March 15, 2026

#hakinakina: Warriors overpower Raiders to maintain winning start to NRL season

Matthew Tukaki Posted On March 15, 2026

The New Zealand Warriors have continued their strong start to the 2026 NRL season with a dominant 40–6 victory over the Canberra Raiders in Auckland.

Playing at Go Media Stadium, the Warriors turned a tight first half into a convincing win, running in a flurry of points after the break to pull away from their opponents. The match was locked at 6–6 at halftime before the home side exploded in the second half with 34 unanswered points.

Second-rower Leka Halasima and winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak both scored two tries as the Warriors’ attacking game found another gear after the interval. Halasima had been a late addition to the starting line-up after Kurt Capewell was ruled out with a calf strain during the warm-up but delivered a standout performance across the full 80 minutes.

The Raiders struck first through fullback Kaeao Weekes, but the Warriors responded soon after with Watene-Zelezniak crossing for a try and halfback Tanah Boyd adding a penalty goal to level the match before halftime.

Momentum shifted early in the second half when centre Ali Leiataua intercepted a pass and raced away to score, sparking a scoring run that Canberra struggled to contain. The Warriors’ attacking pressure continued to build as they added several more tries to seal the comfortable win.

Veteran Roger Tuivasa-Sheck marked his 150th appearance for the Warriors during the match, adding the final conversion late in the game as the home side wrapped up the result.

The victory follows the Warriors’ opening-round win over the Sydney Roosters and gives the Auckland club back-to-back victories to begin the new NRL campaign.

After losing twice to Canberra during the previous season, the Warriors were able to reverse that record with a commanding performance in front of their home crowd despite wet conditions in Auckland.

The result signals growing momentum for the Warriors early in the 2026 competition as the side looks to build consistency and push toward the top of the NRL ladder in the weeks ahead.