Leka Halasima scores with first touch as Warriors hammer Sydney Roosters in NRL season opener

Friday, 6 March 2026

At Go Media Stadium, Auckland: Warriors 42 (Tanah Boyd 12’, Adam Pompey 24’, Kurt Capewell 29’, Chanel Harris-Tavita 34’ 76’ Leka Halasima 47’, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 77’ tries; Boyd 6 con, pen) Roosters 18 (James Tedesco 16’, Billy Smith 51’, Angus Crichton 56’ tries; Sam Walker 3 con). HT: 22-6

Tanah Boyd had a strong night at halfback and Leka Halasima scored with his first touch as the Warriors’ made an impressive start to the 2026 NRL season against the Sydney Roosters, running home 42-18 winners.

There was a little wobble midway through the second half on Friday night, where two Roosters tries in the space of five minutes cut the home team’s lead from 22 points to 10 in front of a 24,112-strong crowd at Go Media Stadium.

But a pair of big defensive plays from two seasoned campaigners – and two tries in the final five minutes – allowed fans to breathe easy.

The Warriors’ 42 points were the most they’ve scored in a round one fixture – pipping the 40 they scored against the Canterbury Bulldogs at the same venue in 2019.

Boyd had mixed returns after he took over as the Warriors’ halfback midway through the 2025 season, when Luke Metcalf went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Heading into this season, he has Metcalf’s pending return around round eight looming large in the distance, but he played like a man eager to give coach Andrew Webster some food for thought on opening night.

Boyd capped a strong start for the home team by going over himself in the 12th minute, selling a dummy to Daly Cherry-Evans, who was making his first NRL appearance for a club other than the Manly Sea Eagles, who he debuted with back in 2011.

The Roosters hit back almost immediately. There was the familiar sight of the Warriors’ right edge being cut through just inside their half, as Billy Smith left Ali Leiataua grasping at his ankles. The injury-plagued centre found his skipper, James Tedesco, on the inside to tie things up at six-all.

From there, the first half was the Warriors’ half, though they did have a couple of lucky escapes.

They regained the lead in the 24th minute, when Adam Pompey did well to finish down the left, getting the ball after Roger Tuivasa-Sheck caught a Boyd bomb and popped the ball back to Kurt Capewell initially.

Harris-Tavita then sent Capewell running in from 15m out on Cherry-Evans’ right, before a Boyd pass bounced along the ground to the left, where Tuivasa-Sheck picked it up then found Harris-Tavita to make it a four-try first half.

Roosters hooker Benaiah Ioelu was almost the beneficiary of a header by Tuivasa-Sheck back into his own in-goal off a Cherry-Evans bomb, but the try was ruled out as Mark Nawaqanitawase had been all over him illegally, forcing the error.

Cherry-Evans was nearly sent in by Siua Wong close to the line, but he knocked on after Capewell got a (backward) touch on the ball in between.

Halasima sat on the Warriors’ bench for the entire first half, but was finally introduced five minutes into the second. One attacking set later, his first touch was hauling in a Boyd bomb with a trademark leap to score.

Trailing by 22 with half an hour to play, the Roosters finally scored a second try, when Smith went for the line himself through a pair of tackles down the left.

Angus Crichton then made it two tries in the space of five minutes, running the last 20 metres after halfback Sam Walker put Tedesco through just over halfway.

Once Walker added the extras, the Warriors’ lead was cut to 10, but Boyd restored it to 12 with a penalty soon after, making amends for a first-half miss.

The Warriors were still on the back foot and having to scramble defensively, with the two-pointer only offering a brief respite.

Capewell came up with a big stop, hauling in an attempted kick by Walker with an outstretched arm at close range.

His fellow veteran forward James Fisher-Harris then came up with an intercept in front of his own line with seven minutes to play.

Chanel Harris-Tavita’s second try and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad’s cherry on top put the game to bed.

Next up, back at Go Media Stadium next Friday? Last year’s minor premiership winners, the Canberra Raiders.