Wounded Warriors slump to third straight loss as wheels fall off
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The powerful Bulldogs side were ruthless in the wet, sending the Warriors back to the drawing board with a 32:14 pummelling at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Warriors coach Andrew Webster had brought Te Maire Martin into the halves, as they chased a much-needed win, but instead the Aucklanders checked off their third straight loss.
Momentum had slipped away from the team through their past four games, and they had hoped the benefit of a big turnout of Sydney-based supporters would have helped their cause for this one. Kick-off was 9:35pm Saturday.
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It could have been worse. Other results spared them from dropping as low as seventh, but they remain fifth on the ladder, four points clear of ninth with four games to go. What once looked like a straightforward run home now feels anything but. Friday's home clash with the St George Illawarra Dragons once appeared a near-certain two points, but the visitors arrive in Auckland riding back-to-back wins over the Canberra Raiders and the Cronulla Sharks. Plenty of factors could explain the Warriors' slide. Injuries are the obvious culprit, or maybe it's because Webster shaved his head. Maybe it's these columns. Either way, they haven't won since. Here are five questions from the defeat. Why did Webster tinker with his halves? Hours before kickoff, the Warriors dropped a bombshell. Tanah Boyd, named at halfback earlier in the week, was axed to New South Wales Cup, with Te Maire Martin starting alongside Chanel Harris-Tavita. 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Personally, I'm not a fan of opening the scoring with a penalty goal in rugby league. From what I've seen, it rarely ends well. There are three cases in league where a penalty goal should be an option: it's the last play to end a half, to level a match or to extend a lead to two scores. Adam Pompey opens the scoring with a penalty goal against the Bulldogs. Photo / Photosport Has Sam Healey played his way in? Even with just four NRL games to his name, Sam Healey already looks every bit a long-term first-grader. After impressing against the Dolphins last week, Healey was shifted to the bench against the Bulldogs, with Freddy Lussick handed the No 9 jersey for the first time this season. The reasoning wasn't made public, but with Lussick's greater experience, Webster appeared to opt for the safer choice. The problem was that the Warriors' attack looked flat until Healey entered the fray. It took 48 minutes for Healey to be unleashed, and he made an immediate impact. 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