The Brisbane Broncos have seen off the New Zealand Warriors on their 20th birthday in a close encounter.
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Brisbane started strongly, racing out to a 16-0 lead, but the Warriors fought back for a nail-biting finish.
Justin Hodges set up winger Corey Oates for the Broncos first try.
Soon after Lachlan Maranta was over on the other wing.
Before half-time the Warriors crossed when Chad Townsend scored from a Shaun Johnson bomb.
Matthew Allwood then got in on the action, finishing off a flowing move.
Johnson’s kicking game was causing the Broncos some problems. Another high-flying bomb set up the Warriors next try.
The ball was flung back and Solomone Kata was there to score. This tied the score at 16-16.
With five minutes to go Corey Parker slotted a penalty and the Broncos were 18-16 in front. Then in the last minute, with the Warriors forced in a drop-out, Johnson tried a desperate short option.
The risky play didn’t come off and Anthony McCullogh scored.
The try in the final minute finished things off and meant Brisbane had won the game by eight points.
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