Warriors women fall to third straight loss

By the Editorial Team · Monday, August 31, 2026

The New Zealand Warriors women’s rugby league team lost 22-18 to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in Auckland, marking their third consecutive defeat and placing them outside the top six. With only two games remaining, the Warriors must win both to maintain a chance at qualifying for the NRL Women’s Premiership finals.

The New Zealand Warriors women’s rugby league team suffered their third consecutive defeat as they fell 22-18 to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in Auckland on Sunday, dealing a significant blow to their hopes of reaching the NRL Women’s Premiership finals for the first time.

Trailing outside the top six after the loss, the Warriors face a challenging path to secure a postseason berth. Head coach Ronald Griffiths’ side now needs victories in their remaining two matches to keep their finals hopes alive. Their upcoming fixtures include a home game against the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday, followed by an away clash against the defending champion Brisbane Broncos on September 13.

The match was decided in dramatic fashion as Tahlia O’Brien scored in the corner on the final play, lifting the bottom-placed Dragons to the win. With five minutes remaining, the Warriors held an 18-14 lead before Jayme Millard scored her second try of the game to level the score. A tough conversion attempt by Maria Paseka missed, leaving the scores tied and setting up what appeared to be a game destined for golden point extra time. Instead, Millard executed a crucial offload to O’Brien, who finished strongly as time expired, securing the upset victory.

The defeat was particularly painful for the Warriors following last week’s record 66-8 loss to the Sydney Roosters in Sydney. The Dragons entered the game having won only once throughout the season, but managed to upset the Warriors’ plans for a rebound after a difficult stretch.

Earlier in the match, Stacey Waaka marked a personal milestone by becoming only the second player in Warriors women’s history to score a try in five consecutive games, joining Payton Takimoana from last season. Waaka opened the scoring by capitalizing on a high kick from Patricia Maliepo that bounced unpredictably, allowing her to reach the ball before the Dragons’ defense. On the opposing wing, Lavinia Tauhalaliku was a standout performer, scoring twice and finishing with precision in the corner.

The Warriors will need to regroup quickly as they approach the crucial final rounds of the regular season, with their finals aspirations hanging in the balance after three straight defeats.

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