The homesick Warriors heaped further pain onto Brisbane on Saturday with a gutsy 26-16 NRL win in their second game since coach Stephen Kearney was sacked.
Down 16-12 with 20 minutes to go at Gosford, a clutch 40-20 from Blake Green turned the tide for the Warriors who finished with a head full of steam for their first win in a month.
One try was remarkably overturned with a captain’s challenge when Anthony Milford was judged to have been obstructed in the lead up, but three quick tries handed the Warriors the win.
It was a masterclass in game management from Green days after Warriors owner Mark Robinson said the halfback would be moved on at the end of the season.
The Warriors’ performance is even more impressive considering they lost five-eighth Kodi Nikorima to a head clash with Tevita Pangai Junior just four minutes into the match.
They were also without star skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who sat on the sidelines suspended.
Despite holding the 10-6 lead at halftime, the Broncos were once again undone by their final 20 minutes and have now been outscored 86-8 since the start of the season across that period.
Teenage sensation Xavier Coates was again the bright spot for the Broncos after scoring a quick double in the first half to notch up four tries from four games this season.
The 19-year-old speedster scored in the eighth minute from a quick shift from Tesi Nui on the wing to put the Broncos in the lead 4-0.
Soon after he again threatened when he raced 40 metres down the sideline after scooping up a loose ball, before a bad offload from Milford turned over possession.
The Warriors were soon in Broncos’ territory but couldn’t crack the defence when Coates snatched an intercept and raced 90 metres to score to put the Broncos up 10-0.
Barely getting out of third gear, there was no catching him despite a brave chase from Peta Hiku, who replaced Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback.
Igniting worrying signs for the Broncos, the Warriors began to find momentum at the end of the first half before Ken Maumalolo finally got on the board and they carried on with it in the second half.
It ends another frustrating week for the Broncos who have now lost six in a row since the NRL season restarted.
