Manly kept their slim finals hopes alive when Daly Cherry-Evans nailed a golden-point field goal to lift the Sea Eagles to a 15-14 win over the Warriors in Perth.
Cherry-Evans had the chance to win Saturday's match with just one second remaining in normal time, but he shanked his 20-metre drop-goal attempt in wet and windy conditions at nib Stadium.
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Manly take golden point win
A Daly Cherry-Evans drop goal gives the Sea Eagles victory in wet conditions
However, he made no mistake in the first period of extra time, coolly slotting a one-pointer to send his Manly teammates into raptures.
Back-to-back wins have improved the the Sea Eagles' record to 6-11, but they still face an uphill battle to reach the final eight.
The Warriors have lost all eight of their matches in Perth, with the latest dropping them to eighth on the ladder with an 8-9 record.
Manly dominated territory during the first 20 minutes and cashed in on the early momentum. In-form fullback Tom Trbojevic brushed off two tackles to touch down in the third minute, and the Sea Eagles held a 12-0 lead when Jorge Taufua unleashed an impressive step and spin to score in the 14th minute.
The Warriors needed something special to claw their way back into the match and second-gamer Bunty Afoa delivered. Afoa opened his account in the 24th minute after getting on the end of a sweeping move from the Warriors. And he notched his double six minutes later when he managed to ground the ball despite the best efforts of Manly's defenders underneath him.
There would be no more tries for the match, but there was still plenty of drama. The Warriors missed a series of golden chances to snatch the win. Issac Luke missed a penalty from 20m out that would have tied the scores. And Solomone Kata banged the turf in frustration after knocking on in his desperate attempt to touch down for a try.
Luke made amends for his earlier miss when he nailed a 74th-minute penalty to tie the scores at 14-14, before Cherry-Evans iced the game for the Sea Eagles in extra time.
The result was Perth's second golden-point drama this season, after Gold Coast beat South Sydney 29-28 last month at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Greg Bird faces a one-week ban for his high shot on Gareth Widdop in Gold Coast's win over St George Illawarra on Friday night. Bird hit Widdop in a questionable tackle in the first half of the Titan's 32-12 win at Kogarah Oval. On Saturday, Bird was charged with a grade-two careless high tackle by the match review committee.
If back-rower Bird takes the early guilty plea, he earns 159 demerit points with loading. He has 25 carryover points but will fall short of a two-game ban. A one-match ban would rule the former representative forward out of the Titans' round-20 match with Parramatta next Saturday on the Gold Coast. It would also raise Bird's total suspensions to 31 weeks. He is the fourth most-suspended player in NRL history behind John Hopoate, Luke O'Donnell and Craig Smith.
AAP
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