League: New Zealand Warriors fall short against Parramatta Eels

Simon Mannering of the Warriors looks dejected after an Eels try. Photo / Getty

Eels 32 Warriors 24

The wait goes on. The Warriors' awful record across the Tasman continued tonight, with a frustrating 32-24 loss to the Eels.

They have yet to win a match away from Mt Smart this season, and haven't won on Australian soil since August last year.

It was one of those nights for the Warriors, who had moments of good football - and some gritty defence - but were ultimately their own worst enemies. The Eels were there for the taking, as they were left with just one bench player in the second half, but the Warriors faltered in the vital moments. They made a brave comeback, scoring two converted tries in the last 16 minutes, but left themselves with too much to do and froze in the final moments.

Shaun Johnson had a mixed night, with three crucial errors, one of which led to a vital Semi Radradra try just before halftime. The match was ultimately lost either side of halftime, as the Eels accelerated from a 12-12 deadlock to an imposing 26-12 lead.

The Warriors made an awful start, conceding two tries in the first 10 minutes, as the Eels waltzed through near non-existent defence. Playing at ANZ Stadium for just the second time since the 2011 Grand final, the Warriors seemed to lose each other in the cavernous stadium early on, as Kirisome Auva'a and Josh Hoffman crossed through a splintered defensive line. It was a ominous sign, but thankfully the Warriors showed some resolve.

The forwards worked to win back some initiative, and Kieran Foran put Simon Mannering across with a beautifully timed pass in the 19th minute. It looked simple, but the secret was in Foran's trademark ability to delay his move until the last possible moment, leaving the defenders on their heels. There was further positive signs five minutes later, when Maumalo defied gravity to score in the corner. The 1.91m, 105 kilo winger showed the grace of a ballerina, as he managed to plant the ball just inside the corner post while his entire body was suspended in mid-air outside it.

At that stage the Warriors had all the momentum, especially the Eels had lost hooker Kaysa Pritchard in the ninth minute (concussion) and had others with serious knocks. It was foot on the throat time, but the Warriors turned it into a foot in a mouth moment, coming up with one of those inexplicably inopportune plays they seem to have a mortgage on, as a Johnson air swing close to the Eels line led to an 80 metre Radradra runaway try.

Things didn't improve early in the second half, as two more errors from the halfback - including an awful kick out on the full - increased the pressure on the Auckland side, as the penalties started to flow for the Eels. Tepai Moeroa's 56th minute try seemed to be the back breaker for the visitors, those tries to Ryan Hoffman and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck raised some hope before Clint Gutherson's late effort.