Warriors thump Eels 36-14 to share top spot of NRL ladder heading into bye

The NZ Warriors have powered to the top of the NRL ladder for the first time in 2026, putting Parramatta Eels to the sword 36-14 in Sydney on Saturday night to bank a fourth straight win heading into their bye round.

Andrew Webster’s side now sit level with the Penrith Panthers on competition points, separated only by points differential. The Warriors have scored more points than any other team this season, 278 from nine games, and Saturday’s 22-point margin lifted their differential to plus 108. The Panthers, who play Manly on Sunday, would have to lose by 60 points to slip behind their Auckland rivals on the table.

The Warriors started both halves slowly at CommBank Stadium, but every time the Eels nudged back into the contest the visitors found another gear. Leading 16-6 at the break, they were pegged back to 18-14 midway through the second half before three unanswered converted tries closed the door. Veteran middle forward Erin Clark’s introduction proved a turning point, as the bench prop immediately got hands on the ball and engineered a try for fellow front-rower Jackson Ford with a clever run and short pass on his left shoulder.

Flying wing Alofiana Khan-Pereira was again the headline act, scoring his third straight try double for the side. The 22-year-old has now scored 59 tries in his 58 NRL appearances, an eye-watering strike rate that has him on a clear path to Origin and possibly Kangaroos honours by season’s end. His speed for the first try, beating two defenders down the left touchline, drew gasps from the largely Eels-leaning crowd.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, used at centre by Webster all season, again topped the team’s running metres with 201 and was rewarded with a try when he chased down a botched Volkman pass and dotted down. He came close to a second but lost the ball over the line.

The match also continued to settle one of the bigger off-field debates of the Warriors’ season, namely what to do about marquee signing Luke Metcalf. The former Dally M leader, freshly recovered from injury, was named on the interchange but did not see a minute of game time. Webster told RNZ analyst Grant Chapman that incumbent halves Tanah Boyd and his five-eighth partner had earned the right to keep their jerseys.

Boyd repaid the faith with a poised performance, slotting a vital two-point field goal in the second half when the Eels had the Warriors pinned deep. The kick steadied the contest at a critical moment, with Eels playmaker Ronald Volkman conceding the penalty that gifted Boyd field position in the first place. Volkman, a former Warrior, was a thorn in his old side throughout, scoring two tries himself, but it was his loose long pass that was intercepted to set up the clinching try late on.

Then there is Ford, who has quietly become the conversation piece of the Warriors’ season. The front-rower made 50 tackles, ran for 178 metres, scored a try and played 80 minutes. Webster, never one to oversell a player, did not hold back when asked about Ford’s claim to a NSW Origin jersey.

"I’d pick him for sure, they would be mad not to," Webster said. The selectors will name the Blues squad in coming weeks, and Ford’s body of work over the opening nine rounds is increasingly hard to ignore.

Other Warriors performances were less universally bright. Hooker Wayde Egan failed his head injury assessment in the first half and the bye round arrives at the perfect time to allow the durable rake to recover. Bench prop Tanner Stowers-Smith was unable to take the field after his hamstring niggle flared up again, ruling him out for a third straight match. Veteran wing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak crossed for one try but botched a simple pick-up under his own posts that should have led to another, an uncharacteristic blemish in his strong recent form.

For the Eels, Volkman’s two tries and a debut try-assist for centre Will Penisini, who finished a brilliant Brian Kelly leap and offload in the right corner, were the highlights. Their fullback Joash Papalii had a quieter night under the high ball.

The Warriors now have nine days off before they reassemble for Magic Round in Brisbane, where they face the defending champion Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday 17 May. Confusingly, the league has scheduled it as a Warriors home game, meaning the Auckland side will face Brisbane twice at Suncorp this season.

Webster admitted his side has not always returned from byes in form, with the Warriors posting a 4-4 record after their bye in each of the past three seasons. He sees the next fortnight as a chance to address that.

"Nine games is a good time for a bye to freshen up a bit and then go again," Webster said. "It’s a challenge for us to come out the other side better, not just hold our form, but come out a better team. I don’t think we’ve handled byes as well as we’d like in the past."

If the Warriors do come back sharper, the rest of the competition will need to take notice. Aside from points scored, they currently lead the NRL in tries from kicks, defensive line speed and forward minutes from their starting pack, all hallmarks of a side built for finals football. The genuine concern, as Webster has acknowledged before, is the workload being carried by Ford, James Fisher-Harris and Egan, all of whom have rarely missed a minute through the opening two months.

Wests Tigers and South Sydney are the closest chasers on points differential, with both clubs to play three more matches before the Warriors return. Holding top spot through the bye is unlikely, but the gap to the lower playoff places remains comfortable.

For now Auckland’s NRL fans can enjoy a rare position. With the Black Knights also into the A-League semis and Super Rugby’s local sides still hunting playoff spots, professional sport in the city has rarely felt this competitive across codes. The full match wrap is also available from RNZ.

Did Webster make the right call sticking with Boyd over Metcalf? Should Jackson Ford be a lock for the New South Wales Origin side? Have your say in the comments below.