KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Warriors kept up their push for a National Rugby League playoffs spot with a hard-fought 18-4 victory over the third-placed Cronulla Sharks tonight.
On a cold and at times wet night in Auckland, the Warriors, 10th on the table prior to this round, scrambled well in defence despite a number of handling lapses and made the most of their chances to keep their playoffs chances alive.
The scoreline did not reflect the contribution made to the game by the Sharks, who had chances to score more points.
The Warriors got off to a solid start, Michael Witt kicking a goal in the third minute and Jerome Ropati running 40m to score a try in the seventh minute after teammate Nathan Fien ran 50m upon fielding a kick on the play beforehand.
The Sharks were soon back in the game, however.
They won possession in their opponents' half following a Warriors mistake and slick handling a few minutes later gave winger Luke Covell an overlap as he scored in the left corner.
The Warriors extended their lead 10 minutes later when a penalty for a late charge gave them possession near the Sharks line, and winger Manu Vatuvei barged over in the following play.
Most of the chances in the rest of the first half went to the home team although the Sharks looked dangerous when on attack and they went close to scoring in the dying minutes when interchange forward Adam Peek was denied a try when fullback Wade McKinnon got his leg underneath the ball.
A series of mistakes by the Warriors in the first 20 minutes of the second half gave the Sharks several chances, but desperate defence enabled the home side to maintain their eight-point lead.
The Warriors made the game safe 12 minutes from fulltime when persistent pressure earned them a repeat set of six.
From a play-the-ball close to the line Lance Hohaia ran on to an Ian Henderson pass to score near the goalposts.
The Sharks did not give up and went very close with four minutes to go but Covell was held up over the line.
The win places the Warriors seventh in the race for a playoffs spot, although they can be overtaken by the Raiders, the Knights and the Tigers before the end of the round.
New Zealand Warriors 18 (Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Lance Hohaia tries; Michael Witt 3 goals) Cronulla Sharks 4 (Luke Covell try). Halftime: 12-4.
- NZPA
