NZ Warriors have slumped to their fourth straight NRL loss, wasting an early lead to fall 24-16 to Newcastle Knights at Redcliffe.
After scoring the opening two tries of the game to lead 12-0, the Warriors resorted to form, making several costly mistakes that let their rivals back into the contest and eventually conceding victory.
Defeat became virtually inevitable 10 minutes from fulltime, after winger Marcelo Montoya was sin-binned for a high shot on opposite Dominic Young. As Montoya was about to rejoin the game, Newcastle capitalised on their man advantage, sending centre Enari Tuala over for his second try.
Jake Clifford's conversion put the Knights beyond a converted try and the Warriors never looked likely to complete a miracle comeback from that point.
The 'home' side lead early, when Adam Pompey brushed off a couple of would-be tacklers to score the opening try and then centre partner Viliami Vailea repeated the dose two minutes later. Fullback Reece Walsh lost his footing with his conversion attempt, slipping over before making contact with the ball, and that just seemed to open a Pandora's Box of mistakes.
Veteran half Shaun Johnson ruined his team's perfect start by putting a kick into touch on the full. When halves partner Chanel Harris-Tavita repeated that mistake, the Knights scored, with second-rower Tyson Frizell winning the race to a kick in the goal area.
Not for the first time this season, Walsh's kickoff sailed dead, gifting the visitors the ball back on halfway. While they initially fell short of scoring, Newcastle got another change, when second-rower Jack Murchie lost the ball in a tackle and Knights winger Edrick Lee scored in the corner.
Clifford's sideline conversion levelled the score at halftime, but the Warriors regained the lead, when Johnson kicked to the corner, where winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored untouched.
But Harris-Tavita immediately spilled the kickoff near his own goal-line and from the scrum, Kalyn Ponga ran left to put Tuala over for his first try, with Clifford's conversion reclaiming the lead.
Montoya's head explosion certainly didn't help the Warriors' chances of answering, as Tuala's second sealed their fate. Victory could have put them back in the playoff picture, but defeat - their first at their adopted Redcliffe home - will surely see them sink further towards the bottom of the table after this week's round is complete.
The Warriors face Manly Sea Eagles next Saturday.
Newcastle Knights 24 (Frizell, Tuala 2 & Lee tries, Clifford 4 conversions) NZ Warriors 16 (Pompey, Watene-Zelezniak & Vailea tries, Walsh conversion & penalty)
