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As it happened: Heartbroken Warriors denied in final minutes of thrilling clash with Sharks after controversial try

June 29, 2018

Relive 1 NEWS NOW's live updates of tonight's NRL clash between the Warriors and Sharks at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

FT: WAR 15-18 CRO

Well that's a heartbreaker. Hooter goes and Sharks take the W but there will be plenty of talk about the last five minutes. The Sharks' try looked like there was a clear forward pass in it that everyone seemed to miss. Still, a high penalty count and handling errors didn't help the Warriors cause either. That's it for us tonight. Po marie!

78min: WAR 15-18 CRO

CRO TRY! What a finish. Sharks look for a field goal but it's charged down. Mannering is the first one on the ball but he can't control it and the Sharks recover it. They go the left wing and Lee is in. Townsend can't get the extras.

76min: WAR 15-14 CRO

WAR NO TRY! Heartbreak as Luke is robbed of a try. Green goes high on the last tackle and the Sharks can't bring it in. Luke is there, gets the bouncing ball, sides steps one and runs it in under the posts. The Bunker rules he's offside at the time of the kick though so it's a Sharks penalty instead. Sharks use it to get a set starting on halfway.

74min: WAR 15-14 CRO

WAR FIELD GOAL! Johnson gives them the lead! 20m out. It's ugly but it's over. That's all that counts. Warriors back in front.

73min: WAR 14-14 CRO

Warriors get a penalty as the Sharks are pinged for an illegal strip. Warriors new set is 40m from the Sharks line. Too early for field goal talk?

72min: WAR 14-14 CRO

Another costly handling error stops the Warriors in their tracks. Sharks claw their way to their 40m before a great kick from Townsend pins the Warriors inside their 10m.

70min: WAR 14-14 CRO

Warriors with a burst of momentum and they make 51m after kick off Johnson grubbers. Lee is there to recover it but he's lost it cold! Gelling dives in to get the loose ball 2m out and tries to score it! Ref denies him, saying its double movement so we go back for the scrum. BIG chance for the Warriors 10m.

68min: WAR 14-14 CRO

WAR TWO! Sharks are penalised for delay of play and Johnson steps up from 20m out to tie things up. Strap in folks, we're in for a wild finish!

65min: WAR 12-14 CRO

RTS makes a linebreak off an offload and he's in the backfield! He weaves for 50m before finally getting taken down. They shift it to Johnson in the middle of the field, he lofts one on the second tackle for the right corner and the Sharks scramble to recover it 1m from their line. But they knock it on early in the set! Warriors scrum 20m out. Big chance here.

63min: WAR 12-14 CRO

It's scrappy, it's ugly but the defence holds and the Warriors start their set 2m off their line after recovering another grubber. They can only make 27m on their set before Johnson kicks. Sharks respond with hit-ups in the middle of the field before the last tackle is on the Warriors 30m. Townsend goes high but RTS is secure again on his 10m. He's having a cracker of a night.

60min: WAR 12-14 CRO

WAR DROPOUT! Sharks go to the grubber on the last and force the ball to get swatted dead. Another Sharks set of six coming up.

59min: WAR 12-14 CRO

Sharks go 58m on the set after kick off before Segeyaro finds touch on the last tackle. Warriors scrum on their own 10m. Things go from bad to worse as the Warriors lose the ball in the tackle early in the set. Sharks turn to pack down a scrum - it's 30m from the Warriors line.

57min: WAR 12-14 CRO

CRO TWO!  ANOTHER penalty against the Warriors. Illegal strip in the tackle is the call. That makes the count eight to three. RTS is having words with the refs but they aren't having a bar of it. You can understand his frustration. Sharks take the two from 25m out and get their first lead of the game.

54min: WAR 12-12 CRO

The Warriors are penalised for their own incorrect play-the-ball. Sharks start their set on halfway.

53min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Welcome to Cronulla, Woods! The new signing has the ball 2m from the Warriors line and he's penalised for incorrectly playing the ball. Sharks were looking lethal too. What can the Warriors do with just their second penalty of the game?

51min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Warriors limit Sharks to 37m on the set but after storming back into the Sharks' half there's a knock on on the third tackle. Another momentum-killer. Sharks scrum on their 40m.

48min: WAR 12-12 CRO

BOOM! RTS smoaks Ramian with a bone-crunching hit 5m from his line. Sharks recycle and grubber for the left corner but RTS slides in and gets it while staying out of his goal. Two try saving plays in 10 seconds. The man is a machine!

46min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Sharks get another penalty. They'll start the fresh set on the Warriors' 40m.

43min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Cringe. Luke with a short ball to Satae 5m out and the reserve drops it cold. Sharks scrum on their 10m.

42min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Warriors with an early attacking chance after the ball goes loose from the Sharks early in their opening set. Warriors have it 20m out.

41min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Another BIG run off the kickoff by Paasi and he sends one flying as he crosses over his 10m line. Warriors make 66m on the set and they play the last on the Sharks' 20m. Johnson grubbers but Sharks recover. They start inside their 10m.

40min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Sharks get things back underway. Just confirming Afoa won't return tonight after dislocating his elbow. Speedy recovery, mate.

HT:WAR 12-12 CRO

Segeyaro stabs a grubber through but RTS wraps it up. Thats the half and what a doozy.

Warriors get off to a roaring start but the last 30min has been all about the Sharks. Warriors have made a couple of big tackles, especially on their left wing, but the Sharks will be kicking themselves for a slopping opening. They'll feel they should be in the lead here. For the Warriors, the penalty count sitting at five against them to one for is one of the big issues. It's led to a lot of tackling and fatigue which is causing errors on attack. Everything to play for in the second half - we'll be back shortly for it.

39min: WAR 12-12 CRO

Sharks will get one more chance after Hiku drops it cold on the first tackle. Sharks scrum on the Warriors 10m.

37min: WAR 12-12 CRO

CRO NO TRY! Warriors are looking tired. A pair of offloads on the fourth tackle by the Sharks gives them an opening on the right wing and Townsend grubbers one through. There's collisions galore as players go for the ball but Kata is the one to get to it and knock it dead. However the ref goes upstairs for a potential penalty on Beale for blocking a Sharks runner and they decide there's enough evidence to give it. So we come back and the Sharks take two points on offer to tie it all up.

34min: WAR 12-10 CRO

RTS makes another strong aerial take to start the Warriors set on their 10m but there's a stoppage in play. Bunty Afoa is down and holding his left arm. Not looking good. He's off the field and Paasi is back out there. Fun fact while the game is stopped: Warriors have had to make 44 more tackles than the Sharks so far tonight. After that first 10min, Cronulla has bounced back with a lot of energy.

32min: WAR 12-10 CRO

Sharks again try to run on the last and again it's shut down. Kata makes a big tackle on Katoa on the wing and denies any chance.

31min: WAR 12-10 CRO

Warriors under all kinds of pressure as they cough the ball up on their 30m. Just dropped cold by Harris. Sharks packing a scrum down.

30min: WAR 12-10 CRO

Gallen opens up the set for the Sharks with a little offload and Segeyaro makes 10m off it. Sharks are on the Warriors 10m on the last and opt to run it, looking at that right wing again. The Warriors defence holds and they will play the ball on their 10m.

28min: WAR 12-10 CRO

Johnson's high ball on the last pins Sharks inside their 10m and a good defensive set limits the Cronulla side to 34m. A nice kick from Townsend on the last though pins RTS inside his 10m. Game is on a knife edge at the moment.

26min: WAR 12-10 CRO

Sharks make 50m off kickoff with more easy runs in the middle of the paddock and Townsend kicks for touch on the last. Finds it, so Warriors will start their set with a scrum on their 20m.

25min: WAR 12-10 CRO

CRO TRY! Sharks are in this time. Numbers open up on the left wing early in the set and Lee strolls in untouched to score. Townsend gets it right this time.

23min: WAR 12-4 CRO

CRO NO TRY! Townsend spies a hole in the right corner and he looks to duck in to score. Paasi comes in from out of nowhere and smashes him towards touch. RTS comes in to support and stops him from getting the ball down. Great try-saving tackle. Ref spotted a knock-on in an earlier tackle so they come back for a Sharks scrum, 10m from the Warriors line.

21min: WAR 12-4 CRO

WAR DROPOUT! Townsend grubbers one through and it's caught RTS offguard. He gets to it first but inside his in goal with Sharks surrounding him, he smacks the ball dead.

20min: WAR 12-4 CRO

Holmes makes a dangerous run after soaking up Johnson's kick. He weaves for 40m and gets to the Warriors 40m before finding support. Ball is eventually wrapped up and the Sharks try to recycle quickly but lose the ball. It hasn't worked this time but the Sharks are looking much better now after a sloppy 10min.

18min: WAR 12-4 CRO

Sharks make easy metres up the middle again and make 54m on the set. The kick is high on the last but RTS makes a great aerial take. Warriors start 5m from their line.

17min: WAR 12-4 CRO

Sharks are clean in their set off the kickoff - 48m on it. The kick is recovered by Beale after an awkward bounce and the Warriors start things on their 10m. Mannering, Gelling and Paasi make hit ups and Green kicks on the fourth. Sharks recover with ease and start their set on their 30m.

15min: WAR 12-4 CRO

CRO TRY! First chance, first try. Sharks bounce back after Fifita is held up over the line on the third tackle. Sharks respond by shifting to the right wing and Ramien powers through to score in the corner. Townsend's conversion is hooked to the left.

13min: WAR 12-0 CRO

Pair of penalties for the Sharks give them their first attacking chance of the night. They've got a fresh set 20m from the Warriors line to work with.

11min: WAR 12-0 CRO

73m on this set. Johnson's kick is high on the last but they can't bring it on the Sharks' tryline. Ball goes dead and it's a 20m restart with a 7-tackle set for the Sharks.

10min: WAR 12-0 CRO

Another big run off kickoff gets the Warriors rolling again. They're over halfway on the last tackle and Johnson floats a kick inside the Sharks' 10m. Sharks recover but once again, they'll start their set effectively on their tryline. Only 28m on the set and the kick on the last tackle is swallowed up by RTS and run back to the Warriors 40m. One way traffic.

8min: WAR 12-0 CRO

WAR TRY!  What a horror start for the Sharks. Warriors go inside the Sharks' 10m on the last tackle, Green grubbers and Cronulla secure it but lose the ball on the first tackle of their set. Warriors recover, set things up on the left wing. They cut back to the right and Gelling gets the ball at speed. Two tacklers try to wrap him up 5m out but he powers over to score.

5min: WAR 6-0 CRO

Bad to worse for the Sharks. Big run off the kickoff by Paasi leads to a penalty for the Warriors and they'll start their first set after the try on halfway.

4min: WAR 6-0 CRO

WAR TRY!  Yikes. Sharks get a penalty early in the set but the kick for touch doesn't go out. Rare error there. Warriors run it straight back into Sharks half and reapply the early pressure. They go to the left wing with numbers and Kata rumbles over to score in the corner! Johnson strikes it beautifully from the sideline. What a start.

2min: WAR 0-0 CRO

Sharks open with a clean set, getting over halfway with 43m gained. Townsend goes high but Beale takes it with ease. Warriors respond with good metres of their own thanks to a good offload by Gavet. 50m on the set gets them to the Sharks' 40m. Johnson grubbers it inside the 10m and the Sharks are trapped there. Great start from the home side.

Kickoff

Luke gets things underway and we're off in Mt Smart!

7:45pm: Team News

The Warriors have confirmed Kiwis players  Issac Luke and Peta Hiku will start tonight. Line up looks like this:

1. Roger Tuivasa-sheck 23. Peta Hiku 3. Anthony Gelling 4. Solomone Kata 5. Gerard Beale 6. Blake Green 7. Shaun Johnson 8. James Gavet 24. Issac Luke 10. Agnatius Paasi 11. Isaiah Papalii 12. Tohu Harris 13. Simon Mannering

Interchange: 9. Karl Lawton 15. Chris Satae 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Jazz Tevaga

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
NRL Premiership rugby league. Vodafone Warriors v Sydney Roosters. Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand. Saturday 12 May 2018. © Copyright photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.Photosport.nz

Preview

The Warriors are hoping to see the "club-first" mindset of star players such as Shaun Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Tohu Harris on full display tonight after making themselves unavailable for the Kiwis' US Test to freshen up for the second half of the NRL season.

The team could still feel the effects of the game in Denver though, with Ken Maumalo confirmed to miss the match while Issac Luke and Peta Hiku's names are floating around on the extended interchange list.

Coach Stephen Kearney stated previously that any players who featured in the Denver Test wouldn't play against the Sharks, but he might be forced to throw both Hiku and Luke in, due to the significance of the match.

Regardless, it won't be easy with the seventh-placed Sharks looking to continue their dominant form over the Kiwi club in recent seasons.

Ths Sharks have won eight of the last 10 matches against the Warriors for a combined scorline of 239-120 but the two rivals haven't met yet in 2018.

The Sharks have won the last three games between the two sides, with four of the previous five games decided by four points or less.

Teams

WAR: 1. Roger Tuivasa-sheck 2. David Fusitua 3. Anthony Gelling 4. Solomone Kata 5. Gerard Beale 6. Blake Green 7. Shaun Johnson 8. James Gavet 9. Karl Lawton 10. Agnatius Paasi 11. Isaiah Papalii 12. Tohu Harris 13. Simon Mannering

WAR interchange (from):  14. Sam Cook 15. Chris Satae 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Jazz Tevaga 21. Sam Lisone 23. Peta Hiku 24. Issac Luke

CRO: 1. Valentine Holmes 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Ricky Leutele 5. Edrick Lee 6. Matt Moylan 7. Chad Townsend 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Matt Prior 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Scott Sorensen 13. Paul Gallen

CRO interchange (from):  14. Joseph Paulo 15. James Segeyaro 16. Aaron Woods 17. Jayson Bukuya 18. Aaron Gray 19. Ava Seumanufagai

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