Manu Vatuvei gets hat-trick in Warriors win

BY DUNCAN JOHNSTONE

Manu Vatuvei scored a hat-trick as the Warriors ignited their NRL season with a crushing win over the Sharks at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night.

The Beast was irrepressible on the left wing, using a mix of power and some deft footwork to continue his remarkable strike rate as the Warriors won 30-16.

Vatuvei's three tries followed his brace against the Titans last weekend and have taken his career total to 63 from 96 matches. He has now scored 10 tries in his last six matches making him the hottest finisher in the game right now.

This was a vital win for the Warriors after their disappointing second half cost them the season-opener against the Titans on the Gold Coast.

For a while it looked like that trend might repeat itself in Auckland. The Warriors had three tries in the opening quarter but then allowed the Sharks to get back to 16-all early in the second spell.

Fortunately the Warriors, with Vatuvei in storming form, regained their composure and control of the match to see out the home victory with a fair bit of style.

There was plenty of the razzle-dazzle that the Warriors are promising to return to their game this season.

But there were also some worrying features that will need to be addressed as they eye the Broncos in Brisbane next Sunday.

The concentration lapses are gifting their opponents too many easy points.

And so is their ill-discipline. They conceded untimely penalties in the first half which gave the Sharks enough ball to stage their revival.

To their credit the Warriors addressed that in the second half and got the appropriate rewards in this six tries to two win.

The Warriors suffered a major blow in the leadup to the match when star recruit Brett Seymour was ruled out with a broken thumb that will sideline him for six weeks.

There could be more worries on the way.

Michael Luck, celebrating his 100^th game for the Warriors, blotted his night when he and Lewis Brown were put on report for a dangerous tackle on Anthony Tupou.

The win took the Warriors' home record against the Sharks to eight wins from 12 matches and it was encouraging for the 15,000 fans who turned up. If the team are to turn around their fortunes they need to make Mt Smart a fortress again.

Cronulla, tipped by the bookies to be wooden spooners this year, slumped to their 12^th consecutive loss as last season's struggles spill into the new campaign. That's a club record and they haven't won a match since last June.

The Warriors made a perfect start when hooker Aaron Heremaia darted over from close range.

They then showed their long range attack with a 60m effort that swept both sides of the field and eventually had Vatuvei crashing over in the corner.

When Simon Mannering celebrated his debut captaincy effort with a try off a Lance Hohaia grubber the Warriors were out to 16-0 in just 18 minutes.

But the Sharks, who could hardly hold a pass during the opening quarter, got their handling together and were immediately with a fine try to Luke Covell.

Blake Ferguson then got up high to haul in a bomb and score in the other corner and the Sharks were suddenly back in the game.

The Warriors' poor discipline cost them again right on halftime when a Ben Matulino shoulder charge turned into two points from the boot of the impressive Scott Preston to cut the lead to 16-14 at the break.

Porter made the Warriors pay again immediately after the restart to tie the match up.

The Warriors regained the momentum when James Maloney took them to the Sharks' posts and Vatuvei finished strongly for his second try.

Vatuvei  then shimmied his way to his hat-trick, standing up Covell with ease to dot down in the corner again.

Big Sam Ripira capped a good game by sealing the result with a try between the posts five minutes from the end.

New Zealand Warriors 30 (Manu Vatuvei 3, Aaron Heremaia, Simon Mannering, Sam Rapira tries; Kevin Locke 2 goals, James Maloney goal) Cronulla Sharks 16 (Luke Covell, Blake Ferguson tries; Scott Porter 4 goals). Halftime: 16-14.

- © Fairfax NZ News