NZ Warriors 2026 Finals Week 1 Review: Warriors' Attack Comes Up Short Against Dolphins

After a stressful win over the Sea Eagles in Round 27, the Warriors remained at home to host the Dolphins in the first week of finals.

The Warriors looked in control after building a 16-8 lead early in the second half, but the Dolphins fought their way back and took an 18-16 lead with 14 minutes remaining. The Warriors couldn't find a response, scoring just one try as the Dolphins ran away with a 26-16 win.

What Went Down

The Warriors started the stronger side, with Taine Tuaupiki opening the scoring with a penalty goal in the 8th minute. The Dolphins hit back just four minutes later through Jamayne Isaako, who levelled things up at 2-2. The Warriors regained the lead in the 15th minute when Tuaupiki finished off a break of his own, before adding the extras to make it 8-2. Another Tuaupiki penalty in the 20th minute stretched the lead to 10-2, but the Dolphins hit back five minutes later when Selwyn Cobbo crossed out wide after some good work from Herbie Farnworth. Isaako's conversion made it 10-8.

The game then got a bit heated. Adam Pompey was sin-binned in the 28th minute, before Kurt Capewell and Cobbo were both sent to the sin bin five minutes later after a heated melee.

Despite the disruption, the Warriors kept finding points through the boot. Tuaupiki kicked another penalty in the 40th minute to give the Warriors a 12-8 lead at halftime.

The ill-discipline continued after the break, with Tuaupiki converting penalties in the 50th and 52nd minutes to push the Warriors out to a 16-8 lead. For a while, it looked like the Warriors might be able to grind their way to the win. But the Dolphins started to find their rhythm as the half went on. Farnworth broke through to score in the 60th minute, and Isaako's conversion brought the visitors back to within two points at 16-14. Then came the turning point. A slick backline move in the 66th minute put Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow over, giving the Dolphins the lead for the first time at 18-16.

The Warriors couldn't respond, and the Dolphins put the game beyond doubt in the 74th minute. A strip on Chanel Harris-Tavita after a Alofiana Khan-Pereira mistimed catch off a kick by Jack Bostock, who forced his way over after a lengthy bunker review confirmed the grounding. Isaako added the extras to seal a 26-16 win for the Dolphins.

My Thoughts

Well, that wasn't how I expected the Warriors' finals campaign to start.

I came into this match feeling confident in the team, but I was also very nervous. The Dolphins are a dangerous attacking side and can rip teams to shreds if you give them the chance. After the season the Warriors have had and the position they put themselves in, there was a real feeling that this could finally be the year they made a serious run deep into September. Instead, they now find themselves having to fight their way through the finals after letting an opportunity slip.

What makes this one hurt is that I don't think the Warriors were completely outplayed. There were periods when they looked like the better side and had the game they wanted, but something just seemed missing. They never really looked like the team we've watched for most of 2026, and when the game started to swing, they couldn't find that response we've become so used to seeing from them.

I think that's probably what disappointed me most. This team has spent the entire season building a reputation for being hard to beat, finding different ways to win and handling whatever gets thrown at them. We've seen them come from behind, defend leads, win tight games and put teams away when they get on top. But when they needed that bit of composure and belief in the final stages, it just wasn't there.

At the same time, I'm not going to suddenly write this team off because of one bad finals performance. This has still been an outstanding regular season from the Warriors, and they earned their place in the top two. They've given themselves another chance, and now it's about what they do with it.

The Knights are a completely different challenge, but the Warriors have already beaten them this season. I also think there is something to be said for the fact that this team has now experienced the disappointment of a finals loss. Nobody in that dressing room can pretend they don't know what the pressure feels like anymore. Hopefully they take that feeling into the next game and use it rather than letting it hang over them.

Finals footy is about responding, and now we get to see what this Warriors team is really made of. I'm still confident they can make a run at this. Maybe that's the optimist in me, but I don't think one poor night should erase everything they've done over the past six months. They have earned another opportunity; they just need to make the most of it.

But make no mistake, the margin for error is gone now. Lose this one and the season is over. Win it, and suddenly we're talking about a preliminary final and another chance to keep this incredible season alive. That's what makes next week so exciting, and a little nerve-racking at the same time.

The regular season gave us plenty of reasons to believe this Warriors side could do something special. Now they have to show they can handle the other side of finals footy too. The first chance didn't go their way, but they've got one more shot.

Let's see what they can do with it.

One thing I do want to mention before moving on is the atmosphere. Getting tickets for this game was frustrating, and I know plenty of members missed out. Watching from the top of the South Stand was a new experience for me, but the crowd were absolutely up for this one all night. You could feel how much everyone wanted this team to make a run in September. The Warriors are going to need that and even more this week when they move to Eden Park, because this season is now on the line.

 

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

Match Positives

The forward effort was solid, and once again it was the platform that gave the Warriors a chance to win. In fact, the work of this forward pack is a big reason the Warriors have made it to the finals in the first place, so it was good to see them continue to do their job when the pressure was on. The Warriors ran for 1,598 metres and made 561 post-contact metres, both better than the Dolphins, who finished with 1,561 metres and 506 post-contact metres. James Fisher-Harris led the way with 168 metres, followed by Mitch Barnett with 136 and Erin Clark with 105, while the team continued to make good ground and keep the Dolphins honest through the middle defensively. They gave the Warriors a solid platform to build from and, for large parts of the game, the forwards were winning their battle. Unfortunately, the Warriors just couldn't turn that hard work into enough attacking pressure or tries when it mattered most.

The Warriors did a good job of handling the Dolphins' attack for long periods, which is no easy task considering how dangerous they can be with the ball in hand. Keeping them to just eight points in the first half was a really positive part of the performance, and the Warriors did a good job limiting their attacking opportunities for large chunks of the game. That was even more impressive when they found themselves down a man, with the defensive line having to work harder and cover more ground. For all the talk about how the game got away from the Warriors in the second half, their defence did a pretty good job for much of the night and gave the team every chance to get the result.

As disappointing as the loss was, the Warriors do still have a second chance in these finals. Obviously, having the week off and fast-tracking their way into a preliminary final would have been the preferred option, but finishing in the top two means this loss hasn't ended their season, and they can go again in another home match. Instead, they now have to take the longer road to a grand final, which isn't ideal, but it does give them another life. Hopefully, this loss serves as the wake-up call they need to refocus, fix what went wrong, and make sure they don't waste their second chance. They are still in the hunt, and that's the important thing.

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

Match Negatives

The attack never really showed up in this game. Even when the Warriors were leading 16-8, they weren't exactly carving the Dolphins up and creating a heap of genuine try-scoring opportunities. The 83% completion rate looks good on paper, but they put too much emphasis on completing sets rather than asking questions of the Dolphins' defence. The game plan wasn't really working, yet the Warriors didn't do enough to change it up. They continued kicking to the Dolphins' back three without enough pressure from the chase, which regularly left the Warriors starting their defensive sets on the back foot. Once the Dolphins started to build momentum, the Warriors needed to find something different and put them under real pressure, but they kept using much the same approach. You can't expect to win a finals game by simply completing your sets and hoping something eventually opens up, and scoring just one try was a pretty clear indication that the attack wasn't good enough. They need to fix this quickly if they don't want to go out in straight sets in this finals series.

The Warriors also struggled to contain the Dolphins when they kept the ball alive and, more importantly, when they put up attacking kicks. The Dolphins created extra opportunities through second-phase play when the Warriors really needed to shut the game down, and those little moments started to build pressure. The attacking kicks were particularly damaging in the final 15 minutes, with almost every one putting the Warriors under pressure and allowing the Dolphins to keep the Warriors starting their own sets deep in their own half. The Warriors needed to handle those situations better and take some of that pressure away, but the Dolphins kept finding ways to turn their kicks into attacking opportunities. In a tight finals game, those little moments can be the difference, and in the end they helped the Dolphins put the game beyond doubt.

The Warriors led 16-8 early in the second half and put themselves in a position to control the game, but they couldn't close it out. With 10 minutes to go, they weren't protecting a lead they had built themselves. They were chasing the game after allowing the Dolphins to turn the momentum around. They had enough possession, field position and opportunities throughout the night to win this game, but when it came down to the big moments, they couldn't find a way to wrestle control back. This is the sort of game where a team with genuine finals aspirations needs to find a way to get the job done, and the Warriors simply couldn't do it. It's a tough lesson, but hopefully one they learn from quickly because they won't get many more chances like this in the finals.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Taine Tuaupiki.

Tuaupiki stood above the rest of his team in this match, and considering he scored all 16 of their points, you could argue he couldn't have done much more for the cause. He finished with a team-high 227 metres, along with two line breaks and nine tackle breaks, while constantly trying to involve himself in attack. He was also good under pressure at the back, making some nice defusals and coming up clutch with some last-line defensive plays. His kicking kept the scoreboard ticking over and gave the Warriors their 16-8 lead, and while the team ultimately couldn't hold on, Tuaupiki certainly wasn't the reason they came up short.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to Improve goes to pretty much everyone else.

Apart from a select handful, with Taine Tuaupiki, James Fisher-Harris and Mitch Barnett probably the obvious standouts, the rest of the team simply didn't deliver at the level we've come to expect from them this season. There were too many little things that added up, from some silly errors from Wayde Egan to the brain snaps that saw Kurt Capewell and Adam Pompey spend time in the sin bin. Both centres also had moments where they seemed to forget their wingers were outside them and opted to go it alone, while Alofiana Khan-Pereira was repeatedly caught out of position defending kicks into his corner. Then there were the halves, who couldn't make enough use of the momentum and field position the forwards were giving them, with some pretty pedestrian last-tackle options when the Warriors needed to be asking more questions. Individually, a few players did their jobs, but as a team the performance was well below the standard we've come to expect, and it needs to change quickly if they are going to make a serious run through these finals.

Finals Week 2 Thoughts and Prediction

In the Second week of finals, the Warriors remain at home, moving to Eden Park to host the Knights, who defeated the Rabbitohs 20-10 this week.

As for the team I'd pick, Leka Halasima going down in the warm-up wasn't ideal, but if he's fit to return, he comes straight back in for Adam Pompey. With Jackson Ford looking likely to miss the rest of the season, Eddie Ieremia-Toeva also gets his spot back in the team. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is expected to return for the finals, and this could be his final chance to get back into the side, so I'd bring him in as well. I'd either replace Alofiana Khan-Pereira or Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, as neither really impressed me this week. If Halasima isn't fit to return, then DWZ comes in, and CNK moves into the centres.

The Newcastle Knights showed in their 20-10 win over South Sydney that they are going to be a tough side to deal with. They are a physical team through the middle, have plenty of attacking strike out wide and are more than happy to play an up-tempo style when they get some momentum. They have plenty of speed and attacking talent across the park, with players capable of creating something from nothing, while their forwards can lay a good platform for that attack. Defensively, they also showed plenty of commitment against the Rabbitohs and did a good job of limiting their opportunities for long periods. They aren't unbeatable, though, and their willingness to play an expansive style can sometimes lead them to force things or give teams opportunities. The Warriors have already beaten them this season, so there is certainly a familiarity between the two sides heading into this one.

For the Warriors to get the win here, this game has to be about getting back to the basics and playing the footy that got them into the top two in the first place. They need to win the battle through the middle, build pressure and give their halves better opportunities to attack off the back of that work. The biggest thing, though, is they simply have to be more dangerous with the ball. Against the Dolphins, they completed well enough but didn't ask enough questions, and they can't afford to do the same again. They also need to be smarter with their kicking game and make sure they aren't handing the Knights easy field position. Defensively, they need to stay connected and be ready for the Knights' attacking threats out wide, because any missed tackles or poor reads could be punished. Their record at Eden Park isn't exactly great either, but if the Warriors fans turn up in big numbers and get behind the team, that home support could give them the boost they need to get across the line. Most importantly, they need to show more composure when they get into a winning position and find a way to close it out. I think the Warriors will bounce back from last week's disappointment and get their season back on track, winning by 8.

So, that was a frustrating Finals Week 1, but as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Would you make any changes to the 17?

Do you think playing at Eden Park will make it harder for the Warriors?

Can you still see the Warriors going all the way this season?

What is your score prediction against the Knights?