KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters both missed field goal attempts in golden point extra time to draw a thrilling National Rugby League (NRL) match 31-31 here today.
In one of the best NRL matches in recent memory, both sides scored five tries then traded field goals
to five-eighths Braith Anasta and Michael Witt, whose 35m effort with 20 seconds left sent the match into 10 minutes of extra time.
But they couldn't be split.
Warriors fullback Wade McKinnon's left-foot effort missed to the left with 1min 22sec remaining then Anasta's 38m attempt also drifted left with 20sec remaining in extra time.
There were also magnificent trysaving tackles from Witt and Ruben Wiki.
The one competition point earned saw the Warriors slip just outside the top four after North Queensland's win over Canberra last night.
The Warriors looked to have the match in safe keeping at 30-18 with 20min left but they conceded two tries while centre Simon Mannering was in the sinbin after stripping the ball in a tackle in the 68th minute.
Inspired by bench forward Epalahame Lauaki, who scored two tries in a standout performance, the Warriors had over-run the Roosters, who were shooting for their fourth consecutive win under new coach Brad Fittler.
A week after upsetting NRL favourites Melbourne, the Roosters continued their roll early on by racing to a 16-0 lead after 20min, including an early double to Joel Monaghan.
Craig Wing, shifted from halfback to hooker in a late positional switch, laid on all three of their tries in the opening quarter as the Warriors conceded penalties and made simple defensive errors on their own line.
But Lauaki's arrival sparked the Warriors, who raced back with three tries in 8min to snatch the lead before the break.
A Lauaki short ball put the ever-alert Wade McKinnon into a hole on halfway and he raced around Roosters fullback Sam Perrett to score under the crossbar.
Jerome Ropati scored 3min later when Lauaki spotted a chance down the right, wing Michael Crockett raced away and in-passed to Ropati.
The Warriors then hit the front when Grant Rovelli's flat pass found a rampaging Lauaki, who spun away from Wing and planted the ball with his right arm through two defenders.
The visitors withstood heavy Roosters pressure early in the second half, a Craig Fitzgibbon penalty levelling the scores in the 46th minute.
But the Warriors reclaimed control again with two tries in 7min to lead 30-18 with 20min left.
Lauaki bagged a double from another Rovelli short ball, and a suspiciously forward pass, before Manu Vatuvei dived on a pinpoint Rovelli grubber in the left-hand corner and was given the benefit of the doubt by video referee Sean Hampstead.
Tries to Wing and a third to Monaghan set up a thrilling finish.
NZPA
