Manly have kept their slim NRL finals hopes alive, with Daly Cherry-Evans nailing 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 20m drop-goal attempt in wet and windy conditions at nib Stadium.
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 Sea Eagles’ record to 6-11, but they still face an uphill battle to reach the finals.
The Warriors have lost all eight of their matches in Perth, with the latest defeat dropping 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 Manly 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.
