NRL: Manu celebrates in style

Manu Vatuvei scored two tries as the Warriors earned a win in his 200th NRL game. Photo / Getty

Warriors 32
Tigers 22

No one could ever accuse the Warriors of doing things the easy way. With so much hype around Manu Vatuvei's 200th game, this match could have been wrapped up much earlier than it was.

The home side banked the two points with a 32-22 win and Vatuvei stuck to the script with two tries.

But the tension was almost unbearable late in the second half, as the Warriors kept inviting the Tigers back into the contest and the result was sealed only in the last minute through a Bodene Thompson try.

There was a lot to like about the performance of the hosts, with some brilliance on attack against a side that has started 2015 impressively. Shaun Johnson sparked to life, the backline gelled nicely on occasions and the pack were brutal.

Nine Warriors carried for more than 100m (only Aaron Woods managed the feat for the Tigers), with Jacob Lillyman and Ryan Hoffman prominent.

But they were still a bit messy. They dominated possession, territory and the penalty count (10-5) but couldn't put the Tigers away.

The Warriors came up with some sublime moments last night, but that's not enough to be a genuine title contender. For all the gains made under coach Andrew McFadden, they have retained the frustrating ability to make costly errors at the worst times.

A knock-on from a play-the-ball let the Tigers back into the game minutes before halftime. Another spill early in the second half, after four consecutive sets attacking the Tigers' line, stalled momentum and the visitors scored soon after. And Konrad Hurrell was provoked into reacting to some niggle with the team hot on attack, leading to an almost 100m territorial swing.

"We certainly don't make it easy for ourselves," said Shaun Johnson. "We had plenty of ball, plenty of pressure. We are saying the right things out there about staying calm, building pressure ... but those errors at key times could have put us in a really bad spot."

The Tigers opened the scoring through Tim Simona, after Robbie Farah broke the Warriors open up the middle. After a sluggish start from the home side, Vatuvei gave the crowd what they wanted, crashing over near the left touchline from Tui Lolohea's cut-out pass.

It was a typical effort from The Beast. With no room to work with and two defenders on top of him, he had the strength to score his 139th NRL try.

The Warriors got going in the second quarter, with three tries in nine minutes. The first saw Chad Townsend dart through near the posts before Lolohea scored a try for the highlight reels.

After a Hoffman offload near halfway, the jet-heeled Johnson cut the Tigers defence wide open before releasing Hurrell, who put Lolohea over near the posts. When Johnson scored on the next Warriors attack, the Tigers looked on the ropes.

But they rebounded through a soft James Tedesco try five minutes before halftime. The Warriors could have sewn up the game early in the second half, but couldn't find any profit from four consecutive sets camped on the Tigers' line and Simona's second try - brushing off two tackles - increased the tension.

Vatuvei looked to have sealed the match with his second try but Pat Richards' 75th-minute try led to a tense finish before Thompson bundled his way over after retrieving a Townsend bomb.

Warriors 32 (M Vatuvei 2, C Townsend, T Lolohea, S Johnson, B. Thompson tries; Johnson 4 goals)
Tigers 18 (T Simona 2, P Richards, J Tedesco tries; Richards 3 goals)
HT: 20-12