Round 10
New Zealand Warriors 12 l. North Queensland Cowboys 34

2009 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

Warriors fall to disappointing home loss to Cowboys
Sun May 17, 2009
Source: www.warriors.co.nz

Johnathan Thurston today showed yet again - if proof were needed - why he's so widely regarded as the best rugby league player in the world right now.

The North Queensland captain orchestrated virtually the entire show on his own with yet another virtuoso display as the Cowboys overran the Vodafone Warriors in the final 10 minutes to win 34-12 at Mount Smart Stadium.

It was the home side's worst loss of the year and the heaviest at home since the Sydney Roosters beat the Vodafone Warriors 38-12 a year ago.

Thurston was, as he so often is, in a class far removed from mere mortals.

Just last weekend he had scored two tries for the Kiwis against Australia, followed it up with three for the Cowboys 24 hours later and also threw in a haul of goals to register 38 points in total.

His mood hadn't changed when he faced the Vodafone Warriors in today's 10th round NRL slash at Mount Smart Stadium as he added another try plus five goals for 14 more points, 52 in three games.

He had an involvement in most of the tries while his kicking game was sublime throughout as the Cowboys rounded up their first victory in Auckland since 2005.

Winger Denan Kemp, back in the side after missing the St George Illawarra match, opened the scoring with an early penalty before North Queensland had the first try after eight minutes when loose forward Luke O'Donnell exposed the Vodafone Warriors' defence.

Thurston's mastery was in evidence when he dummied left and then cut back in the other direction his try which, with his conversion, made it 10-2.

It stayed that way until just after halftime when Lance Hohaia threw a short flat pass from a scrum move, stand off Nathan Fien spearing through for his second try of the season. Kemp added the conversion and there was just two points in it at 8-10.

All too soon, though, the Cowboys were eight points clear again when a deft Thurston grubber presented centre Willie Tonga with a try.

But at 16-8 the game's complexion could have changed drastically when Cowboys interchange forwarde James Tamou was sin binned for 10 minutes.

The Vodafone Warriors prospered immediately with a Joel Moon off load providing Kemp with his first try for the club since joining from Brisbane.

Heading into the last 10 minutes, the score was still just 16-12 in the Cowboys' favour but they pounced with a lethal assault in the final minutes, scoring three tries within seven minutes.

At Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
Vodafone Warriors 12 (Nathan Fien, Denan Kemp tries; Denan Kemp conversion, penalty).
North Queensland Cowboys 34 (Luke O'Donnell, Johnathan Thurston, Willie Tonga, Ashley Graham, Ben Farrar, Matt Bowen tries; Johnathan Thurston 5 conversions).
Halftime: 12-10 Vodafone Junior Warriors.
Referee: Ben Cummins and Alan Shortall.
Crowd: 16,345.

Warriors post-match media conference
Cowboys post-match media conference


Rapira and Kemp return for Ropati's 100th NRL match
Tue May 12, 2009
Source: www.warriors.co.nz

Kiwi prop Sam Rapira and winger Denan Kemp have both been recalled to join team-mate Jerome Ropati for his 100th first-grade appearance when the Warriors take on North Queensland in Sunday's 10th-round NRL encounter at Mt Smart Stadium.

A chest injury ruled 70-game front rower Rapira (22) out of the club's 11-12 loss to St George Illawarra in Wollongong as well as the Kiwis' Anzac Test against the Kangaroos in Brisbane last Friday night while Kemp (22) missed the game against the Dragons ahead of last weekend's bye round.

Rapira has been named to start in the front row against the Cowboys with Jesse Royal reverting to the interchange bench while Kemp returns on the right wing for Patrick Ah Van, who has been chosen as 18th man.

Other than those two changes, the starting line-up is the same that ran on against St George Illawarra with Nathan Fien at standoff and Joel Moon in his alternative position in the centres. Joining Royal on the bench are fellow prop Russell Packer, utility Lance Hohaia and second rower Ben Matulino.

The match will be a personal highlight for Ropati (24), who started his NRL career with a one-off outing in 2003. He'll become the 14th player - and the second this season after Nathan Fien - to reach the 100-game mark for the Vodafone Warriors. Also on the 100 list are two other members of this year's NRL squad - Stacey Jones (245) and Lance Hohaia (124).

"It's a sign of the stability we have in the club that more and more players are reaching these milestones," said coach Ivan Cleary.

"It's a real achievement for Jerome who has had some injury issues here and there which prevented him reaching the mark sooner. He's one of the game's nicest guys and it's great for him to be able to play his 100th at home in front of his family and friends."

The occasion will have an extra special touch for Ropati and his team-mates with the match falling in the NRL's now traditional heritage round. The Vodafone Warriors and North Queensland were pitted against each other in the equivalent round last year, due to the fact they're the remaining two clubs of the four introduced to the competition in 1995 (the other two were the now-defunct Western Reds and the South Queensland Crushers).

On Sunday the Vodafone Warriors will acknowledge the Auckland Rugby League's centenary year by playing in a one-off Canterbury of New Zealand design based on Auckland's traditional representative colours of blue and white. The special jersey is now on sale through www.warriors.co.nz and in retail outlets.

Rapira is set to return after missing his first match for the club since 2006. He had played 66 games on end before missing the one-point loss to the Dragons.

Winger Manu Vatuvei, who scored his 11th test try last Friday night, goes into the North Queensland game needing one more try to bring up his 50th for the club.

NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS v NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
2.00pm, Sunday, May 17

Vodafone Warriors
1 Wade Mckinnon
2 Denan Kemp
3 Joel Moon
4 Jerome Ropati
5 Manu Vatuvei
6 Nathan Fien
7 Stacey Jones
8 Sam Rapira
9 Ian Henderson
10 Steve Price [c]
11 Simon Mannering
12 Jacob Lillyman
13 Micheal Luck

Interchange:
14 Lance Hohaia
15 Russell Packer
16 Jesse Royal
17 Ben Matulino
18 Patrick Ah Van
(one to be omitted)

Coach: Ivan Cleary

Tue May 12, 2009
• Cowboys team named to travel the Tasman for round 10
  

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