Warriors 26
Sea Eagles 24
Veteran warhorses Stacey Jones and captain Steve Price crafted a classic New Zealand Warriors win as they steered their team to a thrilling 26-24 win over reigning National Rugby League champions Manly in Sydney this evening.
Price was the provider for two of the Warriors' first-half tries while Jones was
the architect of the team's last two tries in the second half as they staged a come-from-behind victory.
Both teams scored five tries, with the boot of Denan Kemp separating the sides when he converted Jerome Ropati's try from wide out on the left with two minutes remaining.
Seeking their first win of the season after losing 12-34 to the the Bulldogs last week, Manly looked to have gained control midway through the second half as they led 24-16 after overhauling the Warriors' 16-10 halftime lead.
Returning to play his first NRL match in 3-1/2 years after multiple retirements, Jones started solidly, making a number of tackles.
But when it was most needed he pulled his magic out of the bag to set the Warriors on the path towards their second win of the new season.
His first big dummy and step of the match midway through the second half saw him slip an inside pass to Nathan Fien but the standoff fumbled and was unable to regather the ball which fell to the ground inside the scoring zone.
Jones then decided to do all the work himself.
He chipped over a flat Manly defence, regathered the ball and went on a jinking 40m run before releasing Brent Tate to score his second try of the match.
With time ticking away, Jones then placed a precise kick into the scoring box for wing Manu Vatuvei to leap high and knock the ball into the arms of Jerome Ropati for the equalising touchdown, giving Kemp the chance to goal the winning points.
The Warriors conceded early tries, the first to wing Michael Bani after giving away two consecutive penalties which let Manly gain territorial advantage.
The second came when Bani threaded his way down the Warriors left wing, leaving Manu Vatuvei in his wake before offloading to Michael Lyons, who tip-toed through to dot down.
The Warriors fought back to regain the lead with three tries between the 19th and 24th minutes, the first going to Tate, who was put through by a well-timed pass from Simon Mannering.
Price then stepped up. He was at the heart of a setpiece move, freeing Vatuvei to score a try before putting former Newcastle prop Jesse Royal into space for the second which put the Warriors 16-10 ahead.
The Warriors were on the back foot when their second-half restart went out on the full and Manly punished them with quick tries to Andrew Suniula and Adam Cuthbertson.
The Warriors, sometimes defending their line with desperation, did not fold, giving Jones the chance to weave some magic.
With 15min remaining, the team knew they had to get to their kicks, push up a little more and just hang in there, Jones said.
He credited fullback Wade McKinnon for calling for him to make the chip leading to Tate's second try.
Warriors 26 (Brent Tate 2, Manu Vatuvei, Jesse Royal, Jerome Ropati tries; Denan Kemp 3 goals)
Sea Eagles 24 (Jamie Lyon 2, Michael Bani, Andrew Suniula, Adam Cuthbertson, tries, Matt Orford 2 goals).
Halftime: 16-10
- NZPA
