Shaun Johnson is yet to wear the golden boot comfortably, but Sam Tomkins made a seamless return from a rare injury as the Warriors continued to torment the Canberra Raiders with a hard-fought 18-6 victory at Gio Stadium on Sunday night.



The English test star Tomkins had a hand in two of the Warriors three tries, including Solomone Kata's first NRL try a minute into the second spell after Raiders interchange prop Paul Vaughan inexplicably knocked on when running back the restart.



Tomkins, who produced a team high 13 try assists in 2014, underscored his offensive prowess when he ghosted past Edrick Lee to set up the rookie as the Warriors produced a match-defining two-try burst before absorbing plenty of defensive pressure to atone for a poor second half in Newcastle last Saturday.



The Warriors had amassed 158 points in their previous three games against Canberra and although they were not as prolific in this second round clash, they notched back to back wins in the Australian capital after losing eight consecutive games at the Raiders headquarters.



Tomkins' return from as hamstring injury relieved some pressure on Johnson but the lead playmaker still had issues with his accuracy and option taking - though his bravery could not be questioned.



Johnson had an injury scare midway through the opening half when his left wrist needed strapping after a collision with teammate Albert Vete but persevered and played a role in a key tackle when he jolted the ball from Iosia Soliola in the 25th minute.



From the resulting scrum the Warriors headed left with a series of slick transfers producing a straight forward finish for Manu Vatuvei to notch his 13th try in his last six games against the Raiders.



Typically it was Tomkins - who was also in the wars when rolling an ankle in the 64th minute provided the last pass as the English international predictably enhanced the Warriors attack.



A 70-metre counterattack highlighted Tomkins impact in the first half and also encapsulated the Warriors error-prone performance when possession was turned over two plays after Jarrad Kennedy was penalised for delaying the fullback while the Raiders tracked back.



The Warriors were unable to complete their last five sets leading into the interval while their last play options - a key deficiency against the Knights - rarely applied pressure on Raiders fullback Jack Wighton, until Hoffman rose to snatch a Chad Townsend banana kick to cap the Warriors' impressive start to the second half.



Wellington-born rookie Jeremy Hawkins had the unenviable job of lining up the Warriors' legend after fellow Kiwi Jordan Rapana failed to recover from a hamstring injury and was not overawed by the assignment, particularly in the 51st minute when he was placed on report for a lifting tackle on his significantly bigger marker.



While the Warriors will monitor about Johnson's wrist ahead of Saturday's home clash with Parramatta, captain Simon Mannering might also face an anxious wait after being placed on report in the 20th minute for a high shot on Raiders try-scorer Sisa Waqa.

NZ Warriors 18 (R Hoffman S Kata M Vatuvei tries S Johnson 3 goals) Canberra Raiders 6 (S Waqa try J Croker goal) at GIO Stadium. Referee: Adam Devcich, Gavin Reynolds. Crowd: 8241. HT: 6-6