A Trent Hodkinson field goal with four minutes remaining has enabled Manly to escape with a heart-stopping 19-16 victory over the New Zealand Warriors at Brookvale Oval on Saturday night.

It was an intense battle played between two sides desperate to confirm their position in the top-eight and at half-time the more disciplined Warriors had the advantage at 14-10.

Manly posted the only try of the second half 47 minutes in to level up at 16-16 then had to endure several Warriors raids for the remainder of the game in order to hold their ground.

The Warriors oddly refused to take the field goal option in this tight contest, leaving it to Hodkinson to do the honours from close-range in the 76th minute to steal Manly a vital win.

The result just about seals the Sea Eagles a spot in the top-eight and sees them leap-frog the Warriors and Roosters into fifth position on the ladder.

The Sea Eagles were down a man early when second-rower Shane Rodney left the field with a potentially serious knee injury.

But after conceding the opening points in the form of a James Maloney penalty goal, the home side dazzled their fans with first four-pointer of the game, started by lock Glenn Stewart and skipper Jamie Lyon down the right side and finishing with rookie winger Michael Oldfield sending eventual try scorer Steve Matai over on the left.

Lyon added the extras to put Manly in front 6-2 after 14 minutes.

Maloney produced one of the more ordinary bombs seen this season 23 minutes in, but it somehow resulted in a freakish try to the much-improved New Zealand No. 6.

Manly players in the vicinity of the falling Maloney mis-kick inexplicably decided to let the ball bounce, allowing Warriors winger Bill Tupou to take full advantage of the unexpected inactivity by storming onto the ball and linking with skipper Simon Mannering, who fed his pass onto the ever-present Maloney for the shock try.

Down 8-6, the Sea Eagles were under the pump for the next period of the game, but they were the next to strike thanks to massive winger Tony Williams getting the better of opposite Manu Vatuvei in the right corner in the 29th minute.

Mannering led by example in the 37th minute to power through what seemed like a wall of Manly defenders to give the Warriors their 14-10 half-time lead.

The Warriors began the second half like they did the first, with a Maloney penalty goal in the 45th minute extending his team’s advantage out to six points.

But an incorrect play-the-ball by Warriors centre Brent Tate just after the re-start resulted in a Manly penalty that handed the locals valuable possession for their third try.

Some excellent work by Stewart to shrug off the defence and send Williams crashing over saw the scores locked up at 16-16 following the wide-range Lyon conversion.

The remainder of the second half turned into a real battle of attrition with Warriors lock Michael Luck stretchered from the field with a severe leg gash and Manly back-rower Anthony Watmough (knee) operating virtually on one leg for the final 15 minutes of the game.

Both sides had their opportunities to take the lead, but it was the Canterbury-bound Hodkinson who stepped up to the mark with his 76th minute snap before Lyon completed the scoring with a penalty goal on full-time.

Manly Sea Eagles 19
Tries: Williams 2, Matai
Conversions: Lyon 2
Penalty goals: Lyon
Field goals: Hodkinson

New Zealand Warriors
Tries: Maloney, Mannering
Conversions: Maloney 2
Penalty goals: Maloney 2

Referee: Steve Lyons, Jared Maxwell. Crowd: 13,095.

Sea Eagles edge past Warriors

Jason Avedissian Manly Daily

THE Sea Eagles have all but locked-up a top eight berth after a gritty 19-16 round 24 NRL victory over the Warriors at Brookvale Oval on Saturday night.

It took a 41m Trent Hodkinson field goal in the 76th minute to wrap-up the two premiership points, breaking a 16-all deadlock.

``It was just a lucky one,’’ the Bulldogs-bound half said at fulltime.

The win elevates Manly to fifth position, on 28 points with just two rounds of the regular season remaining.

While the Sea Eagles claimed the win, it was hardly premiership-winning football with simple mistakes and a lack of discipline at times hurting the home team.

The early signs weren’t good for Manly with a James Maloney penalty goal and game-ending knee injury to Shane Rodney by the 11th minute hurting the Sea Eagles.

But a long bust from co-captain Jamie Lyon two minutes later set-up Manly’s first four-pointer to Steve Matai in the 14th minute. Rookie winger Michael Oldfield, playing like an NRL regular, provided the final pass for Matai to open the scoring for Manly. Lyon converted to make it 6-2.

The Warriors then struck back just nine minutes later when Maloney cashed-in from his own wobbly kick. The five-eighth converted for the Warriors to edge ahead 8-6.

Burly Manly winger Tony Williams then scored his first try of the night, accepting a nice ball from Lyon outwide to regain the lead for the Sea Eagles, 10-8.

The game again shifted in the 37th minute when Warriors captain Simon Mannering over-powered Manly winger Michael Robertson and lock Glenn Stewart to power over for an easy try to again give the Aucklanders the lead, 12-10. Maloney’s conversion pushed the Warriors to a 14-10 lead at the break.

A Maloney penalty goal in the 45th minute put the Warriors up 16-10, but a minute later, Williams had his second after some clever work from Stewart.

The remainder of the half was a real struggle for both sides, with Hodkinson’s late drop goal breaking the deadlock.

Lyon added a penalty after fulltime to extend the margin to give Manly’s finals hopes a boost as they leapfrogged the Warriors and Sydney Roosters to move up to fifth.

``It was a bit scrappy early on,’’ Hodkinson said.

``We were pushing passes early and it came back to haunt us a bit there.’’

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