NRL round 4 LIVE: Warriors lead Tigers ahead of Broncos-Dolphins clash

Now the Warriors get a penalty for offside, because they are inside their own 20 metres, and the Tigers are penalised again after Heamasi Makasini is pinged for attempting to strip the ball in a two-man tackle.

The Warriors get their first attacking raid and they make no mistake, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad – playing in the centres tonight – sliding through a half gap to score out wide on the right. Tanah Boyd retains the goal-kicking duties despite the return from injury of Luke Metcalf tonight, but his conversion attempt drifts wide.

Warriors 4, Tigers 0 after 10 minutes

Both sides look strong in their first sets of the contest, Jock Madden getting a good kick away on the last for the Tigers. It’s a very inexperienced back five for the Tigers tonight, with rookies Faaletino Tavana, Heamasi Makasini and Luke Laulilii.

The visitors get the first penalty of the game, offside from a kick chase, and a kick for touch sends them from their own 20-metre line into the Warriors’ half. They test out the home side’s left-edge defence but Adam Doueihi’s final pass towards Tavana’s wing is out of reach of the debutant and goes into touch.

Warriors 0, Tigers 0 after five minutes

It’s been a decade since the Tigers have won a game at Go Media Stadium in Auckland, Andrew Voss says on Fox Sports, as the men in orange take the field. They’re up against it tonight without their best player in the side against the league leaders.

James Fisher-Harris leads the Warriors out now and expectations are high from this sold-out home crowd after their super start to 2026.

The Tigers kick things off and Fisher-Harris takes the first carry of the game.

Benji Marshall has spoken to Fox Sports ahead of kick-off on his team being without Jarome Luai tonight, with Jock Madden replacing the Origin star at five-eighth.

“Big loss, but at the same time we gain a lot of things with Jock’s game,” Marshall says. “He’s a good organiser, a good kicker of the ball, and he brings a lot of strengths to our team. But we just want him to go out and play his game, and express himself.”

And the key to toppling the table-topping Warriors?

“It starts with the field position – try to limit the amount of times they get into our half. But at the same time if we make an error, just defend it.”

The Brisbane Broncos are the gift that keeps on giving for rugby league journalists. The reigning premiers can’t stay out of the headlines, and now we have defensive coach Ben Te’o resigning after a heated altercation with head coach Michael Maguire.

So why are the Broncos imploding so close to their grand final win?

This week, Herald rugby league writer Christian Nicolussi breaks down all the latest in the NRL with Zac Bailey from Nine News.

Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf has refused to rule out luring Ben Te’o back to Redcliffe following the former State of Origin enforcer’s resignation from his position as defence coach at the Brisbane Broncos.

Te’o sent shockwaves through the NRL after resigning, with reports emerging of a falling out with the club and head coach Michael Maguire.

It was reported Te’o clashed with Maguire over team tactics before their triumph over the Melbourne Storm, which came after his hopes of joining the Maroons’ coaching staff was knocked back by Broncos hierarchy.

Before he worked with Brisbane, Te’o led the Redcliffe Dolphins Queensland Cup side. And Woolf was an assistant coach at the Broncos during Te’o’s time there as a player.

Warriors

Taine Tuaupiki moves to fullback, with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad shifting to centre and Ali Leiataua dropping out of the side. Luke Metcalf returns at five-eighth alongside Tanah Boyd.

21. Taine Tuaupiki 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Adam Pompey 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Luke Metcalf 7. Tanah Boyd 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Wayde Egan 10. Jackson Ford 11. Leka Halasima 12. Jacob Laban 13. Erin Clark.

Bench: 14. Samuel Healey 15. Mitchell Barnett 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith 18. Marata Niukore 20. Chanel Harris-Tavita

Wests Tigers

Jock Madden believes he’s come a long way as a player in the 1300 days since he last pulled on the Wests Tigers jersey.

“I just think maturity, development is a big factor,” Madden said. “I feel I learnt my trade well up in Brisbane. I’m just really looking forward to getting out there with the boys on Friday night … Pulling on that jersey again, I’ll be feeling a lot of emotions.

“But I’ve got a job to do, we’ve got a job to do, that’s what we’re over here for.”

Madden is back in the black, white and orange for Friday’s away clash against the Warriors, as the replacement for injured co-captain Jarome Luai. It’s a full-circle moment for the playmaker after making his NRL debut at the Tigers in 2021, and playing his last game for the club in round 25 the following year.