Another defeat at the hands of Newcastle Knights has seen NZ Warriors extend their winless slump to four games, including three straight losses, as their NRL hopes fall away midseason.
In atrocious conditions at Newcastle, the Auckland side could conjure up only one try in the 14-8 loss, stretching their worse string of results since coach Andrew Webster took the reins last season.
After an error-strewn opening 20 minutes, marred by handling errors and penalties, the Warriors trailed only 8-6 at halftime and drew level with a penalty midway through the second half, as the weather deteriorated alarmingly.
Struggling to exit their own half, they finally could not keep the Knights at bay, with front-rower Daniel Saifiti breaking through for the winning try.
"We knew they were going to be physical and that's what the game was like right from the start, especially in weather like this," said Warriors captain Tohu Harris. "The more disciplined you are and the more physical you can be, the more success you'll have.
"Our discipline, especially in the first half, let us down a bit. We did a good job of getting ourselves back into the game, but they were just too good in the end."
The Warriors had the first real attacking opportunity, when winger Marcelo Montoya broke a tackle and ventured into Newcastle territory early in the tackle count, but the home side successfully defused Shaun Johnson's high kick.
A penalty and set restart put the Knights on the frontfoot and fullback David Armstrong kicked ahead to force an early line dropout. Newcastle secured the short kickoff, but Armstrong spilt a short pass in the shadow of the posts.
Another penalty and set restart put them back on attack, and when half Jackson Hastings kicked to the tryline, Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad couldn't gather cleanly and five-eighth Tyson Gamble followed fast to score.
Moments later, second-rower Darren Lucas pounced on Montoya's dropped catch to score, but was called back for a push in the contest. The Warriors immediately gave the ball back, when prop Mitch Barnett dropped the ball, then Nicoll-Klokstad fumbled another kick.
Centre Dane Gagai slotted another two points from a penalty for offside and the Knights quickly exited their own half, when Harris was pinged for a shoulder tackle.
The visitors simply could not complete a trick and another attacking opportunity went begging, when winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak dropped the ball on the end of a backline foray. Harris came within a couple of metres of the tryline, but also lost possession in a tackle.
Finally, Harris found Dylan Walker close to the line and the interchange forward held on to score. The Warriors lost second-rower Kurt Capewell to a calf injury and Walker was noticeably hobbled by an ankle issue, but momentum had switched in their favour.
With halftime looming, Gagai sliced towards the posts and looked certain to score, but Nicoll-Klokstad made a trysaving tackle that dislodged the ball.
At the other end, Watene-Zelezniak rose high to claim a Johnson kick, but lost the ball, when he was tackled in midair. You could argue the try would have been scored without the illegal tackle, but a penalty try was not forthcoming.
As the seconds counted down towards the break, Watene-Zelezniak had one more look at the corner, but could not round his marker.
Ahead 8-6 at the restart, the Knights won an early penalty in the Warriors half, but could conjure up nothing to threaten the tryline.
Second-rower Jackson Ford came within centimetres of a go-ahead try, when Johnson's torpedo kick evaded two Newcastle defenders and was hacked ahead, but Ford was beaten to the grounding.
From the dropout, Watene-Zelezniak finally crossed at the corner, but the try was disallowed for obstruction in the build-up. Next possession, Johnson slotted a penalty in torrential rain to even the contest with 25 minutes remaining.
As weather deteriorated further, Johnson could not kick beyond halfway on the last tackle and Nicoll-Klokstad had to scramble the ball dead. Johnson's short dropout went out on the full and the Knights poured back onto attack.
The Warriors survived, but were again unable to exit their own half on their next set. Forced into another dropout, they gambled with another short kick, but Newcastle claimed the ball and Saifiti finally broke through to score the crucial try.
The six-point lead seemed much bigger under the conditions, but the Warriors caught a break, when Ford was caught in a crusher tackle, and the penalty put his team deep into the Newcastle half. Gagai claimed Johnson's high kick in goal, but spilled the ball.
A period of sustained attack ultimately ended, when front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake was wrapped up on the last tackle. Their next raid saw Nicoll-Klokstad dragged into touch on the last.
A penalty deep in their own half gave the visitors one last shot and another penalty put them inside the redzone with seconds counting down. Johnson's last-gasp kick to the goal area was batted dead, as Newcastle celebrated a hardfought victory.
"We had plent of opportunities, so we did well to give ourselves those opportunities, but it just wasn't for long enough periods of the game," said Harris. "That second half, they managed to put us under a sustained amount of pressure coming out of our own end and came away with a try.
"That was the difference in the end."
The Warriors must now somehow rediscover their mojo against two of the NRL's perennial contenders - Sydney Roosters next Sunday and three-time defending champions Penrith Panthers the following week.
Newcastle Knights 14 (Gamble, D Saifiti try; Gagai 2 conversions & penalty NZ Warriors 8 (Walker try; Johnson conversion & penalty)
