Warrior's 'unbelievable' four-try haul as 'wizard' Johnson tortures ...

The Warriors absolutely carved up the Dragons 48-18 at WIN Stadium with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak bagging four tries for the first time in his 179-game career.

It took the visitors just four minutes to get on the board when Watene-Zelezniak crossed untouched in an ominous sign of what was to come.

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The Dragons hit back through Tyrell Sloan, who pulled some silky footwork out of his tricks bag, but the Warriors responded with Marcelo Montoya crossing.

Four minutes later Bayley Sironen crossed off a Shaun Johnson grubber and then the Warriors made it three tries in seven minutes when Jackson Ford scored under the posts off a Johnson bomb.

The Warriors copped a blow early in the second half though when Marata Niukore was sin-binned for high contact on Moses Suli, who failed his HIA. Given an act of foul play was involved, the Dragons were able to activate their 18th player, Jaiyden Hunt.

The Dragons capitalised off the one-man advantage when hooker Jacob Liddle set up Zane Musgrove to cross under the posts.

But their joy was short-lived as Watene-Zelezniak crossed in the corner for his second of the night before Johnson got a well-deserved try and Rocco Berry scored too.

The Dragons got a consolation try, but sticking to form, the Warriors struck back as Watene-Zelezniak bagged two more tries in two minutes.

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BIG HITS

‘UNBELIEVABLE’ DWZ STEALS THE SHOW

Take a bow, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

The Warriors winger had a night to remember — perhaps his best game of his 12-year career in the NRL?

Watene-Zelezniak went into the clash with two tries the most he’d ever scored in a game. He not only ticked off a career-first hat-trick, but two minutes later he took that to four tries.

He became the first Warrior in four years to reach a double digit try tally in a season with the four taking him to a total of 12 — equal to his career-best in 2016.

That’s despite the fact he missed the first six weeks of the competition and the Warriors still have at least nine games left.

“We’ve been talking about players in career-best form and Dallin is one of those,” Fox League expert Greg Alexander said.

“Dallin’s form has been unbelievable and it’s not just been the spectacular stuff, (its) the work that he’s doing too.”

JOHNSON A ‘WIZARD’ IN ‘BEST YEAR OF HIS CAREER’

If Ben Hunt needs any proof how important a return home can be then he only has to look at Warriors counterpart Shaun Johnson who continued his stellar season with two try assists in the space of two minutes to blow the game wide open.

The veteran playmaker had a quiet start to the contest but kicked the Dragons to death with a couple of nice plays to set up tries to a couple of his forwards, although there were major doubts over Bayley Sironen’s put down for one of them.

Johnson’s return to form has been one of the great stories of 2023 with the former Golden Boot winner playing the best he has in years which has coincided with a return to New Zealand where he’s loving life being so close to friends and family.

Fox League expert called him a “wizard with the ball” and said he was “torturing” the Dragons, while Cooper Cronk declared Johnson was in “total control” of the Warriors.

“He had a good night out, he led the team around. He had two try assists and his kicking game was on song,” Cooper Cronk said.

“There’s not a stat for total control and domination but he has this team in the palm of his hand at the moment.

“This guy won the Golden Boot in 2014, and you can say he’s playing better this year. He is more measured, he is more consistent, he has every other player on the Warriors on the same page as him.

“He’s still coming up with big plays and I dare say this is Shaun Johnson’s best year of his career and you can say that about a lot of Warriors (players).”

HUNT BOMBSHELL ‘HAVING AN EFFECT ON EVERYONE’

All eyes were on Ben Hunt after the Dragons skipper dropped a bombshell release request on the club last week.

Interim coach Ryan Carr played a straight bat in his pre-game interview when asked about the star No.7 and then afterwards refused to pin the woeful performance on the disruptions the Hunt news has caused.

Hunt was unusually quiet, finishing with three runs for 24 metres and 11 tackles with three misses. But sideline commentator Matt Russell reported that there was not boos or hostility from the passionate Red V fans.

Although one fan was caught on camera with a cheeky sign saying: “Ben, I know a good removalist.”

Fox League expert Cooper Cronk was surprised that of all games, this was the one they waved “the white flag” in, while Michael Ennis urged the club and Hunt to sort out the mess.

“The timing of it is so bizarre and to see the way the side performed tonight only makes things even more amplified,” Ennis said.

“They just have to get to it tomorrow so the players can walk in on Monday into a fresh environment and move forward… It’s having an effect on everyone”

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TEAMS

Dragons team: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Jayden Sullivan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Jack Bird 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Talatau Amone 15. Michael Molo 16. Ben Murdoch-Masila 17. Zane Musgrove 18. Jaiyden Hunt

Warriors team: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Luke Metcalf 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Bunty Afoa 11. Jackson Ford 12. Marata Niukore 13. Tohu Harris 14. Dylan Walker 15. Josh Curran 16. Bayley Sironen 17. Tom Ale 18. Freddy Lussick