The pain of defeat... Warriors fullback Kevin Locke (front) and teammates sit shattered on the playing field after their NRL grand final loss. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Manly 24
Warriors 10
Fortune doesn't always favour the brave. Sometimes it chooses the tough instead.
Bravery is an overused term in sport - it seems every minnow that has copped a flogging in the Rugby World Cup has been brave or determined or both.
But the Warriors were brave in defeat last night. Genuinely brave. Manly were just too tough for them.
The suspicion from early on this season that Manly were the best team in the competition was ultimately confirmed.
But the feeling that the Warriors are a team on the rise - possibly the team of the future - was also reaffirmed.
In a stirring second-half revival, the Warriors displayed skill and speed that other teams can only dream of. They were also mighty determined, right to the end.
But fate had already spoken, using referees Tony Archer and Matt Cecchin as its mouthpieces. The words "play on" with seconds remaining in the first half were the death knell. What came later was merely an extended protest vote.
Manly's opening try was unfortunate, their second farcical. Warriors hooker Aaron Heremaia was clearly taken out in the build-up, but the score stood and what would have been a 2-6 halftime deficit became 2-12. Against this Manly team, that's lights out.
Such incidents turn games, but they arrive only when teams are good enough to create them, and they count only when teams are good enough to take advantage of them. Manly were certainly that.
Fortune favoured the Warriors at times in that first half, but all they could muster was two points from James Maloney's boot after George Rose had knocked Heremaia senseless with an elbow. Manly skipper Jamie Lyon spent the entire time it took Maloney to complete the kick complaining to the referees. It seemed to have an effect, as an obvious strip on Feleti Mateo that led to Manly's first try came moments later.
Fortune had spoken, and it favoured the team with the unwavering defensive line.
It wasn't all smash and bash from Manly. Their third try, a second-half clincher, showed they had the art to go with resolve - Will Hopoate's backhand flick to Glenn Stewart was a thing of beauty.
The same could be said of Warrior Manu Vatuvei's finish from Shaun Johnson's pass and Elijah Taylor's strong push to the line, but this time it was too little too late for a Warriors side that had defied the odds simply to be in the game's showpiece.
Glory for the Warriors will have to wait. Delivering it now becomes the job of Brian McClennan, after Ivan Cleary's solid coaching reign ended on an oh-so-close note.
The Warriors certainly didn't lack for support at a sold-out ANZ Stadium.
Manly chairman Scott Penn and chief operating officer David Perry penned an open letter in an Australian newspaper pleading with neutral fans not to let the premiership trophy be taken overseas for the first time in its 104-year history.
"It would be much appreciated if you could find that hidden maroon part of your heart and cheer us on as we take on the Warriors," the letter said.
Judging by the reactions when pictures of the teams exiting their buses flashed up on the big screen, there was little chance of that.
Warriors fans were in the stadium in their thousands by the time the Auckland Vulcans suffered a last-play loss in the NSW Cup final.
However, the Junior Warriors won their second Toyota Cup in a row - a 31-30 golden-point win over the Cowboys - so the Warriors club didn't go home empty handed. But the big one will have to wait.
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