NZ Warriors 2026 Round 5 Review: Warriors Left Sinking by Sharks

After their first defeat of the season in Round 4 against the West Tigers, the Warriors returned and made the journey back over to Australia to face the Sharks, who defeated the Raiders 34-22 in Round 4.

The Warriors scored first but failed to convert opportunities, making too many errors and allowing the Sharks to control the tempo and ultimately cruise to a 36-22 victory, handing the Warriors their second straight loss.

What Went Down

The Warriors struck first in the 5th minute, spreading the ball quickly to the right edge where Dallin Watene-Zelezniak finished nicely in the corner to give the visitors the early lead. Just three minutes later, the Warriors added more points when Jackson Ford was taken out off the ball during an attacking raid. Tanah Boyd stepped up in the 8th minute and calmly slotted the penalty goal to push the score out to 6–0.

Cronulla hit back soon after. In the 13th minute, William Kennedy showed his pace and footwork, slicing through the Warriors’ defensive line to score and bring the Sharks right back into the contest. The momentum continued to swing their way just four minutes later. Off a scrum in the 17th minute, Kennedy again proved too quick for the defence, racing through to grab his second try and hand the Sharks the lead. The Sharks kept building pressure, and in the 24th minute, they struck again. KL Iro helped spark the movement before linking with Sam Stonestreet, who returned the ball for Iro to finish the play and extend Cronulla’s advantage.

Needing a response, the Warriors found one just a few minutes later. In the 27th minute, Watene-Zelezniak read the play perfectly, plucking an intercept and racing away untouched to score his second try of the afternoon. However, the Sharks had the final say before halftime. In the 33rd minute, Nicho Hynes produced a clever short ball that sent Billy Burns crashing over, giving Cronulla a 24–10 lead heading into the break.

The Warriors came out with intent in the second half, and once again it was Watene-Zelezniak making an impact. In the 42nd minute, after a penalty, the visitors marched downfield, and the winger finished off another slick attacking shift in the corner to complete his hat-trick and keep the Warriors within striking distance. Cronulla responded again to maintain control. In the 50th minute, Blayke Brailey put a grubber through on the last tackle, and Teig Wilton was there to dive on the ball and extend the Sharks’ lead. The hosts pushed further ahead in the 63rd minute. With Jesse Ramien off the field injured, Siosifa Talakai shifted into the centres and finished off a smooth backline movement to add another try for the Sharks. The Warriors did manage a late consolation in the 76th minute. Interchange hooker Sam Healy grubbered into the in-goal for Erin Clark, who was unable to ground the ball. However, the bunker ruled that KL Iro had illegally pushed Clark in the contest, awarding the Warriors a penalty try to round out the scoring.

My Thoughts

Well, that was a tough watch. I came into the match confident the Warriors would bounce back after the slip-up against the Tigers, and for the first 10 minutes, things looked promising. They were playing with intent and seemed to have the upper hand. But after opting for a penalty goal rather than pushing for another try, the Warriors' momentum stalled, and once the Sharks hit their stride, the Warriors struggled to keep up.

What frustrated me most was that the game felt like it was theirs to control early on. When the Warriors needed to fight back, as we’ve seen at Shark Park many times before, instead of another fairytale comeback, errors started creeping in, the defensive line broke down, and the team looked a step slow and out of sync. Against a team like the Sharks, giving away extra sets and field position will always hurt.

Rather than slowing things down, resetting, and sticking to the game plan, the Warriors tried to force plays and do too much too quickly, which only increased the errors. A strong side knows how to manage those moments, complete sets, and make the opposition earn every point, but the Warriors just dug themselves a deeper hole.

I thought last week’s loss would serve as a wake-up call, but it clearly didn’t sink in. The players need to check their egos at the door, and the coaching staff need to rethink their lineup, because some of the gambles they’ve tried clearly aren’t working. It’s still early in the season, and the first three wins have given the Warriors a bit of a buffer; however, if they don’t start finding ways to win again soon, those early victories will feel like a distant memory.

There wasn't much to smile about, which brings me to my positives.

Match Positives

The Warriors once again made a strong start, showing good energy and taking early control of the game. However, after about 10 minutes, they allowed the Sharks to work their way back into the contest, perhaps electing to go for the penalty goal in the 8th minute rather than pushing for another try, gave the Sharks the mental boost they needed to take control. It’s becoming a worrying trend: the Warriors show they can compete early but fail to sustain it for the full 80 minutes. Fitness shouldn’t be the issue, which raises questions about whether attitude or concentration is playing a role once momentum starts to shift. Turning these promising starts into complete performances will be key if they want to start winning games.

The Forward pack is not yet returned to the level they showed in the first three rounds, but there were still some strong individual efforts in the middle. Four forwards managed to hit my triple-digit target in running metres. Led by Jackson Ford and Tanner Stowers-Smith, who both got 143 metres, followed by Erin Clark (121m) and James Fisher-Harris (119m). Now, while it wasn’t quite the dominant platform we saw earlier in the season, those efforts still show the pack was willing to roll up their sleeves and take the tough carries. That said, the Warriors would benefit from a few more of their forwards getting more involved and sharing the workload to build stronger momentum through the middle. If they don't get the job done upfront, the halves will struggle, as we saw in this match.

Despite a rough performance, the New Zealand Warriors still managed to score 22 points, showing they can be dangerous even when things aren’t clicking. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak led the way with multiple tries, proving the Warriors have the firepower to score even on an off day. It wasn’t enough to win, but it’s a small positive to build on as they work to improve defence and consistency.

However, I did have concerns, which brings me to my negatives from the game.

Match Negatives

Errors were a massive concern for the Warriors, ending this match with 12, admittedly the same amount that the Sharks made; however, the issue the Warriors had was that as the game went on, it looked like panic started to set in. Instead of sticking to their structures, they tried to force something from every play, which only made things worse. Those mistakes gave the Sharks extra opportunities and momentum, and the Warriors ended up digging themselves a deeper hole they couldn’t climb out of. Sticking to the game plan worked well in the first three weeks, and they just need to get back to that mindset to reduce errors and stay in control of matches.

The Warriors had some serious defensive issues on their right edge, with the combination looking completely out of sync for much of the game. There were too many poor reads and gaps in the line, which the Sharks were able to exploit. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, in particular, looked out of position at times and was caught drifting, which unfortunately turned him into a bit of a liability in defence. That becomes an even bigger concern when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is the winger outside him, given the question marks already surrounding his defensive decision-making. At this stage, the Nicoll-Klokstad centre experiment probably needs to come to an end. I was one of the people pushing for that move in the preseason, but it’s clear I was off the mark with that call, and coach Andrew Webster may need to rethink his lineup to fix that edge.

The halves combination of Tanah Boyd and Luke Metcalf still doesn’t appear to be clicking. At times, they appear to be playing as individuals rather than as a true partnership, which makes the attack feel disjointed. Part of the issue may be that both players look like they need to be “the guy” in the halves, the one leading the team around the field, and playing second fiddle doesn’t seem to suit either of them. Because of that, the direction and control you expect from a halves pairing haven’t really been there, especially when the Warriors needed someone to steady things. Right now, the combination just isn’t bringing the best out of the team, and Webster has a big decision to make, although a hamstring injury for Metcalf gives him some time before that call needs to be made.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

In a complete turnaround from last week, my Warrior to improve really stepped up when many others didn’t. DWZ led the Warriors in both running metres (188m) and linebreaks (2), scoring the fourth hat-trick of his career and his second at Shark Park. The highlight was a clutch long-range intercept try that breathed some life into the team, and every carry showed real intent. He was one of only a handful of Warriors who looked genuinely threatening, and while the right-edge defence was a mess all night, most of the problems came from the men inside him. It also looks like he’s working hard on his defensive issues and upping his game, especially with AKP breathing down his neck in NSW Cup.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve was Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. 

Also, another complete turnaround from last week, with Round four's Warrior of the match falling to my Warrior to improve. Unfortunately, my optimism about CNK becoming a full-time centre for the Warriors seemed like a pipe dream, as he looked way out of his depth defensively, being made to look like a rookie multiple times while the Sharks targeted him and made try-scoring look easy. He did have some nice touches with the ball in hand, playing a part in two of DWZ's tries and tried to stay involved with his running game. It's another tough decision for Webster, as I think if CNK is to be in this side, it needs to be at Fullback with Tuaupiki having to bide his time either on the bench or in reserve grade.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

Round 6 sees the Warriors remain in Australia to face the Storm, who were soundly defeated 50-10 against the Panthers in Round 5.

Regarding the team I would pick, Luke Metcalf is out, so I would bring Chanel Harris-Tavita back in his place. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad may also be out, but even if he is fit, I'm still bringing Ali Leiataua back into the centres. Kurt Capewell is also expected to return this round, so if he is ready, I would bring him in for Leka Halasima, who I assume will go to centre, as it also looks like Adam Pompey will miss the match due to suspension

The Storm come into this match off the back of three straight losses, despite that, they are still a dangerous side with strike weapons all over the park. Another edge they have here is the 17 straight matches they have won over the Warriors, so even if they are in bad form, this gives them a mental edge. They have a solid pack, which will prove a challenge for the Warriors, and Jahrome Hughes loves to find another level in these clashes, so you can expect him to target the Warriors' problematic right edge.

For the Warriors to get the win here, they need to get back to the game plan that was working, target the young players in the pack, build that pressure, and, most importantly, hold on to the ball and not panic. Defensively, they just need to keep the talk up and stay on their man. If they tick all those boxes, then they give themselves a good shot at getting back in the winner's circle. Unfortuantely I just don't see a situation where the Storm lose four in a row so I am going with a Storm win by 20.

So, that was an embarrassing Round 5, but as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Where do you think the Warriors have gone wrong?

Should Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad move back to fullback?

What changes would you make to the lineup?

What is your score prediction against the Storm?