Warriors beat the Storm and the odds

It was a game the Warriors were given no chance of winning but an incredible upset of competition kingpins Melbourne at Olympic Park last night means the club will host a home semi-final against the Roosters on Friday night.

Michael Witt's last-gasp try and the 18-15 win bucked National Rugby League history.

The Storm had only been beaten at their Olympic Park fortress twice in three years, once by the Sharks and once by the Warriors in 2006.

Added to that the eighth-ranked team had never upset the minor premiers in the first round since the NRL introduced the McIntyre system in 1999.

The Warriors were paying $5.50 in Australia to win the game but prevailed in a terrific contest, a tense slow-burner in which both teams defended their lines like demons.

All appeared lost when Greg Inglis' 68^th minute field goal gave the Storm a 15-14 lead, advancing the theory that there is nothing on a football field the athletic superstar can't do.

Ruben Wiki stood and watched from the sideline as the clock ticked down on his NRL career and the Witt spurned the chance to send the game into golden point with a field goal, instead searching for four points and the win.

But with the game seemingly gone, giant wing Manu Vatuvei broke clear and Witt popped up in support to score.

Witt's delight bordered on madness when he delayed putting the ball down to rub it in but it mattered not, Wiki living to play what will be his 311^th game on Friday.

Shocked purple-clad Storm fans filtered out of the stadium while Melbourne players attempted to put on happy faces during the post-match presentation of the shield as minor premier winners.

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary was just as shocked.

"Whole second half, especially the last 20, we were close to scoring so many times. I don't know what to say," he said.

"We have to come down from this which will be hard because we don't get to do this very often. But we get to come home. It was something we spoke about this week, not a lot, and it will be good."

Price was jubilant at upsetting the odds.

"'No one gave us a chance except for the 17 guys out on the field," he said.

"We've been doing that for the last 10 weeks so nothing changed and it's all on again next week. We are going home for a home semi."

Tawera Nikau, the Kiwis and Storm great whose name is immortalised on the Olympic Park grandstand, had predicted the Warriors could win because their aggressive, niggly style matched the Storm and upset them.

Both sides entered the contest with relatively conservative gameplans, refusing to take too many risks in a game that always looked destined to go down to the wire.

Jerome Ropati's try on the stroke of halftime levelled the scores at 8-8 and buoyed the Warriors who had matched the Storm in all departments in the first half.

Witt had opened the scoring with a penalty after 14 minutes and some niggle set in with feisty hooker Ian Henderson taking exception to a Mark Geyer head pat and hurling the ball at him.

Henderson's petulance cost the Warriors immediately with wing Aidan Kirk, who himself was earlier held up over the line, giving opposite Anthony Quinn too much space on the left-hand touchline, Quinn crossing in his 150^th NRL game.

The result means Brisbane will host Melbourne in the other semifinal on Saturday with Manly and Cronulla earning the weekend off.

Earlier, the Warriors under-20s set up a date with Penrith this weekend by blowing away St George Illawarra 47-20.

Impressive halfback Isaac John and wing Bill Tupou both scored two tries.

 

- © Fairfax NZ News