New Zealand Warriors pip Manly Sea Eagles 18-16 in NRL round 13 thriller

THE lowly Warriors held their nerve in the thrilling final moments to score an important win against fourth-placed Manly.

THE Black Caviar Speedos had some competition in this one.

While they may be considered rugby league's most flamboyant spectacle since "Smokin" Joe Kilroy, George Rose's reggies were simply one part of the Mt Smart Stadium madness yesterday.

Despite making some dozen, albeit fleeting appearances, those orange and black polka dot numbers were often overshadowed during a chaotic 80 minutes - all flicks, chips, penalties, fumbles, sure things and near misses.

Eventually, the Warriors would win this one by two.

But not before league fans from both sides of the ditch witnessed a game boasting more heart palpitations than a Golden Oldies match. More highlights than the Gazelle's blond mop.

The Warriors, after trailing by 12, would eventually fight back - playing the type of footy that, for coach Matt Elliott, makes those final 20 minutes of every game seem like two life stretches in Long Bay.

"Things didn't look good at the start," New Zealand Warriors backrower Feleti Mateo conceded afterwards about an opening that saw them down by two converted tries after 23 minutes.

"We were slow, sluggish and then the penalties came against us."

But if there is one thing you can count on with the Warriors, it's that you can't count on anything at all.

Which is what makes them so damn bloody dangerous, right?

Like Mateo, the backrower with the most gifted hands outside those that scrub for surgery.

Or halfback Shaun Johnson playing like he himself had painted that sign in the crowd proclaiming "Our Johnson Will Pop Your Cherry".

Game details and stats

And as for hulking centre Konrad Hurrell ... well, he very nearly stole "The Beast" moniker from Manu Vatuvei.

With the sides deadlocked at 12-12, it was Hurrell who took the ball just over 10m out and bulldozed through three, four, five Manly defenders - then celebrated by blowing his signature kiss down the camera barrel.

"I wouldn't put it down as a slick performance but I would put it down as our most meaningful performance of the year," Elliott said.

"That's a high-quality team that we played tonight and we probably didn't start in the fashion we would have liked. I thought it was a real indication of where the character of the Warriors is headed."

Warriors captain Simon Mannering said second-half composure was key in allowing them to take the points in a tight game.

"There were a number of games this season where we let it slip in that last 15 minutes," Mannering said.

"Tonight we didn't do anything special, we just stuck to our guns and it paid off."

The win takes the Warriors to 10 competition points and they face a tough task away to the Roosters next week to continue their resurgence.

"For me it really makes next week's game the most important one of the season," Elliott said. "We've got a bye after that and I really feel we're on the verge of gaining some momentum."

And yet how good were the Kiwis in maroon?

Take Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran, who set up two tries and should've orchestrated a third. Or rookie fullback Peta Hiku, who performed exactly like you'd expect the Warriors' reigning Toyota Cup player of the year come home.

Playing only his fifth NRL match, Hiku scored one try, passed for another and would've grubbered for a third had winger Dave Williams not fumbled it over the tryline.

Truly, here was a game where the highlights reel to be cut for news stations changed on a dozen different occasions. Altering with every flick, chip and that one difficult conversion attempt Manly's Jamie Lyon missed.

"We were dropping too many balls," Lyon said. "We're our own worst enemy at the moment. We've got to fix it up."

And still we haven't touched on those signature Speedos of Gorgeous George.

WARRIORS 18 (G Fisiiahi K Hurrell E Taylor tries S Johnson 3 goals) MANLY 16 (P Hiku J Horo S Matai tries J Lyon 2 goals) at Mt Smart Stadium. Referees: Ben Cummins, Brett Suttor. Crowd: 11,142. 

Daly Cherry-Evans

George Rose

Nathan Friend (L) and Glen Fisiiahi