Veteran NZ Warriors star Shuan Johnson has nailed a last-minute penalty to complete a miraculous comeback for a 32-30 victory over Cronulla Sharks at Sydney.
After conceding yet another early try after opening kickoff and falling 20 points behind in as many minutes, the resurgent Auckland team have again shown their resilience under new coach Andrew Webster, snatching their fourth win in five games to start the NRL season.
Johnson received his shot at glory at 30-30, when a Sharks attacking raid broke down and second-rower Josh Curran hacked the ball downfield. In the ensuing scramble, the Warriors were awarded a penalty about 35 metres out, just to the right of the posts, in miserable wet conditions.
The former Cronulla half held his nerve to slot the kick, but the Warriors had to survive a last-ditch penalty attempt from counterpart Nico Hynes, after a short Sharks kickoff was spilled forward and Johnson handled in an offside position.
Hynes' attempt was further on the angle, but he left his attempt wide right, as the visitors celebrated their incredible win.
That outcome seemed a long way off in the opening seconds, when second-rower Marata Niukore spilled the ball near his own goal-line from kickoff, gifting rival Teig Wilton a try in the first minute.
In all five games this season, the Warriors have now coughed up tries in the opening five minutes - but they outdid themselves this time, when winger Ronaldo Mulitalo also crossed only a few moments after Wilton.
When right wing Sione Katoa scored in the corner and Hynes kicked his third conversion, then a subsequent penalty, the Warriors were 20 points down and their newfound character was under severe examination.
Leading in the absence of injured captain Tohu Harris, hooker Wayde Egan stopped the rot with his fourth try in as many appearances this season. Fullback Will Kennedy restored Cronulla's 20-point margin, before Niukore atoned for his early error with a four-pointer at the other end.
On the stroke of halftime, the newcomer was again the centre of attention, when he was penalised for an illegal tackle and sent to the sin bin. His team survived the last seconds until the break, but faced 10 minutes shorthanded after the restart.
The Warriors have faced this kind of adversity in the past and crumbled, but not this time.
Still without Niukore, they pulled back another try, when Johnson kicked high to Mulitalo, who dropped the ball. Following fast, Johnson snapped up the loose ball and scampered away to score.
Restored to full strength, the Warriors capitalised on sustained pressure to put Kosi across and close within 26-24. They had scored 18 unanswered points.
After dispensing and copping his share of abuse all night, Mulitalo seemed to have the last laugh, when he grabbed his second try of the night to give the Sharks some breathing room into the final 20 minutes of the game.
The NZ Kiwis winger turned villain, when he dropped another Johnson kick and from the ensuing possession, Johnson put Curran over and converted to level the scores.
Significantly, Johnson had kicked faultlessly from the tee all night, so when his moment came, there was little doubt he would seal the fairytale finish that has elevated them to second on the NRL ladder, behind unbeaten Brisbane Broncos.
They have a royal chance to continue that momentum, when they host Newcastle Knights - whom they beat in their season-opener - at Newcastle next Sunday.
NZ Warriors 32 (Egan, Niukore, Johnson, Kosi & Curran tries; Johnson 5 conversions & penalty) Cronulla Sharks 30 (Mulitalo 2, Wilton, Katoa & Kennedy tries; Hynes 4 conversions & penalty)
