NRL 2020: Warriors shock Sea Eagles in first half ambush despite penalty try drama

Fox League commentator and rugby league great Steve “Blocker” Roach wasn’t happy after a professional foul drama in a Warriors ambush.

The Warriors liked most of that first half.

The New Zealand Warriors have pulled off a 26-22 upset win over the Manly Sea Eagles at Lottoland on Friday evening

The Warriors rushed out to a 16-0 lead after 15 minutes, shocking the Sea Eagles who started slowly, but a first half sin bin raised an interesting question — would you rather a penalty try or a sin bin?

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In one of the Sea Eagles‘ first real chances, Daly Cherry-Evans sliced through the line, offloading to Jake Trbojevic, only for the Warriors’ Karl Lawton and Jazz Tevaga to pull off what seemed to be a miracle stop on the line.

Only that Lawton started the tackle before the offload of Cherry-Evans.

As the call was sent to the bunker, Fox League commentator Steve Roach argued that it had to be a penalty try.

“I‘ll put it to you Block, what would you rather if you’re Manly – the guaranteed try there or the Warriors down to 12 for the next 10?” Dan Ginnane asked.

“I want the try,” Roach said. “I‘ll tell you why? Because if he does get sent to the sin bin, they’ve still got to be 10m out.”

But the bunker official handed down his ruling, saying that he didn‘t think Trbojevic would have got to the line.

“But he‘s over the line,” Roach said. “He would have scored.”

Penalty try or a sin bin?

Referee Henry Perenara explained the decision as other players were around the ball but it‘s hard to argue Roach’s indignance with Trbojevic pushed back towards the posts where Tevaga made the tackle.

“If he doesn‘t get impeded by Karl Lawton, and he’s running back on the inside, he got over the line anyway,“ he said.

It didn‘t look great from the Sea Eagles with Danny Levi getting across the line only to be held up on the third tackle but after a set restart, Manly finally crossed.

The sin bin appeared to pay off the Sea Eagles though with a mistake handing the side a scrum 10m out with Moses Suli scoring Manly‘s second to come back to 16-10 after 29 minutes and score twice during the 10 minute man advantage.

The match had been all the Warriors with three tries in the first 15 minutes.

From the kick-off, the Warriors were all over the Sea Eagles, dragging Daly Cherry-Evans over the sideline after the Manly skipper fielded a bouncing ball.

The Warriors then camped on the Manly line, breaking through after a cross field kick from Kodi Nikorima was spectacularly caught by Warriors winger Patrick Herbert.

Chanel Harris-Tevita then set up Eliesa Katoa‘s try with a deft grubber in the 11th minute before Eels loan player George Jennings crossed for the third try.

The sin bin swung the momentum of the game however with the Warriors ambush turning into an arm-wrestle in wet conditions.

Then, on the stroke of halftime, the Warriors scored again through Herbert, who scored a diving winger’s try in the corner, made it 20-10 at the break.

An early second half try took the scoreline to 26-10 but a Jack Hetherington high tackle saw another sin bin with Manly scoring once more with the man advantage.

A Sea Eagles try with 14 minutes left made it tense finish but the Warriors held on for the victory and the side’s fifth win of the season.