“I’m playing with a lot of confidence now, and that’s just instilled through me by the boys I have in front of me, especially Erin Clark.
“He’s a great player, and the work he does with me and the confidence he gives me to play my footy is amazing. He’s a really big driver for me to come out of my shell and to put my best footy on.
Tanner Stowers-Smith attributes his 2026 form surge to the help of teammate Erin Clark. Photo / Photosport
“I’ve got Fordy [Jackson Ford], Fish [Fisher-Harris] and Barney [Barnett] who I look up to a lot, and who drive me to live up to their standard each week.
“I’m loving footy at the moment, and those boys really put a big impact on how I’ve been playing this year.”
It was a game marred by controversy, with referee Gerrard Sutton awarding an early penalty to the Sharks for a Chanel Harris-Tavita time violation before a goal-line dropout.
Sutton told Harris-Tavita he had five seconds to make the kick, but the buzzer went off a couple of seconds later.
Sutton awarded the penalty anyway, causing Warriors coach Andrew Webster to label the incident “embarrassing” and “unprofessional” in the post-match press conference.
Andrew Webster was critical of a controversial call in the Warriors’ defeat to the Sharks. Photo / Photosport
Later in the contest, Warriors halfback Te Maire Martin had a field goal attempt charged down minutes before Sharks five-eighth Braydon Trindall kicked the winner.
Warriors centre Adam Pompey had a chance to tie the match, but missed a penalty kick on the final play.
Stowers-Smith said the Sharks executed under pressure.
“Just big moments that changed the game, or they capitalised on.
“They came to play, and obviously had a really good game plan about how they were going to go about their footy. They dominated us in periods too.”
On the bright side, the Warriors debuted New South Wales Cup hooker Makaia Tafua, who Stowers-Smith praised highly.
Makaia Tafua made his NRL debut against the Sharks. Photo / Photosport
“I thought he killed it. A really young squad, a lot of our big dogs out, but we never took that as any excuse and never had a different mindset. We all know whoever steps in the jersey can do a really good job.
“He [Webster] was proud, but it was just moments in the game where they took opportunities, and we need to get better.”
The Warriors will debut at Christchurch’s Te Kaha Stadium on Sunday when they host the North Queensland Cowboys.
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.