KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Warriors' Mr Dependable, Simon Mannering, hasn't forgotten the last time a team sitting bottom of the National Rugby League (NRL) came to Auckland.
That was just five weeks ago and the visitors were South Sydney, four points adrift of the rest of the field and with just one win in 10 matches.
But the Rabbitohs answered the pundits who said they didn't have a show at Mt Smart Stadium by overcoming an early 0-14 deficit to pull off a 35-28 upset.
Souths haven't looked back since, their result over the Warriors sparking a remarkable change in fortunes and a winning streak that stands at four matches.
Mannering is aware of a similar scenario tomorrow night, when the Warriors face the NRL's present cellar dwellars, North Queensland.
He believed keeping the throttle tight would be the key to preventing lightning from striking twice.
"I don't think we took the Rabbitohs lightly, but we had a good start and might have taken the pedal off," he said.
"By the end of the game, they were beating us. Against the Cowboys, we'll definitely have to play the full 80 minutes."
With nine rounds to go, the Warriors remain in 13th spot. They are only three points out of the top eight, but have a big points difference against them.
They welcome back skipper Steve Price and centre Brent Tate from Queensland's victorious State of Origin campaign and can concentrate on the rest of the season without representative distractions.
The Warriors, who like the Cowboys had a bye last weekend, are backing up from a 28-26 win over the West Tigers in Sydney, when they were pumped up by prop Ruben Wiki's 300th NRL appearance.
Mannering was involved in what turned out to be a key moment at Leichhardt Oval.
His superb backhand offload to Sonny Fai led to Lance Hohaia's try, which put the Warriors back in front with 15 minutes to go.
Mannering has arguably been the Warriors' top performer this season.
Despite being hampered by a groin injury, the second rower has been an ever-present in the Warriors' lineup and has produced the goods week in and week out.
His own assessment of his form is a modest "it's been all right".
As for his sleight of hand against the Tigers, he said developing his attacking skills was something coach Ivan Cleary and assistant John Ackland had talked to him about.
"I probably get a little one-dimensional and can be happy to cart the ball up as far as I can," he said.
"I just want to work on the attack side of my footy. I don't want to get ahead of myself and try doing something in every play. It's just simple things like picking the time to pass or putting on a bit of footwork when it's on."
The Cowboys have influential halfback Johnathan Thurston, the Origin man-of-the-series after guiding the Maroons to victory, back on deck.
But they have a long injury list as well, including fullback Matt Bowen, who starred with a three-try display in their 48-20 defeat of the Warriors in Townsville in April, while former Kangaroos forward Luke O'Donnell remains suspended.
The Cowboys also have the millstone of a nine-match losing streak - just one short of the club record - hanging around their necks, with their win over the Warriors being their last.
"They've had a pretty tough season, but they have players like Thurston who can turn things around," Mannering said.
"We can't take any team lightly and the boys will be going out fired up."
- NZPA
