Shaun Johnson has shown how much the Warriors mean to him in an emotional interview after their 25-24 golden point field goal win over the North Queensland Cowboys.
The Warriors veteran grabbed the winning score – his side’s fifth attempt at a field goal – to grab a miracle win in a game in which they had been 18-6 behind.
The successful field goal was the first time all night that the Warriors had led and Shaun Johnson, the hero in the end, was clearly affected by the result as he spoke to Fox after the game.
“What a moment, man,” he said after the match. “F–k, I dunno. It’s just such an awesome feeling to be back and contribute. The boys just stuck in there, we were out on our feet.
“The Cowboys are a quality side and they played really well tonight. I saw the pressure coming, stepped the the side and just dropped and hoped.”
Johnson was overwhelmed with emotion after the dramatic finish that gave the win to the stranded New Zealanders in their adopted home of Redcliffe.
“This is really surreal if I’m being honest with you,” he said. “I know my family is back home watching this, my partner probably has a tear in her eye with my Mum and Dad. To everyone watching, I miss you and can’t wait to get home and see you.
“It’s a feeling I can’t explain. I have no words. It’s not just me that I’m representing. My family grew up loving the Warriors, I’ve been supporting them since I was a kid.
“I know I’ve played the game for a while but I still have to pinch myself that this is my life and this is what I’m doing.
“Every day is just a blessing. The fact I’m here without my family motivates me more to get wins on the board so that we can return at the end of the year with a smile on our faces.”
New Zealand showed admirable resolve to continually stay in a game that they lost on every statistical category, and from the point they drew level late in the second half, they always looked more likely to grab the win.
“The amount of goal-line defence we did, to give us a chance to win the game, I thought we deserved to win,” said Nathan Brown.
“We earned the right to win and at the end of the day it was Shaun’s wobbliest field goal that went over. That’s three in a row and we’ve found some growth in some areas.”
While this was an entertaining affair, it was one defined by kamikaze defending as much as scintillating attacking.
Todd Payten will worry about a game in which hos Cowboys dominated possession and territory, but allowed several very soft tries that kept the Warriors in the game.
The period either side of halftime, when they surrendered a 12-point lead, was entirely of their own making, both in terms of lack of respect for the football and lack of organisation in defence.
Scott Drinkwater, recalled at fullback for the injured Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, was the best example of this: excellent in attack but regularly failed to count numbers from the back and left his team exposed.
The crucial Warriors try that hauled in the big Cowboys lead, in which Drinkwater allowed Kodi Nikorima to stroll in from dummy half untouched, was emblematic of a sometimes shambolic defensive outing.
“We gift-wrapped the game and handed it to the Warriors,” said Payten. “A large part of that game we were in control but through our poor discipline … we’re sitting there down on life.
“The try before and after halftime, that’s the difference in the game. I had a sick feeling in my stomach, bit of a horror show unfolding in slow motion.”
The scoring started within the first ten minutes. Tom Dearden continued his exceptional start to 2022 to open the Cowboys’ account, but the Warriors hit straight back.
Johnson is growing in influence on this team and he created their first of the night, using Bayley Sironen as a decoy and finding Jesse Arthars crashing through.
Holmes equalised with a penalty goal before a huge error from Addin Fonua-Blake dropped the ball right at the feet of Scott Drinkwater, who scored the easiest try of his career.
North Queensland would strike again. Murray Taulagi picked off a Shaun Johnson pass and raced away, dumping on to Valentine Holmes who looked set for the corner.
It took a supreme effort from Marcelo Montoya to deny him, but the Cowboys had the presence of mind to reset, spread through hands to the wing that Montoya had departed and find the line through Kyle Feldt.
The Warriors have been made of tough stuff this year, and they refused to go away. Chanel Harris-Tevita punted them in position with a 40/20 and with seconds running out on the first half, Josh Curran jinked over through poor defence.
The second half got even better for the Warriors, and it couldn’t have been much worse for the Cowboys.
Murray Taulagi dropped the kick off and from the next set, Kodi Nikorima ran over from dummy half, mere metres from the line and close to the posts. It was a baffling defensive decision from Scott Drinkwater and a gift that brought New Zealand level.
Drinkwater redeemed himself up the other end. It was his intervention into the attacking line that fooled the Warriors defence and created space for Holmes to get the Cowboys back in front.
The pressure kept up, and the Cowboys might have been unhappy that they were unable to gain more points than the two that resulted from a Marcelo Montoya high shot.
With 15 left, North Queensland’s shot themselves in the foot again. They gave away a set restart on the final tackle and allowed the Warriors back in.
Chanel Harris-Tevita put the perfect ball on for Euan Aitken to strike back, though serious questions will be asked again about the positioning of the Cowboys defence.
North Queensland’s organisational issues were now seeping into their attack.
The Warriors coughed up possession and gave the Cowboys a good ball set, but their six tackles featured Jason Taumalolo at dummy half, Tom Dearden running behind his own man and finally Jake Granville kicking it dead to hand over a seven tackle set.
The Warriors couldn’t capitalise. They were denied a chance at a penalty goal as what appeared to be a clear high shot on Euan Aitken went unpunished. The Kiwis got into range, but Johnson had his first crack at a field goal blocked and when possession was recycled into a second attempt, Reece Walsh spooned it wide.
The Cowboys squandered their last possession and nearly lost it in golden point, only for Johnson to again have. a field goal attempt blocked, and then again send one wide. Chad Townsend had a shot of his own, but it didn’t even make it to the dead ball line.
Finally, on the fifth go, Johnson found his range with a low effort that just about slipped through. It was a suitably scrappy, yet dramatic finish.
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