victorious
Captain Mannering’s triumphal return for 250th game
The Warriors came from behind to beat the Titans at Mt Smart Stadium last night to go into their bye week within touching distance of the top eight.
As the club marked Simon Mannering’s 250th appearance in the Warriors’ jersey, they came back from a losing position for just the second time this season by gradually winning the battle up the middle.
The 27-18 victory won’t go down as one of their best games of the season and their right-edge defence did look shaky in the first half, but this win could be one of their more significant.
The Titans were also hovering around the top eight and over the remainder of the season it’s going to be games like this that will be the most important.
There would have been concerns before the match with the Warriors losing Ryan Hoffman, succumbing to a virus, which meant Mannering took over the captaincy, Charlie Gubb started a game for the first time, at lock, and Bunty Afoa was brought onto the interchange to make his NRL debut.
The start of the game wasn’t good either as Blake Ayshford put in a dreadful grubber kick that went straight into the arms of Titans fullback Josh Hoffman, who gathered the ball and ran 90 metres for the try.
However, Ayshford made amends in the 10th minute, scoring a try in similar fashion, by intercepting a floating pass from Tyrone Roberts and racing 85 metres to score.
In the 18th minute the Titans got their second try with Nene Macdonald easily out-jumping Tuimoala Lolohea to catch a high ball in goal, with Macdonald twisting his body as he fell to ground the ball.
The Titans looked to expose Lolohea with the high ball again six minutes later, but this time Chris McQueen dropped the ball once he’d caught it by the corner flag.
Seven minutes from halftime Shaun Johnson made a great break, then offloaded the ball in the tackle but the attack broke down when Afoa couldn’t catch the pass.
The loose ball was knocked on by a Titans player and from the resulting scrum the Warriors moved the ball quickly to the right edge, where Lolohea managed to ground it in-goal.
Seven minutes into the second half Titans centre Karl Lawton, on debut, possibly broke his leg in a tackle and had to be stretchered off the field.
A fight broke out a couple of minutes later when Nathan Peats slapped Solomone Kata in the face. Kata responded with a harder slap and about eight players got involved in the melee.
But it was the Titans who scored next with a penalty from Roberts in the 53rd minute, which the Warriors responded to with a penalty of their own four minutes later.
Then in the 61st minute the Warriors had another penalty close to the Titans line and, as is the trend this season, Mannering immediately pointed at the posts to go for the kick, which Issac Luke nailed to put his side in front for the first time.
This was backed up with a brilliant solo try from Johnson who threw a big dummy to create a hole in the Titans defence then ran 60 metres for his ninth try of the season.
Bodene Thompson made a mockery of the Titans defence with the Warriors’ fourth try soon after.
Cameron Cullen picked up a late try for the Titans, but as the Warriors were still eight points ahead, they just needed to wind down the clock.
(Blake Ayshford, Tuimoala Lolohea, Shaun Johnson, Bodene Thompson tries; Issac Luke 5 goals, field goal) (Josh Hoffman, Nene Macdonald, Cameron Cullen tries; Tyrone Roberts 3 goals). 10-10.