Warriors 28
Eels 6
KEY POINTS:
The Warriors wags will have to endure at least another week of hairy chins. The players made a pact a couple of months ago to grow beards - if they could, mind - until the end of the season. The agreement is still on because, after last night, their season is still alive.
They scraped into the playoffs after the Broncos had earlier fulfilled their part of the bargain with a win over the Knights and their reward is a likely trip to Sydney's Northern Beaches on Sunday to take on the relentless Sea Eagles. It is a daunting prospect.
The alternative, should Canberra succumb to a dodgy Doggies outfit today, is a journey to Melbourne on Saturday night or the Sharks if the defending champions slip up against the Rabbitohs tonight. Easy.
"I don't mind who we play," Warriors skipper Steve Price said. "It's just really good [to get through].
"It's not relief. It's just reward for some very hard work. But it's only just beginning now. We don't want to sit back and be satisfied with that."
In truth, though, it is something of a triumph that the Warriors made the top eight at all.
Few thought they would after a torrid first half of the season but they kept plugging away and are now on a run of eight wins in 10 games.
The thing is, it could have been so much better. They must still be ruing the four dropped competition points against the Bunnies that would have seen them taking on the Roosters in Sydney next Saturday.
Wade McKinnon might also be regretting his over-active saliva gland, considering he will be absent for the rest of the season unless the Warriors pull off two upsets in the next fortnight. Last night, however, he wasn't needed.
The star of the show was Manu Vatuvei. The big winger grabbed his first career hat-trick and he did it against the side he had a complete meltdown against last season.
Hooker Ian Henderson was again excellent, sniping out of dummy-half and getting through a power of work on defence, but coach Ivan Cleary can genuinely say it was a team effort.
They achieved good field position, had an 87 per cent completion rate, made only four errors and were solid on defence at both ends of the park. It was finals football a week early.
"We played with great control. It was the way we have been trying to play all season," Price said.
"We just need field position and if we can do that, we're going to be a lot harder to stop. We have improved out of sight in the last eight to 10 weeks and are back to where we want to be. The second half was probably the best we have played all season."
Centre Brent Tate grabbed a second-half double to put the game beyond doubt and finally put the Eels out of their misery.
They are now left to contemplate what might have been. The Warriors can still dream about what might be.
Eels 6 (K. Keating try, L. Burt gl) Warriors 28 (M. Vatuvei 3, B. Tate 2 tries, M. Witt 3 gls). HT: 6-14.
