Daniel Anderson, watching the action unfold from Parramatta’s director’s box, would have enjoyed this.
Rarely have Parramatta and New Zealand, two of the teams he has coached to grand finals, flown so high at the same time. The Warriors are soaring higher still after this, a 46-10 victory at CommBank Stadium.
This was Parramatta’s second-biggest loss at their home ground. The result battered their confidence, their for-and-against and their pride. The Warriors have now moved past them on a congested ladder.
The blue and golds have been up for a long time. They recovered from a series of close losses early in the season to post five consecutive victories, but this was a task beyond them. Missing NSW trio Mitchell Moses, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Clint Gutherson – they haven’t won without the latter since 2017 – as well as Dylan Brown, they didn’t have the personnel to go with the biggest improvers of the season.
“They are a very good side, I can’t take anything away from the Warriors because we had a couple missing,” said Parramatta coach Brad Arthur. “I’m disappointed in the performance, we put a good enough team out there to be better than that. That needs to be a one-off.”
The flicker of hope provided by Bailey Simonsson’s early try was quickly extinguished. The Warriors piled on five tries in the first half alone. Luke Metcalf’s first two runs of the game resulted in tries. Marcelo Montoya also had a double in the first stanza.
Marcelo Montoya crosses for one of his two tries on Saturday night.Credit: Getty
By the end of proceedings, even Mitchell Barnett finished with a brace – a year to the day since he scored his most recent NRL try.
An early play summed up the entire affair. As Parramatta pressed the opposition line on the last tackle, a series of clunky passes found Will Penisini. The centre tried to put boot to ball, but wasn’t able to connect. The Warriors pounced on the loose Steeden and, moments later, Metcalf was planting the ball down at the other end.
At various times, Parramatta have been able to cope with the absence of Moses or Brown. However, the loss of both halves left them rudderless.
There were no such issues for Andrew Webster’s men. Shaun Johnson considered missing this, his 200th game, to be available for the birth of his second child. There is every chance he will make it back home in time for what will be a double celebration.
Metcalf, meanwhile, is proving the perfect foil. This was his sixth game in the No.6 jersey this season after being sidelined early with a hamstring injury. The former Shark is making it his own. He can run, pass and kick. We will soon find out just how good he is.
Metcalf was a standout in a team full of contributors. Jackson Ford was another unheralded hero in a dominant forward pack.
Midway through the second half, a “Waaaaariors” chant echoed across the ground. Each of their home games is a sell-out and now the faithful are even crossing the ditch to support their team.
These are rare scenes for the Warriors. They have made only two grand final appearances since joining the competition 28 years ago. There was no better way to acknowledge Anderson, the man who guided them to their first.
“I’ve had a little bit to do with him and he’s been good for my career,” Webster said of Anderson. “I appreciate him, players and all of New Zealand know the impact he had at the Warriors and we certainly know how much of an impact he had here at Parramatta too. I wish I could have a beer with him right now.”
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