How Did Leka Halasima Snatch NRL Victory For Warriors Over Newcastle?

Monday, 21 July 2025, 6:30 pm
Article: RNZ

Grant Chapman, Digital Sports Journalist

In 2025, NZ Warriors have made a habit of pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat.

Their comfortable position in the playoff race is based on a handful of early-season performances, where they either made key offensive plays near the end or defensively repelled torrid comebacks over the final stages.

Their 20-15 win over Newcastle Knights was something else again, as they leaked three first-half tries and had to claw their way back into the contest after the break.

In the end, the result came down to an incredible play from a young star that has made a habit of stamping his presence on games in his breakout season.

Key moment

Hard to go past the final seconds, when Boyd's desperate field-goal attempt was charged down, but the ball fell to second-rower Leka Halasima, who rumbled 40 metres to the tryline to save his team's blushes.

"I'll take it," Warriors coach Andrew Webster said. "I've been on the end of a few of those - I think every team has at some stage.

"I liked the way we kept fighting, we kept going after the moment. It wasn't happening for us.

"We just came up with a freakish play from a young guy that's got heaps of talent - that's what he's got in his toolkit."

Boyd had a solid enough second outing for the Warriors, replacing Luke Metcalf in the No.7 jersey, after his predecessor suffered a season-ending knee injury last month.

He was on target off the tee to convert all three tries and added a penalty, but he'd love to have those last hectic minutes back.

His first field goal attempt was the closest, but sliced right. Two others never really had a chance, while his 35-metre penalty attempt - the result of an offside defender rushing at him - was also pushed wide.

"Lots of halves will have those big moments at the end," Webster said. "He just wanted to keep having a crack at it - he didn't hide.

"He's just going to improve every week and the team will get better as they get used to him."

At that moment, victory seemed to have slipped through the Warriors' fingers, but the rugby league gods had one last opportunity in store for them.

Best player

Last week, against Wests Tigers, Halasima produced two moments of brilliance for two late tries, chasing a high kick to the goal area, where five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita swooped on a loose ball to score, before outmuscling his markers to score himself.

Still a teenager, his teammates have been in awe of Halasima this season, with co-captain Mitch Barnett describing him as a "freak".

He has now scored eight tries, equalling Metcalf for the club lead, and the move to extend his current contract through 2029 looks a very smart piece of business by the Warriors.

Halasima also made a crucial trysaving tackle on Knights centre Fletcher Hunt in the first half, after fullback Taine Tuaupiki ran down Bradman Best over the length of the field.

"He's his toughest critic around his defence and he works really hard at it," Webster said. "He's still got a long way to go, but I thought that was an inspirational passage of play.

"We all celebrate the one at the end, but he's got some other brilliant stuff in him."

In a week when rumours of his departure swirled, veteran winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was again sharp, running for a game-high 265 metres, while hooker Wayde Egan led his team with 37 tackles.

Disallowed try

The Warriors were first to score and seemed to have another try soon after, when Egan reached out and planted the ball over the line in a tackle.

The try was ruled out for a double movement, with Egan's elbow touching the ground before he stretched the extra few centimetres.

Webster wasn't happy about that call or the later one that allowed tackled Knights winger Greg Marzhew to offload from the ground to fullback Dane Gagai for a try.

Webster insisted Egan's movement was a continuation, rather than another action, arguing the elbow never lifted off the ground, while Marzhew's pass "looked like rugby union, not rugby league".

"At the same time, I thought the Knights were very good," he said. "I don't want to take anything away from their effort tonight, but I thought those two calls were very tough."

Injuries

Returning from Origin duty and a week off to recover, Kurt Capewell lined up at centre, but failed to go the distance with what seemed like a knee injury, suffered just before halftime.

He went another 25 minutes after the break, but finished the contest on the bench, so his status for next week must be in doubt. Next option would be Ali Leiataua, who actually played fullback, as the reserves extended their winning streak to 13 games in NSW Cup.

Tuaupiki had to leave for a head check, but returned to the game. He's taken a beating in recent weeks, concussed in cup play last month, missing a week, then taking another big hit against Wests last week.

He was more subdued than usual this week on attack, but incumbent Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad will likely return from his knee injury next week.

What the win means

Traditionally, at this time of the season, Warriors fans are left hanging by their fingernails, clinging to 'mathematical chances' of reaching the playoffs.

This season, they get to enjoy the opposite countdown, with a post-season spot looming large.

This result gives them 12 wins from 17 games for fourth on the NRL table. They're four points behind leaders Canberra Raiders, who still have a bye to come, and four points clear of their nearest pursuers, Brisbane Broncos.

Four-time defending champions Penrith Panthers are another point behind, after their terrible start.

Most importantly, the Warriors are eight points ahead of the ninth-placed Dolphins, who have their last bye next week, with seven games remaining. They face each other at Mt Smart the following week.

A disastrous run of losses could still hijack their campaign, but five of the Warriors' last seven games are against teams currently outside the top eight.

What's next

Next Saturday, the Warriors return home on a short turnaround to face bottom-of-the-table Gold Coast Titans, who lost a heartbreak to Wests Tigers this week.

This could be a banana-skin game for the home side, who lost twice to their rivals last season - an Anzac Day game at home and a 66-6 horror show across the ditch.

On both occasions, the Titans were bottom of the pile, but managed to avoid the wooden spoon, thanks largely to these two valuable and somewhat unexpected victories.

© Scoop Media

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