NRL: Victory against Broncos will seal spot

Ben Matulino attempts to ground the ball behind his back during the narrow 19-16 loss to Manly. Photo / Getty Images

The Warriors will face Brisbane on Friday night knowing a victory will guarantee their finals place.

A win would take the Warriors to the 30 point mark, putting them out of reach of the Broncos, Rabbitohs, Eels and Knights - meaning they could finish no lower than eighth.

A loss, however, would see the Warriors slip into a dogfight with up to five other teams for the final two finals places.

The full nature of the prize on offer is yet to be determined. While the Warriors could climb the ladder with a final round victory over the Eels in Sydney, a top-four finish and home final now looks highly unlikely.

Even so, the prospect of simply booking a return to finals football will be a massive carrot for a Warriors side that crashed and burned last season.

Having already missed one chance to cement their place with a narrow defeat by Manly on Saturday night, they won't want to blow another against the Broncos.

"Obviously, it's the biggest game of the year. I know all of our boys are already looking forward to it," coach Ivan Cleary said.

What is shaping as a nervy encounter without injured vice-captain Micheal Luck could have been a celebration party had the Warriors shown more composure - and enjoyed better fortune - against the Sea Eagles.

They led three times, only to be sunk by a Trent Hodkinson field goal with three minutes remaining.

Sam Rapira partially blocked Hodkinson's lame duck strike, but the ball flopped over to hand Manly the two crucial competition points. Ben Matulino getting over the line - with the ball caught behind his back, which prevented him from scoring - and a harsh forward-pass call that killed a late breakout were other examples of Warriors' misfortune.

But their defeat was down to more than dumb luck, with two blunders in a frantic final 10 minutes proving costly. Centre Joel Moon attempted an unwise pass to Manu Vatuvei and captain Simon Mannering took the gloss of a storming personal display with an injudicious offload to Jacob Lillyman that handed Hodkinson the chance to kick his side to victory.

Cleary lamented the "good half dozen errors" and 10-5 penalty count against his side that negated their forward superiority in a match that started brightly but became a grind.

A powerful Mannering try and another he and Bill Tupou set up for James Maloney gave the Warriors a 14-10 at the break.

Steve Matai and Tony Williams had twice pegged things back for Manly before the interval and Williams' second, seven minutes after the restart, locked things up.

After Hodkinson's goal put Manly ahead by a point, Vatuvei and Mannering engineered a promising breakout only for play to be called back when a touch judge ruled Mannering's pass forward. Replays suggested the ruling was incorrect.

The Warriors will take plenty of consolation from matching Manly across the board, winning the territorial battle for long periods - and from a bright debut from hooker Alehana Mara and a strong effort from replacement back rower Sione Lousi.

RACE FOR TOP EIGHT
Warriors (7th)
* Points: 28
* Differential +7
* To play: Broncos (h), Eels (a)

THE CHASING PACK
Broncos (8th)
* Points: 26
* Differential +7
* To play: Warriors (a), Raiders (h)

Raiders: (9th)
* Points: 26
* Differential: -40
* To play: Cowboys (h), Broncos (a)

Rabbitohs (10th)
* Points: 24
* Differential: +23
* To play: Eels (h), Dragons (a)

Knights (11th)
* Points: 24
* Differential: -32
* To play: Dragons (h), Storm (a)

Eels (12th)
* Points: 24
* Differential: -56
* To play: Rabbitohs (a), Warriors (h)