The Warriors weathered some heavy second-half pressure to complete a potentially season-defining 30-20 victory over NRL high-flyers Brisbane on Saturday.
Having pushed competition leaders Melbourne close last-up before being run over in the final 11 minutes, the Warriors held firm in Auckland to record their fourth win of the season.
The result ended a six-match winning streak for the second-placed Broncos, who played most of the match without NSW State of Origin prospect Peter Wallace.
The halfback left the field late in the opening spell with a recurrence of a groin injury.
Up 24-10 at the break, the Warriors, who had begun the weekend in 12th position, had their line repeatedly tested in the second half, but the second-worst defence in the league showed new resilience.
The contest, played in front of a crowd of 19,012 at Mt Smart Stadium, featured some big hits.
Warriors prop Ben Matulino produced a couple of the biggest, while Brisbane skipper Sam Thaiday soldiered on despite being on the end of two early bone-shaking collisions.
Halfback Shaun Johnson, who scored one of the tries of the season last year against the Broncos, was a key figure as the Warriors dominated the first-half scoreboard.
It was his double-around that created the opening for his side to go ahead through centre Ben Henry.
The Broncos hit back with the double, the first after a Wallace 40-20 set up field position for centre Jack Reed to force his way over.
The second came after Warrior Elijah Taylor conceded a last-tackle penalty that the visitors punished with Alex Glenn dotting down from a slick Corey Norman pass.
However, the Warriors stayed in the contest with some mistake-free football – they completed 17 of their 18 first-half sets – and turned the game around with three tries in 11 minutes.
Two Johnson bombs targeting winger Gerard Beale weren’t defused and led to tries for Johnson himself and then Taylor.
Prop Jacob Lillyman, in his first match of the season after an arm injury, then crashed over to get reward for some strong runs after coming off the bench.
The Broncos lifted their intensity at the start of the second half and bench forward Ben Te’o, back from suspension, crashed over to reduce the arrears.
But try as they might, they couldn’t get any closer and Warriors back-rower Feleti Mateo effectively sealed victory with seven minutes to go by crossing from close range.
There was enough time for Thaiday to get a late consolation try.
Go warriors
Guest
Cmon Emric you know that is a lie. You know you fear RL, that is why you continue to read RL articles and bag the warriors. Every post you write you always mention how much more popular union is over league. The fact that you have to mention it every time just shows you that you reak of fear. To me I couldnt care less what is bigger. All I know is my beloved warriors play every single week and I wouldnt miss them play if my life depended on it. I know I am not the only Kiwi who is as passionate as me.
Emric
Guest
Go Warriors. League is popular - Rugby and the All Blacks are 5times more popular. I've nothing fear from Rugby League
Go warriors
Guest
You are right Andy. Us kiwis are very passionate about our RL especially our beloved warriors. Emric and All black fan reak of fear when it comes to RL and with good reason. The game is very strong in NZ, The kiwis are creating more and more depth, the warriors have get the best development system and it is invetible that NZ will get another NRL team at some stage. As a kiwi and a RL tragic I am very excited about the future of RL in NZ.
Emric
Guest
Andy League enjoys support but as with rugby most of those supporters are across codes, the All Blacks are the team which enjoy the most support of the nation and so it should be. I'm just tired of NZ League supporters who go on and on about how great league is and how Rugby sucks .... I guess a few other NZ Rugby Fans who like to watch both league and rugby are tired of the attitude displayed by the small but vocal die hard league supporters in New Zealand.
Emric
Guest
Warriors TV Ratings - its their best of the season so far - 143,520
Sylvester
Guest
Terry, I assume you missed the first Broncos non-try?
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Emric, A lesson Australian Rules can teach you is there can be a very healthy living being #2, especially if that means fans who hate the various teams in the #1 code can unite behind you.
oikee
Guest
He needs to get out more, the Broncos are one of Australia's most powerful brands. Second only in Queensland to the Maroons. :) Maroons, 4.5 million supporters, Broncos, 1.3 million, the largest supported club in Australia. Anyone in Queensland who tells you he does not support the Maroons can leave quitely now. They either been bitten by something nasty or are not Queenslanders. :) Lets not play games.
Emric
Guest
Go Warriors I'm not anti-league just fed up with league supporters like yourself always putting down the All Blacks, and Rugby in New Zealand.
Andy
Guest
Well said Go warriors. I am not a kiwi but I am sure Emric and All black fan are the small minority as every Kiwi I have met loves their RL and loves the warriors. Being a diehard Manly fan I went to Auckland to watch Manly play the warriors at Eden Park and I was blown away how passionate the warriors fans are. I was in the city before the game and every second person was wearing a warriors jersey. I am no Kiwi so I dont have the right to talk about NZ sporting culture but 37,000 for the warriors opener, 35,000 at the test and 19,000 last night is surely proof that the sport has big interest. Atleast in Auckland anyway.
Go warriors
Guest
Emric what is your problem with Rugby League. You are forever deriding the sport and you love kicking the warriors when they have a loss. What sort of Kiwi are you. I know it kills you that RL is doing so well in NZ but get use to it. I am from Auckland so I am in the position to tell you how big RL is in Auckland and believe me it is massive. Not just in Sth Auckland but all over Auckland. Over 19,000 for a game is proof of that. If you dont like league then stick to rugby posts. I am not much of a rugby fan but I dont go onto rugby articles and starting writing nonsense. Get a grip and go the mighty warriors.
Emric
Guest
lately you would be right - I've read way to many derogatory comments by league supporters about my preferred code. Sometimes its nice to remind our league friends that when it comes to my home Union is top Dog. When it comes to NSW/Queensland/Canberra League is King perhaps the Warriors supporters would be happier reading the SMH.
samsonite
Roar Rookie
Emric, looks to me you are constantly deriding the warriors, referring to tv ratings to highlight rugby unions popularity in nz and suggesting league is for simpletons being the antagonist everytime
allblackfan
Guest
Emric, it also annoys me. A lot.
Emric
Guest
Boomshanka. League enjoys good support .. I just got annoyed by Rugby League supporters who go on about how bad Rugby Union is and then over-value their sport when the majority of Union supporters watch rugby league as well but do not follow it with the same fever they do Rugby. I follow Manly but league supporters and their constant attacks on Rugby annoys me
allblackfan
Guest
Boomshanka, Matt S So what? Rugby union fans here in Aust have to put up with equal if not greater RL bias within the media. Boom, the fact the Crusaders game was a blowout would explain why a larger crowd was watching the RL. Matt S, Emric; Puke's stadium is rated officially at 18,000 (5000 grandstand and rest for the embarkment although officials reckon they could have got 20,000 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10803604.
Boomshanka
Guest
Matt_S Well spotted. As a kiwi myself, there are countless examples of rugby union bias within the media in New Zealand, this would be the latest example of such. This time last year we watched the Warriors vs Roosters game live beamed into a bar in Queenstown NZ with a local Crusaders match on the larger screen at the same time. By the end of the games the entire bar was crowded around the smaller screen enjoying the league with only a few grumpy bigots steadfastly watching the union (which had blown out to a one sided affair). Its almost a dirty little secret in New Zealand that League is enjoyed by a larger audience than is officially acknowledged (even outside of South Auckland). Sure Union may be number one, yet league is not the struggling minnow that the media would have us believe.
Emric
Guest
:) perhaps Matt - from my understanding the grand-stand holds 12,000 which is the official complicity of the ground - the rest is simply a case of how many they can squeeze onto the grass. Hay I could be wrong I am only going on what the NZ papers, and Sky-TV reported :)
Matt_S
Roar Pro
Emric, you've been caught out lying again. The stadium only holds 12,000. It wasn't even upgraded for this match. Your rugby mates in the media must be so desperate to show rugby union's status as they have been beaten by the Warriors. No 1 sporting crowd this weekend :) http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/venues/5208085/Bayer-Growers-Stadium
Emric
Guest
They announced 20,000+ over skysport last night and http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10803839 disagrees with the herald-sun.