“We were trying to score off every play and there were a lot of clangers,” said Webster.
Did Luke Metcalf come back too early?
That will be the obvious reaction from elements of the fanbase, after watching the 27-year-old limp off with six minutes to play. We will never know the answer, but it wasn’t a great scenario as he suffered a hamstring strain in his second start after returning from the long-term ACL injury.
Metcalf was originally slated to be back between round seven and 10, before his unexpected reappearance for the Tigers match last week. The Warriors wouldn’t have taken any undue risks with their primary playmaker but getting up to speed so quickly was always going to be a challenge.
Metcalf may have felt ready – and was definitely cleared by the medical team – but being ready for the rigours of the NRL is another thing, especially as he would have lacked the usual body of pre-season work.
The fresh injury is a cruel blow for Metcalf, especially with his history of hamstring problems across his career, which saw him travel to the United States during the 2023 season to see a world-renowned specialist.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak of the Warriors scores a try during the match with Cronulla. Photo / Photosport
Dallin makes history
On a difficult afternoon in southern Sydney, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak gave a potent reminder of the finishing abilities. Through all his ups and downs over the last two seasons, he has always retained a knack of finding the try line, against considerable odds.
That was on display on Sunday, particularly for his third try, when he had no room but somehow got the ball down – and within the field of play – despite the cover defence.
Now in his 13th NRL season, it was his fourth career hat-trick and they have all come since he joined the Warriors, with two triples in the 2023 campaign (against the Dragons and Sea Eagles) and another in the final match of the 2024 season.
The haul on Sunday took him ahead of Simon Mannering (63 tries) and onto fourth on the all-time Warriors’ list with 65, behind only Shaun Johnson (79), Stacey Jones (82) and Manu Vatuvei (152).
More reshuffles coming
With the luckless Metcalf out, the Warriors will field their third different halves pairing in the past four weeks when they face the Melbourne Storm on Saturday. After being an unused interchange player for the past fortnight, Chanel Harris-Tavita is almost certain to return to partner Tanah Boyd.
There is also likely to be a change at right centre, given the nasty head knock suffered by Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad late in Sunday’s match, which would continue the pattern of rotating personnel there that we saw in the 2025 season.
The pack picture is also unclear. Most of the forwards struggled to assert themselves for long periods, though Tanner Stowers-Smith gave another reminder of his ongoing improvement (143 running metres and 22 tackles) and Jackson Ford was typically wholehearted.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad of the Warriors walked off with an injury. Photo / Photosport
Compound pain
Sunday’s defeat underlines the importance of banking home wins. The Sharks were always going to be tough, especially in an early afternoon kick-off. There was also a sense that Cronulla were due versus the Auckland club, after they had lost their last three home matches against the Warriors, all in memorable circumstances.
There was the freakish comeback in 2023, then Watene-Zelezniak’s buzzer-beating try in Shaun Johnson’s farewell the following season, before the 40-10 mauling last June and they were hunting revenge.
But the defeat only magnifies the costly Tigers defeat the previous weekend, which was definitely one that got away. It means the pressure will ramp up ahead of Saturday’s trip to Melbourne, far from ideal circumstances given the long losing streak against the Storm.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.
