Latest news with #DemitricVaimauga
RNZ News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NZ Warriors put NRL season back on track with victory over Wests Tigers
Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima celebrate a try against Wests Tigers. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ Analysis: On a weekend when all four NZ Warriors teams produced extraordinary winning performances, the first-grade team set aside some mid-season wobbles to consolidate their top-four position on the NRL table. On Saturday, the club's Jersey Flegg (U21) side rallied from 20 points down with 10 minutes remaining to prevail 44-42 over Wests Tigers. On Sunday, the reserves stretched their unbeaten NSW Cup streak to 12 games against West Magpies, before the wahine RELATED] secured their first-ever home NRLW victory] 14-0 over Parramatta Eels. In some ways, the premiers' achievement - the 34-14 triumph over the Tigers - was the least of the four, but important nevertheless, as they took another step towards clinching a playoff position. Here are some of the key talking points: With the loss of Luke Metcalf to injury for the season , much of the pre-game attention focused on replacement half Tanah Boyd , who was making his Warriors debut, but had logged 69 first-grade games for Gold Coast Titans in the previous six seasons. The transition seemed seamless and, if anything, Boyd may actually improve the Warriors' kicking potency, both from the tee and in general play. For all his strengths, Metcalf was arguably the least-accurate fulltime goalkicker in the competition, with a conversion success rate of 67 percent. By contrast, Boyd brought an 81 percent return from NSW Cup and immediately took over the duties from centre Adam Pompey and fullback Taine Tuaupiki, probably the other leading candidates for the role, slotting five of six attempts. Elsewhere, he immediately took over the kicking load from halves partner Chanel Harris-Tavita to the tune of 14-4 and his seven bombs were the most by a Warriors player this season. That kicking split was eerily similar to the 18-5 ratio between Metcalf and CHT in consecutive wins over South Sydney Rabbitohs and Cronulla Sharks - perhaps their best performance of the season. Taking that responsibility seemed to free up Harris-Tavita, who responded with a try double, a try assist, a linebreak and two linebreak assists. Fittingly, he scored his second try, when he chased a high kick from Boyd that went loose behind the goal-line. "He talks really well," coach Andrew Webster reflected. "I think everyone was clear on their roles and where they needed to be - that's his strength, and he kicks the ball really high and far. Tanah Boyd kicks skyward against Wests Tigers. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ "The big thing is they were looking to fade outside his right shoulder a couple of times and he came up with some big tackles by himself. His focus was to defend well and he did that tonight." Many to choose from, including Boyd and Harris-Tavita. Winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (271) and fullback Taine Tuaupiki (223) - deputising for injured Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad - both exceeded 200 running metres for the game, while prop Terrell May could only manage 137 to lead the Tigers in this regard. Hooker Wayde Egan had 54 tackles, while prop Jackson Ford, promoted to the starting line-up, made 48. "A lot of people had their individual best games for a long time," Webster said. "They focused on their jobs and executed their roles, and that helped each other. "We were just talking about who played well and I think we listed just about every player - that's always a good feeling." If you put any stock in Fantasy NRL, the most points (67) went to teenage second-rower Leka Halasima, who also produced… With seven minutes remaining, the Tigers only trailled 22-14 and a try then would have made for another nervous finish for the Warriors. When Boyd kicked skywards towards the tryline, Halasima bore down on winger Corey Staines, pressuring him into error. The ball went loose behind the line, somehow Te Maire Martin resisted the temptation to reach out and Harris-Tavita was next to arrive for the try that finally put the result to bed. Moments later, Halasima put the cherry on the performance, shrugging off two tacklers on the left sideline to score in the corner - his seventh try of the season. Chanel Harris-Tavita scores a try against Wests Tigers. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ "The last one just showed how brilliant he is," Webster said. "The best part about Leka's game tonight was he was trying to be aggressive in his collision - he got one wrong unfortunately. "We know how flashy he can be in those big plays, but it's the work ethic and toughness that we want him to get better at, and I thought there were signs tonight he was chasing that." Centre Rocco Berry continued his cursed season of injury, leaving the game just before halftime with what seemed like a dislocated shoulder. Depending on severity, that could spell the end of his campaign, which has never really reached full flight, after undergoing shoulder surgery in the off-season. He missed the opening four rounds of the regular season and a hamstring strain delayed his return, then he copped a one-game suspension in his first game, tweaked the hammy two games later and only returned against Brisbane Broncos two weeks ago, before the bye. Berry has managed just five appearances this season, but didn't finish two of them. "Sometimes that's a season, sometimes you can rehab them," Webster said. "We'll just wait and see on that one." Only a couple of weeks after suffering concussion in reserve grade, Tuaupiki was on the receiving end of another big hit from opposition winger Jeral Skelton, but bounced back to his feet and responded with a long run down the right sideline to set up Halasima's try in the final minute. Victory at this juncture of the season was absolutely crucial, especially against a team that seemed a fairly safe two points in the offering. After their first back-to-back losses of the season against Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, the Warriors needed to nip their mini-slide in the bud, but against the context of a shaky record emerging from bye weeks. Both those obstacles were safely overcome and the result consolidates a spot in the top four for at least another couple of weeks. The Warriors ended the game six points clear of their nearest pursuers, but both Penrith and Brisbane cut into that buffer with subsequent wins over Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans. Both are now riding five-game winning streaks, so they have momentum on their sides. The Broncos also have another bye up their sleeves, while the Panthers have recovered, after a disastrous start to their pursuit of a fifth straight NRL crown. While the Warriors now have eight more games in their run home - hopefully - to the playoffs, six are against opponents currently outside the top eight. The two exceptions - against Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly Sea Eagles - are both across the Tasman. Four of them are home games and winning those would be enough to see them into the post-season. They probably need a fifth win to remain in the top four. The Warriors travel to Newcastle, where they face a Knights team languishing in 13th place on the table and missing star fullback Kalyn Ponga indefinitely to a foot injury. They lost forward Dylan Lucas to a foot injury in this week's loss to Melbourne Storm and Fletcher Sharpe - one of their best performers this season - to a lacerated kidney. Kiwis hooker Phoenix Crossland was also charged with his third dangerous contact offence this season against the Storm, but will escape with a fine, if he takes the early guilty plea. For the Warriors, Berry seems likely to miss time with his latest shoulder complaint, but Webster will presumably have Kurt Capewell back from Origin recovery and centre Ali Leiataua available, after testing his dodgy knee in reserve grade this weekend. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
NRL: NZ Warriors young gun Demitric Vaimauga ready to shine in Barnett's absence
Demitric Vaimauga is signed with the Warriors through 2028. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport About half-an-hour after losing co-captain and kingpin Mitch Barnett for the season, NZ Warriors fans got a glimpse of how their team might fill that void this year and into the future. Barnett hobbled off with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after 20 minutes against South Sydney Rabbitohs, and - although nobody knew it then - his 2025 NRL campaign was over . Soon after halftime, hooker Wayde Egan ran from dummy half inside Souths territory and found young second-rower Demitric Vaimauga on the 30-metre line. He fended off one tackler and rolled away from another, before offloading back to Egan from his knees. Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad sliced towards the posts and passed back to Egan - his third touch of the ball in the same movement - before teenager Leka Halasima propped off his right foot and found a yawning path to the tryline. The NRL proclaimed the sequence 'Try of the Week' and it was certainly reminiscent of the entertaining Warriors of yesteryear, when Stacey Jones and Ali Lauiti'iti were in full flight. His contribution only lasted a couple of seconds and gained about five metres, but this cameo by Vaimauga suggested he had far more to offer his team in their moment of need. "I think they gave Leka the try," he deflected. "I don't really like to look into it, but it is good to see us on the Instagram page, I guess." A common thread through the Warriors 9-3 start to their season has been 'next man up'. Another has been harnessing a fresh wave of talented young forwards to provide the nucleus of the roster moving forward. While Halasima, 19, has captured the headlines and - along with Jacob Laban - earned a contract extension through the 2029 , Vaimauga, 21, has quietly come off the bench for every game this season and is starting to pick up momentum. In 29 minutes against Souths, he ran nine times for 83 metres, offloaded three times and made 17 tackles - good for 43 fantasy points, if you're that way inclined. Last month against St George Illawarra Dragons, he was even better, logging 39 minutes, running nine times for 108 metres and making 29 tackles. That's 45 fantasy points and, at this point in the season, he may be worth a quick pick-up while his price is still right. Coach Andrew Webster has been at pains to stress no one player can make up for Barnett's loss and it will take a collective effort . Still, the skipper's absence leaves a gaping hole in the rotation and Vaimauga seems best placed to take advantage of the opportunity, as Halasima did when NZ Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris went down earlier in the season. "I feel like I'm going well, but there's a lot more to come," he reflected. "I've just scratched the surface. "I'm still adapting to game speed, still a bit raw and new to it. I'm trying to build my minutes and my engine for NRL. "I feel like my understanding of the game is there and my physicality, but adapting to the game speed... "I'm just happy to be on the field. The coach has put trust in some of the young boys and I'm glad to be one of them, so I want to put my best foot forward whenever I can." Vaimauga played the first seven games of his Warriors career as Demitric Sifakula, but adopted his mother's surname during this past off-season, when he re-signed through 2028, so he has at least three more seasons alongside Halasima and Laban. "It's good to have a crop of boys that I grew up playing with and to be on the big stage with them," he said. "It's a lot for our up-and-comers, especially at grassroots footy as well… giving them someone to look up to." This is the perfect time for the young guns to learn from hardened veterans like Barnett, Egan, Fisher-Harris and Origin veteran Kurt Capewell. "I think their footy brains… to be so young, but mature in footy sense," lock Erin Clark enthused. "I'm pretty blown away - when I was that age, I had no idea. "With Leka, you see his footwork and strength, but we see out on the field how smart he is and Demitric as well. Good to see them doing well, and Demi and Leka played good games on the weekend, "They're going in the right direction, and hopefully, they'll just get better and better as games go on." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
