The New Zealand Warriors are two rounds into the 2026 NRL season and already the familiar question is back, are they actually ready to contend for a premiership, or is this just another early-season surge that will fade when the heavyweights start flexing?

Right now, the evidence is pretty compelling. The Warriors are sitting 2–0 to start the year and their most recent performance, a thumping 40–6 win over the Canberra Raiders in Auckland, looked every bit like the performance of a team that believes it belongs near the top of the ladder.

What made the result even more impressive was the context. The game started in chaos for the Warriors. Raiders fullback Kaeo Weekes crossed in just the fourth minute and suddenly the visitors looked ready to spoil the party. But instead of panicking, the Warriors settled into the grind. By halftime it was locked at 6–6 before the home side blew the game open in the second half, piling on 34 unanswered points to run away with the match.

The name that kept popping up all night was Leka Halasima. The 20-year-old back-rower was a late inclusion after Kurt Capewell suffered a calf injury in the warm-up, but he played the full 80 minutes and produced a stellar performance with two tries, six tackle busts and over 100 running metres. It wasn’t just Halasima either. Winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak also grabbed a double, while the Warriors’ attack clicked through the spine. Halfback Tanah Boyd ran the show with a sharp kicking game in tough conditions and added two try assists and a try of his own.

The bigger takeaway, though, was the way the Warriors physically dominated Canberra. The Raiders came into the season as the defending minor premiers and one of the toughest packs in the competition. Yet once the Warriors found their rhythm, they simply rolled over them through the middle and kept the pressure coming until the scoreboard blew out.
For Warriors fans, it felt like the kind of performance that hints at something bigger.

This is a club that flirted with being a genuine contender last year. The Warriors spent much of 2025 hovering around the top four before injuries to key players like Mitch Barnett and Luke Metcalf derailed their momentum and they slipped to sixth before being knocked out in week one of the finals. The talent in the roster has never really been the question. Andrew Webster has built a side that plays fast, direct and physical football. The forward pack, led by James Fisher-Harris and backed by rising players like Halasima, can match most teams in the competition when they get rolling.

The spine has also started to settle. Wayde Egan remains one of the most reliable hookers in the game, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad brings energy and organisation from fullback, and Boyd has looked comfortable steering the team around the park early in the season.
But the real reason people are starting to believe in this Warriors side again is their resilience. Against Canberra they lost Chanel Harris-Tavita to a head injury early in the game and still found a way to completely dominate the second half. That sort of response says something about the mindset Webster has built into this group.

Still, two rounds is two rounds. The NRL season is long and history says plenty of teams look dangerous in March before the grind of winter exposes their weaknesses. Injuries remain a concern for the Warriors, particularly in the forward pack, and their depth will be tested if key players miss extended time. And there’s the bigger question every emerging contender faces, can they beat the teams that matter in September?