Warriors 32
Knights 24
The Warriors will rest a whole lot easier over their bye fortnight after a thrilling victory over the Newcastle Knights yesterday kept them in the NRL playoff hunt.
"Oh mate," relieved coach Ivan Cleary exclaimed after James Maloney crossed with two minutes remaining to complete a determined second-half display. "It's the worst thing ever when you lose before a bye. We've already done it once this year. So we'll collect our four points and have a nice little break."
After making a hash of the first half, when they played with a strong wind at their backs, the Warriors found their A-game to subdue the Knights and the elements in a gritty second-half display in Newcastle.
Knights wing sensation Akuila Uate threatened to take the game away from a Warriors side that lost the lead three times, but Joel Moon pounced on a loose pass in the frantic closing minutes and offloaded for Maloney to score the winning try.
Maloney was in outstanding form, adding six goals to his try in a strong display. His halfback partner Isaac John also produced an impressive effort standing in for injured Brett Seymour, while props Russell Packer and Jeremy Latimore led a solid forward effort.
The Warriors are hoping Seymour might return from his fractured leg for the Roosters match in Christchurch on June 27, however John's strong showing makes that less essential.
With senior prop Sami Rapira and experienced forward Jacob Lillyman expected back for the round 17 home match against the Eels, Cleary is confident his side is well placed for a run at the playoffs.
The win moved them into a temporary three-way tie for ninth with the Raiders and Roosters. The Raiders went down to the Cowboys on Saturday night, while the Roosters play Melbourne Storm tonight before sitting out next week with a bye ahead of their trip to Christchurch.
Two first-tackle turnovers set the tone for the opening half yesterday, with Kiwis centre Junior Sa'u crossing to punish the Warriors.
Moon scored a fine individual try and hooker Aaron Heremaia sent Manu Vatuvei strolling over to put the visitors in front, but another rash of Warriors errors saw Zeb Taia strike back to level the match before the break.
By halftime, the Warriors had made six errors and were forced to make 22 tackles more than the Knights. The strong wind made the home side heavy favourites heading into the second half, but the Warriors struck first through Jeremy Latimore's first NRL try to get their noses in front.
"We had it in front of us but the boys were pretty positive at half time and we knew that we could play better," Cleary said.
"They really answered the challenge I thought and stood up. They just had that look about them that they didn't want to go home empty handed. Whenever the team is like that you know you've got a pretty good chance."
A Uate special that left Kevin Locke and Lance Hohaia floundering pegged the Warriors back before Lewis Brown's surge sent Vatuvei over for his second.
Maloney kicked a penalty to give the Warriors a little breathing space but the tit-for-tat continued when Uate climbed high to claim a bomb and set up a try for Matt Hilder.
That left the Warriors clinging to a two-point lead with nine minutes remaining. The Knights botched their chance after a penalty handed them a full set at the Warriors line and, with the clock ticking down, Moon pounced on a shocking Knights pass and offloaded to Maloney to seal the victory.
"There were plenty of things in that game that weren't perfect," Cleary said.
"But you just sort of think that if you keep delivering good performances then the results will come along."
