Knights, McManus crash out

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 13, 2009

Steve Mascord

Warriors 13 Knights 0 JAMES McMANUS'S sporting journey has taken him from the Scottish Highlands to the Northern Territory, Newcastle and then Melbourne for his Origin debut. Last night, the odyssey came to an abrupt halt in Auckland.The 23-year-old Knights winger, whose place in the NSW side for Origin II was the subject of some conjecture, suffered an ankle injury of undetermined nature in his first touch of his side's 13-0 defeat by the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium.After retreating to gather a kick in terrible conditions, McManus appeared to slip and fall awkwardly. He attempted to continue but was soon hobbling and was replaced in the third minute, leaving his side with a three-man bench for the rest of the match.Referee Steve Lyons offered an incorrect initial diagnosis. "He's done a calf," he said.Knights coach Brian Smith said: "It doesn't look good for him. It looks like it's that syndesmosis of the ankle. It's a case of mandatory scans at this stage."Knights medical staff were even less equivocal.In driving rain and single-digit temperatures, the Warriors dominated the first 40 minutes but could do no better than a 6-0 lead, secured through five-eighth Lance Hohaia's fifth-minute try.That came when Hohaia managed to slip between defenders Ben Rogers and Matt Hilder from close range and rookie Kevin Locke converted."I still haven't seen the ball on the line," Smith said. "I think it [should have been] a ref's call. He may have awarded it but I don't know how the video referee gave it. It's a pretty big call in the context of the game. It's a different game at nil-all."The Warriors eschewed a penalty in front, which would have made it 8-0 late in the game, before Hohaia landed a 72nd-minute field goal and rookie Locke raced 75 metres to score a try with 15 seconds left.The hardy 14,255 crowd cheered when Manu "The Beast" Vatuvei chased a kick and claimed a try just short of the dead-ball line at 18 minutes. But Vatuvei completely missed the football, as video referee Sean Hampstead confirmed.If Newcastle were frustrated at the conditions, their short-handedness and the extent to which they seemed camped in their own territory during the opening session, then a couple of refereeing decisions would have only darkened their mood.Before Hohaia's try, the following exchange of dialogue was heard from referees Lyons and Bernard Sutton: "Last tackle, last tackle, he didn't play at it, six more, six more."And while touch judge David Abood was congratulated by Sutton and Lyons for ruling that Akuila Uate had touched a Warriors' kick, necessitating yet another Newcastle line dropout, Hampstead clearly disagreed because the call was amended to a 20-metre tap.The Knights could have delivered a terrible blow to the Warriors' confidence by scoring in one of their only forays into the enemy 20m zone just short of the break.Unfortunately for the visitors, the ball went to ground, but despite making 60 more tackles than their opponents at that point, the Knights still managed to be next over the line.Replacement Richie Fa'aoso barged over off Isaac De Gois's inside pass at 45 minutes but clearly lost control of the ball well before grounding it, his claims of being stripped ignored as Hampstead flashed the red light.Stacey Jones suffered a groin injury in his 250th game for the club while Hohaia was outstanding at pivot. "Stacey and I have played a lot of football with each other over the years, we know each others' play," Hohaia said.Newcastle halfback Jarrod Mullen didn't play himself out of the NSW side to be chosen on Monday night but he wouldn't be supplanting Terry Campese based only on his performance at Mt Smart either.His options late in the tackle counts were not the best but his covering tackle on Wade McKinnon to stop a certain try with 15 to go was more than praiseworthy.Immediately after that full-bodied hit 10 metres out, Newcastle conceded a penalty in front.Mystifyingly, given the acute points shortage last night, the Warriors opted not to take the two on offer. "Ian Henderson had a brain explosion," said captain Steve Price. "He took the tap. I wasn't happy with him. Next time, I'll tackle him."Locke surged onto a loose ball and streeted the defence for his finale.NZ WARRIORS 13 (L Hohaia, K Locke tries;K Locke 2 goals; L Hohaia field goal) bt NEWCASTLE 0 at Mt Smart Stadium. Referee: Steve Lyons, Bernard Sutton. Crowd: 14,255.

© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald

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