Sea Eagles 14 Warriors 6
"Maybe we have got to start pulling some doors off hinges."
That was the acid response of Warriors coach Ivan Cleary to the contentious video referee decision that sunk his side in yesterday's arm wrestle with Manly.
Cleary's comment was a reference to Manly coach Des Hasler's door-wrecking tantrum following a round two defeat by the Eels - and to the fact he felt Manly had received a telling slice of good fortune when Steve Matai's match-winning try was awarded in the 66th minute.
Replays suggested the Kiwis centre propelled the ball forward while attempting to ground Kieran Foran's grubber but video referee Phil Cooley awarded the try on a benefit of the doubt call.
"I'm not sure why it was benefit of the doubt," Cleary said. "I guess you can look at it and think 'that is the sort of day it was'. They probably made their luck a bit more than we did."
Hasler, unsurprisingly, had no issues with a decision that extended his side's lead from a precarious two points to a decisive eight.
"The grounding ... it's within the rules so we'll take the try," Hasler said, a remark that seemed to irk the usually unflappable Cleary.
"I'm sure Des would think that. Maybe we have got to start pulling some doors off hinges."
Taking it out on the dressing-room furniture, however, is the last thing Cleary will do.
The Warriors weren't bad enough to provoke a tantrum - even from the likes of Hasler. They simply looked tired, and lacked the offensive spark to get any change from a solid Manly defensive effort.
Manly led 6-0 at the break thanks to a slick Michael Robertson try and a Jamie Lyon penalty.
After a lacklustre first half the Warriors found some zip five minutes into the second, with Jerome Ropati slicing through to score following neat work from Lance Hohaia, Wade McKinnon and Lewis Brown.
Hohaia buzzed around trying to make things happen, and McKinnon also put himself about, but there was more than a hint of inevitability as the tiring Warriors succumbed to Manly's Anthony Watmough-inspired pressure.
Lyon kicked a go-ahead penalty from straight in front after 58 minutes before the Kiwi duo of Foran and Matai combined for the continuous, decisive score.
"We definitely looked a bit flat today and that can happen," Cleary said. "In the end we weren't good enough to get the job done."
Things may have been different had Manu Vatuvei not been sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Warriors had enough ball and field position to put points on Manly, they simply lacked the strikepower to use it.
Young winger Bill Tupou had a good debut standing in for Vatuvei, but he was more buzzing bee than Beast.
The Warriors were good enough to stay in the contest, however last week's exertions in the blazing Queensland sun coupled with an extensive injury toll - and Manly's relentless approach - were hurdles too significant to overcome.
"I think we had a good enough team to win the game," Cleary said. "As a side we were just down a bit. To Manly's credit they turned up with a very purposeful and aggressive game. We had a very tired game and in the end they just did enough to win."
Centre Brent Tate was reluctant to blame fatigue for the defeat but he conceded the torrid early season schedule had a taken a toll.
"When you play at one o'clock in Brisbane it is tough," Tate said.
"It is definitely not an excuse for us but as a players' association we talk about player safety and all that sort of stuff and then we play at one o'clock on a Sunday in Brisbane with no breaks. It is pretty tough mate.
"But even though we were off it was still a game we could have won. If we are looking for positives that is one right there."
With a trip to Sydney to play the resurgent Bulldogs their next assignment on Saturday night, there is little respite for the Warriors.
There is unlikely to be much relief on the injury front either, with Vatuvei and captain Simon Mannering not expected to recover from hamstring strains in time to play.
"I'd be surprised if they are in, put it that way," Cleary said.
