouts for the Warriors in the impressive win with Johnson leading the way.
Dylan Walker was a difference maker off the bench, while Rocco Berry had one of his best outings of the season, scoring a try and setting up another in the second half for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
Dave Rowland/Getty Images
Shaun Johnson walks out onto the field with daughter Millah before Sunday’s clash against the Sharks.
It was another memorable showing from the Warriors, who took an important step towards their first NRL finals appearance since 2018.
The Warriors have six round games left, starting with the Canberra Raiders at Mt Smart on Friday, and have four remaining in New Zealand.
Dave Rowland/Getty Images
Warrior supporters cheer on the side in Sunday’s win over the Sharks at Mt Smart Stadium.
That includes a ‘home game’ for the Wests Tigers at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium on August 12.
The Warriors are playing with self belief, flair, and passion under first-year coach Andrew Webster and on this evidence won’t just be content with making the finals. They will have far greater desires and going deep come the business end of the season.
Cronulla arrived in Auckland full of confidence after rattling off three straight victories, averaging 45 points across that span.
They started positively too, taking it to the Warriors in the early going and dominating possession.
Warriors wing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, left, celebrates his first try with Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad against the Sharks.
An early try from Nicho Hynes allowed the Sharks to open the scoring, but that was as good as it got for the men from the Shire.
The Sharks had several other promising opportunities, but wings Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo were both shunted into touch out wide.
Cronulla thought they had their second early in the second half when prop Thomas Hazelton reeled in a Johnson kick and ran 70m to score, but was denied by the bunker.
The big moment
Look no further than Johnson’s 40-20 in the first half, the first for the Warriors this season. It proved a key moment with Fonua-Blake crossing the line from that possession, which made it 14-6.
Match rating: 7/10
It wasn’t nearly as close as the epic encounter between these sides back in April in Sydney, won 32-30 by the Warriors. If you’re a Warriors’ diehard you certainly enjoyed this with the side delivering a performance to savour and sticking it to the Sharks.
MVP
Berry was a standout, racking up the metres and causing the Sharks problems on defence, but Johnson was the orchestrator on attack. He was a constant spark for the side and is playing some of the best football of his career.
The big picture
The Warriors are inching towards finals footy for the first time since 2018. They’ll look to make it six wins in seven starts when they host the Canberra Raiders on Friday at Mt Smart. The Sharks will attempt to rebound against Manly in Sydney next Sunday after a rough day at the office.
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