Warriors comeback sinks Titans

v BYE

Injuries, and not icebergs, have left a Titanic shipwreck in Auckland, after the Warriors bounced back from a 22-12 deficit to beat the Titans 28-22 at Mount Smart Stadium.

The hosts bounced back from the 10 point deficit at half time to score a last minute win in front of over 10,000 fans in a match that marked the return - finally - of former Sea Eagle and Eel Kieran Foran to the NRL field.

Entertaining was the best word to describe the opening forty at Mt Smart Stadium, with both the Warriors and Titans showing their amazing best in attack through the first half. The Warriors looked to have the early momentum and it showed when Issac Luke turned back the clock and found a gap to speed through before giving it to Shaun Johnson to score.

The Titans couldn't get any ball in the Warriors half through the opening ten minutes but they only needed the one set when Dale Copley went straight through a flimsy effort by Blake Ayshford. The Warriors soon retook the lead with a great shift ending with Fusitua in the corner but it was all the Titans after that with a double to Kane Elgey the first coming through more soft Warriors defence after Ash Taylor burst through then got his second off some magic play from Tyrone Roberts to go out to a 22-12 lead at halftime.

The second half was all the Warriors, with the defence muscling up for the hosts and unlike the second half, the attacking was absolutely crisp. Straight after the half-time break, Tuivasa-Sheck breaking a 1 on 1 tackle to score in the corner was a highlight of the afternoon. The Titans injury woes continued with players dropping like flies yet again. Foran then showed that 300 days off the field hasn't blunted his talented when he showed his magic to dodge around the Titans defence to score and after the Johnson conversion, the scores were level at 22-apiece.

The field goal shootout began and it was a piece of luck off a Ryan Hoffman field goal attempt… yes, Ryan Hoffman's shot ... that set up the Warriors for the win; the attempt was ruled to have been touched by referee Adam Gee and (despite replays suggesting it wasn't touched) a dropout was ruled.

The next set showed some Foran and Johnson magic and it was the veteran second-rower in Hoffman, whose field goal attempt was ruled to have been touched, scoring the matchwinner when the tired Titans defence couldn't hold on under relentless pressure - and the Warriors won it with 90 seconds remaining.

Next weekend the Warriors take on the Parramatta Eels at home in Auckland in the same timeslot, while the Titans have a tough test back home when they host the Canberra Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium.