NZ Warriors 10
The New Zealand Warriors risk incurring the wrath of the NRL for a second successive week with a late personnel change potentially compounding the pain of a 20-10 loss at Manly tonight.
By starting forward Jeremy Latimore at Brookvale Oval after he was listed on the interchange bench the Warriors could face a third breach notice this season following the double whammy delivered after the Sydney Roosters were beaten in Auckland last weekend.
The Warriors were fined A$3000 ($3965) after taking the field at Mt Smart three minutes late and another A$2000 penalty when trainer Ruben Wiki made contact with a Roosters player during a brief on-field altercation between the players.
Latimore started although Russell Packer was listed in the team sheet - as a late replacement for Jacob Lillyman, who was a late withdrawal with a hamstring injury.
Warriors head coach Ivan Cleary pleaded ignorance after the match when asked if the team sheet had be filled out incorrectly.
"I don't know mate. It (starting Latimore) was always going to be the case. I don't know anything about it."
If the NRL does sanction the Warriors on Monday it would be a fitting end to a frustrating sixth round encounter - but hardly an appropriate way for stalwart Micheal Luck to mark his 200th first grade game.
In the only positive for the Warriors tireless defender he at least avoided hospital unlike the corresponding fixture last year when he suffered a horrific gashed thigh.
Centre Shaun Berrigan was the casualty tonight after sustaining a suspected broken hand. He was taken to hospital after the match to confirm the extent of the damage.
After a mundane beginning on a soggy pitch Manly finished the first half in the ascendancy after Warriors second rower Lewis Brown opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, surging over from dummy half following a strong Berrigan burst.
The Warriors joy last only six minutes before a precise Daly Cherry-Evans grubber could not be covered on the last tackle and Michael Oldfield - a late replacement for the hamstrung Brett Stewart - forced it with ease.
Cherry-Evans added the conversion and Manly profited from the next place kick as well when Krisnan Inu booted the restart dead to gift the home side prime position with a penalty on half way.
After the Manly halfback peeled off valuable metres his forwards powered into prime position for wing Michael Robertson to cross in the left hand corner after sweet passing from Kieran Foran and Will Hopoate.
Foran's Kiwis teammate Steve Matai then maintained momentum with his first incision - a 40-metre bust to the centre of the field that would have culminated in a try to Hopoate had Lance Hohaia not managed to scrag the fullback centimetres short.
Manly hooker Matt Ballin burrowed over when regathering the ball after James Maloney batted it clear but the try was ruled out by referee Tony Archer for obstruction.
Instead, Maloney was penalised for not being square at marker and although Shaun Berrigan somehow halted a try-bound Glenn Stewart during the set there was no stopping Jamie Buhrer from close range.
The second half also started ominously for the Warriors when a rare run from Feleti Mateo culminated in the five-eighth being penalised for dissent when tackled by returning bad boy Anthony Watmough.
After that promising burst the Warriors were again consigned to defend for the remainder of the third quarter and despite some heroic goal line defence they were breached again in the 54th minute when former Kiwis second rower Joe Galuvao picked the right angle to latch on to a Ballin pass.
Cherry-Evans second success of the night pushed the Manly lead to 16 - an insurmountable obstacle - and in keeping with the Warriors luckless performance any hope of an unlikely comeback was thwarted when an off balance Inu forced the ball on a defender as he dived for glory with 10 minutes remaining.
Elijah Taylor scored a consolation try in the 78th minute - but the final say amounted to nought.
"There was a lot of effort going and good things in the performance but we just weren't smart enough," Cleary said.
- NZPA
