4 Oct 2010

Warriors win NYC title

6:00 am on 4 October 2010

The Junior Warriors have won the National Youth Championship rugby league title, with a convincing 42-28 win against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the grand final in Sydney.

The Rabbitohs were the favourites to take out the title, but the Warriors took a 12-0 lead before the Rabbitohs found their feet and scored twice to bring it back to 12-10 at half-time.

The 17-year-old back Carlos Tuimavave says the side knew what they had to do in the second half.

He says the coach John Ackland told the players at half-time to give it their all in the second half, and none of the players had anything left in their fuel tanks at the final whistle.

In the second half the Warriors managed to cross the line first, and built on that momentum to score four more tries to secure the win and claim the Under-20 title.

It's the first team title for the Auckland club, though the club took out the combined overall NRL club award this season by both the Juniors and the Warriors proper finishing higher than any others.