Veteran winger/fullback Michael Gordon is one of just 20 players to have accumulated 1,500 points in first grade – and the Warriors have frequently been on the wrong end of his radar boot.
MICHAEL GORDON – CAREER RECORD v WARRIORS
Penrith (2006-12): 11 games (won 4, lost 6, drew 1) – 4 tries, 30 goals (76 points)
Cronulla (2013-15): 5 games (won 4, lost 1) – 1 try, 13 goals (30 points)
Parramatta (2016): 1 game (won 1) – 5 goals (10 points)
Sydney Roosters (2017): 1 game (lost 1) – 2 goals (4 points)
TOTAL: 18 games (won 9, lost 8, drew 1) – 5 tires, 50 goals (120 points)
Michael Gordon has played the Warriors more times (18) than any other club, while they are just one of three teams he has landed 50 NRL goals against.
Tweed Heads product Gordon made his NRL debut for Penrith in 2006, but the young winger suffered three losses in his first four clashes with the Warriors.
That changed drastically in 2008, when Gordon – playing under future Warriors coach Matthew Elliott – racked up 22 points from two tries and seven goals in a 46-22 pounding at Panthers Stadium.
The following season, Gordon’s six-from-six contribution off the goalkicking tee was crucial as the Panthers fought back from 26 points down to pull off an unforgettable 32-all draw. He finished the 2009 season with a ridiculous 93.44 percent success rate from 61 shots at goal.
Gordon represented NSW in 2010 and smashed the Penrith club record with 270 points, including a 16-point haul at the Warriors’ expense in a 40-12 result.
But after two injury-hampered seasons – including a year under ex-Warriors coach Ivan Cleary in 2012 – the ultra-consistent flyer was lured to Cronulla to play fullback in 2013. He notched a try and four goals in an early-season 28-4 win over the Elliott-coached Warriors that season.
Gordon won four of his five games against the Warriors as a Shark before linking with Parramatta in 2016.
He slotted five goals in the Eels’ 40-18 victory in the final round at Mount Smart Stadium, but ironically his kicking was a factor in a last-minute Roosters defeat at the ground in 2017. Gordon managed two goals from three attempts, while Shaun Johnson’s three-from-three – including a match-winning penalty at the death – saw the Warriors home 14-13.
Gordon lines up against the Warriors for his fifth club, the Gold Coast Titans, on Saturday. His goalkicking strike-rate against the Warriors (78%) is slightly under his magnificent career average (81%).
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