Warriors’ hot start reined in by Manly

MANLY have overcome a big deficit to defeat the Warriors 26-22 last night in Perth and go third on the NRL ladder.

After they trailed 16-0 in 19 minutes, the Sea Eagles scored five straight tries and held on to a four-point lead for the final 15 minutes to win.

Shaun Johnson had a chance to level the scores in the 79th minute when he sprinted 40m but he was dragged over the sideline by Akuila Uate to end any hopes of a Warriors’ win.

It is the Warriors’ ninth straight loss in Perth and the fifth time they let slip a considerable lead at nib Stadium.

The long trip also came at a cost, with forward Albert Vete suffering a broken arm, while Ryan Hoffman was a late withdrawal with a broken foot.

Tom Trbojevic scored twice for Manly and Daly CherryEvans controlled the contest and set up two tries in his last audition before Queensland name their team for the State of Origin decider.

After a horrible start, Sea Eagles hooker Apisai Koroisau provided the game-breaking play out of dummy-half in the 23rd minute as he broke free down field and put Trbojevic over to score.

Centre Brian Kelly and Uate also went over before the break to level the scores, with Uate’s coming after CherryEvans broke the Warriors’ line from his own end.

The halfback also put Dylan Walker over with a cut-out ball midway through the second half to give Manly a 26-16 lead.

The Warriors looked like a team that could threaten for the finals in the early stages but now sit four points behind eighth-placed Parramatta.