The nib Newcastle Knights have been defeated by the Warriors 20-12 at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Sunday evening.
A try and a penalty goal was the difference after a bruising encounter in front of a packed crowd of 24,112.
HOW IT PLAYED OUT
1st min - The sides ran out in front of a full house in Auckland, setting an incredible atmosphere for a Sunday afternoon clash.
15th min - The Warriors struck first through a strong charge close to the line from Jackson Ford, who steamed onto a neat pass from Shaun Johnson to open the scoring.
18th min - In the very next set of six, Wayde Egan sliced through some tired Knights defence to send Chanel Harris-Tavita over under the posts, giving the home side a 12-0 lead.
35th min - In the shadows of half-time, Tyson Frizell latched onto a Tyson Gamble grubber kick before busting out of two tackles to crash over and bring the Knights roaring back into the contest.
Frizell hits back
40th min - The sound of the siren ended a hard-fought opening half, with the Knights heading into the break with plenty of momentum after a tough opening 20 minutes.
43rd min - Marcelo Montoya plucks a Harris-Tavita kick out of the sky to extend the Warriors' lead after the break.
71st min - Johnson added a penalty goal after the Knights were caught inside the 10 close to the line, giving the home side a 14 point margin.
73rd min - After getting the ball back from a short kick off, Bradman Best stormed over the line to bring the margin back down to eight points.
Knights scramble well
WHAT'S NEXT
The Knights return to McDonald Jones Stadium to fight for the Alex McKinnon Cup against the Dragons. Tickets are on sale now.
