Rugby: Warriors continue winning streak

The McDonald’s South West Warriors extended their winning streak into theWARugby League premier grade finals series after a convincing 38-point triumph over Fremantle Roosters in Perth on Saturday.

Picture: Brandon Timlin

The 44-6 qualifying final win means that South West will play off against Rockingham in Perth this weekend for a place in next month’s grand final.

It was the Warriors’ second victory over Fremantle in a week, and the side’s fifth win in succession, after they had mauled the Roosters 62-0 in the final home-and-away fixture the previous Saturday.

At Charles Riley Reserve, South West centre Codean Manu was named best on ground for his dominant performance while half-back Brandon Timlin continued his fine form to finish the game with 20 points, including two tries.

The previous Saturday, Timlin scored 28 points against Fremantle.

‘‘It was a big test for us, especially after beating them so badly the week before,’’ South West coach Darren Shaw said.

‘‘The boys came out and played the sort of rugby that we want to play, they were really strong.’’

He said the Warriors would go into this weekend’s fixture full of confidence after a mesmerising winning streak that has seen them win their last five games by a combined margin of 194 points.

‘‘Definitely we’ve got momentum and that can be a hard thing to take away,’’ he said.

‘‘Straight after winning last week we had our eyes on Rockingham.

‘‘We will have an intense week at training and go into the game full of confidence.’’

South West defeated Rockingham by 42 points when the sides met last month.