What's it like to be a supporter of the New Zealand Warriors? Well their win against the North Queensland Cowboys was like a 'Supporting the Warriors 101'.

It had it all, a decent Warriors performance, a typical Warriors 'let the other team back in the game' narrative, some typical Aussie referring and a final 10 minutes that would have had Mathew Elliot hitting up the master of zen Phil Jackson for some advice.

But hey, a few points in the bag.

On the whole, we saw a much better effort up front from the lads. Sam Rapira was near his best and Jacob Lillyman was very good. The Cowboys have a big pack and the Warriors put in the hard yards to earn some respect from the Cowboys big boppers.

If you're a Nathan Friend hater, re-consider your love of footy. This guy holds the Warriors defence together (as best he can) and is very smart out of dummy half. He's our Matt Ballin.

Jayson Bukuya, I saw you get under the skin of Jason Taumalolo. Good from you chief.

Now on to the Tongans. Feleti Mateo had a big impact, coming on for Sione Lousi and giving the Warriors speed, footwork and skill through the middle. Big ol' Manu was on a mission which was good to see ... so was seeing Kyle Feldt on his backside. As predicted by the Mystery Doctor, Konrad Hurrell came off the bench and his inclusion to the game was huge. Playing in the middle, he offered some much needed punch, power and enthusiasm which gave the Warriors another dimension.

Of course, there's the mistakes, letting the Cowboys back innit, YG 4 Hunnit.

Whether the Warriors were responsible for grinding out a win when they weren't at their best, or whether the footballin' gods were just on our side, it's a few points in the bag.