NRL: What we learnt from NZ Warriors' win over Parramatta Eels

Analysis: NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster has broken from tradition, giving his under-siege halves combination a ringing endorsement to continue their work, after steering their team to a 36-14 win over Parramatta Eels.

"I don't normally select teams in the press conference after the game," he told media... but then he did.

Make no mistake, Tanah Boyd and Chanel Harris-Tavita have done nothing to deserve the axe during a four-game winning streak - and that's the point.

With marquee signing Luke Metcalf now recovered from injury and sitting unused on the interchange, Webster was responding to questions over when the former Dally M leader might re-enter the starting line-up.

"They deserve to stay there, they've done a good job," he said of Boyd and Harris-Tavita. "We're just picking the team on form.

"Luke's done nothing wrong, he's a good player and, if the opportunity comes, he'll take it.

"Right now, this is the best thing for the team and those two deserve it."

With the Warriors now on a bye week, the incumbents seem safe in their jerseys, until injury or a severe lapse of form dictate otherwise.

Here's what else we learnt from the win over Parramatta.

Best player

Front-rower Jackson Ford just continued to build on his growing reputation with another yeoman effort that saw him make 50 tackles, run for 178 metres and score a try in another 80-minute effort.

"I thought he was a bit soft, he went off," Webster joked, before giving Ford a big State of Origin plug. "I'd pick him for sure, they would be mad not to.

"We love him and we want our players to play rep football. We want them to play for New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, New South Wales... preferably not Queensland, but if Kurt [Capewell] plays the way he played tonight, he'll get himself picked too."

Wing Alofiana Khan-Pereira scored his third straight try double for the Warriors and has now gathered 59 tries across his 58-game NRL career. His speed to the corner for his first try was eye-popping.

The other Warriors middles - James Fisher-Harris and Erin Clark - both acquitted themselves well, while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck topped run metres (201) from centre, and was rewarded with a try and almost another, when he lost the ball over the line.

Key moment

Eels five-eighth Ronald Volkman has just scored his second try to bring his side within four points, when Erin Clark came back on the field for his second stint of the night.

The 2025 Dally M Lock of the Year has been warming to his task in recent games and his playmaking skills give his team a decided edge in the middle of the park.

Clark immediately got his hands on the ball and sent second-rower Jacob Laban on a run towards the line, before sliding into first receiver. He ran hard towards the posts, committing a couple of defenders with his body language, before finding Ford on his left shoulder with an open path to the line.

Boyd slotted the conversion from in front, triggering an 18-0 run that finished off plucky Parramatta.

Best try

Clark also featured in two previous tries, linking with Fisher-Harris in midfield in the build-up to Khan-Pereira's first effort in the left corner and then providing momentum with a quick play-the-ball, as Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored on the other side of the park.

The second again highlighted the impact of Taine Tuaupiki from fullback, as he entered the line outside Boyd, swerved in and then out, wrongfooting the defence, before finding his wing cutting inside with a cheeky back flick pass.

The Warriors have the luxury of two wings in redhot form right now, but Watene-Zelezniak blotted his form book in the second half, when Eels fullback Joash Papalii spilled a kick on his goal-line, but DWZ botched a simple pick-up with an open line ahead.

Injuries etc

The bye round couldn't come at a better time for hooker Wayde Egan, who has absorbed his usual amount of damage through the opening two months of the season, but could not pass a concussion check during the first half against Parramatta.

He actually seemed in trouble early, but lasted half an hour, before making way for Sam Healey.

Egan would have missed next week, but now gets to rest up and recover for their next fixture.

Front-rower Tanner Stowers-Smith was initially named on the bench, but could not shrug off the hamstring niggle that has now kept him sidelined for three games. He's obviously close and should be back after the bye.

Instead, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava enjoyed some extended gametime (36 minutes), running 11 times for 96 metres and making 20 tackles, while Kayliss Fatialofa had a sniff of first grade, unused on the interchange.

Metcalf also sat idle on the bench, covering any backline injuries. He desperately needs gametime, but the reserves also have an NSW Cup bye next week, so he won't get it there.

Parramatta Eels

Obviously, injury-plagued Parramatta have struggled this season and they now slide to 3-6, continuing to leak points at an alarming rate. They have now let through an average of 35 points a game, more than any other team in the league.

From a handy angle, Mitch Moses hit the left upright with his conversion of Ronald Volkman's second try and that relatively regulation kick seemed to take the wind out of any momentum they had built.

They were their own worst enemies, shooting themselves in the foot time and time again. During the first half, they gave away two penalties for obstructing kick chases.

In the second, they had the Warriors pinned deep in their own half, but Volkman put undue pressure on kicker Boyd, conceding a penalty that allowed their opponents to escape upfield, where Boyd slotted an important two points to steady the nerves.

"I don't think the scoreline reflected the fight and effort we displayed tonight," coach Jason Ryles pleaded. "A lot of our fundamental errors - escort penalties and pressure penalties - hurt us, after we'd done good things.

"We can't keep continually putting ourselves under pressure with those fundamental errors."

Parramatta face high-flying North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville next week

What the result means

Their fourth straight win propels the Warriors to the top of the competition table, although trailing Penrith Panthers on points differential.

The Panthers face Manly Sea Eagles on Sunday, but they would need to lose by 60 points to concede their position.

The Warriors have now scored more points (278) than any other team this season, although they have only five more than Penrith, who have that game in hand.

Importantly, the 22-point margin of victory this week boosts their points differential to +108, with Wests Tigers (+82) and South Sydney Rabbitohs (+72) breathing down their necks in that regard. Both those teams will play three more times, before the Warriors return to the field again.

Victory sees them match their record to this point last season (7-2), which was also the best start through nine rounds in their history. That run extended to 8-2, before it was snapped by Canberra Raiders in round 12.

What's next

Warriors players and staff can enjoy a few days off, before they start preparing for their next assignment - the champion Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium for 'Magic Round' on Sunday, 17 May.

"Nine games is a good time for a bye to freshen up a bit and then go again," Webster said. "It's a challenge for us to come out the other side better - not just hold our form, but come out a better team.

"I don't think we've handled byes as well as we'd like in the past."

Webster's Warriors are 4-4 after byes over the past three seasons and will want to improve on that return.

The Broncos have not kicked on from their comeback win in last year's grand final, but threatened to erase a 30-point deficit against Sydney Roosters later on Saturday, before succumbing 38-24.

Their 5-4 record matches where they were last year, before they won 13 of their last 15 games to finish fourth on the table and take the championship.

Shockingly, 'Magic Round' counts as a Warriors home game, which means they will have to face the defending champions twice in Brisbane this season.

The NRL just keeps finding new ways to stick it to the Kiwis.

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