Manly’s strong support in New Zealand faded following the advent of the Auckland Warriors in 1995. The clubs have contested many notable and thrilling regular season encounters, along with a preliminary final showdown and a memorable grand final – but the Sea Eagles overwhelmingly have the wood on the Warriors historically, crafting the strongest record against them of any current NRL club.
Overall record: Played 40 – Manly won 27, Warriors won 13; Manly scored 963 points, Warriors scored 742 points.
Biggest wins: Manly – 52-6 at Brookvale Oval, 2008; Warriors – 36-10 at Brookvale Oval, 1999.
Longest winning streaks: Manly – 7 matches (2013-17); Warriors – 4 matches (1999-2004).
Finals: Played 2 – Manly won 2.
Grand finals: Played 1 – Manly won 1.
Most appearances: Anthony Watmough (Manly) – 22; Simon Mannering (Warriors) – 20; Daly Cherry-Evans – 19 (Manly); Jamie Lyon (Manly) – 18; Jason King (Manly) – 17; Brent Kite (Manly) – 16; Steve Matai (Manly) – 16; Ben Matulino (Warriors) – 16; Matt Ballin (Manly) – 15; Kieran Foran (Manly and Warriors) – 15; Manu Vatuvei (Warriors) – 15; Sam Rapira (Warriors) – 14; Jake Trbojevic (Manly) – 14.
Most tries: Brett Stewart (Manly) – 13; Tom Trbojevic (Manly) – 9; Jason Saab (Manly) – 8; Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly) – 7; Reuben Garrick (Manly) – 7; Steve Matai (Manly) – 7; Steve Menzies (Manly) – 7; Manu Vatuvei (Warriors) – 7; Michael Robertson (Manly) – 6; Jorge Taufua (Manly) – 6.
Most points: Jamie Lyon (Manly) – 94; Reuben Garrick (Manly) – 78; Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – 56; Brett Stewart (Manly) – 52; Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly) – 51; Stacey Jones (Warriors) – 44; Matt Orford (Manly) – 40.
As the Australian premiership’s popularity exploded in New Zealand in the early-1990s, Manly – with legendary former Test coach Graham Lowe, ex-All Blacks fullback Matthew Ridge, and Test representative countrymen Kevin and Tony Iro, Darrell Williams and Adrian Shelford at the club – became a surrogate team for scores of rugby league fans across the Tasman.
The club played Newcastle in the first-ever premiership match staged in New Zealand in 1992, but the announcement later that year that an Auckland-based franchise would be admitted in ’95 saw Kiwi goodwill for the Sea Eagles gradually dissipate. Manly’s decision to axe promising five-eighth Gene Ngamu ahead of the 1994 season after he signed on as a foundation Warrior ensured a feisty rivalry from the outset.
1995-98 – Manly too strong for fledgling Warriors
The Super League war blew up just days before Manly’s trip to Auckland to take on the Warriors in Round 5 of the 1995 season. Veteran five-eighth Cliff Lyons – playing opposite Manly cast-off Ngamu – inspired the Sea Eagles to a hard-fought 26-14 victory, while Ridge’s five goals from five attempts also proved vital.
But Ridge signed with the rebel Super League, putting him at odds with the staunchly pro-ARL Sea Eagles, and declared his intentions to return to his home city and play for the Warriors in 1996. The court injunction preventing the Super League competition from going ahead in ’96 put the kybosh on those plans in the short-term, and Ridge sat out the opening eight rounds of the competition – including the Sea Eagles’ 22-10 win over Auckland at Brookvale – before returning to Manly and starring in the club’s premiership triumph.
A 38-12 win in the final round of the inaugural 1998 NRL competition – featuring a Steve Menzies hat-trick – helped the Sea Eagles snatch the last spot in the 10-team finals series.
1999-2004 – Warriors dominate Manly and Northern Eagles
The Warriors claimed a belated maiden win against Manly early the following season, 36-10 at Brookvale, and prevailed in five of their six matches against the ill-fated Northern Eagles, the joint venture between Manly and North Sydney.
In 2002, the Warriors carved out an incredible 68-10 win at Mt Smart Stadium – a then-club record victory, and the biggest defeat the Eagles suffered as a merged entity. Fullback Ivan Cleary, who debuted with Manly a decade earlier, scored a club record-equalling 28 points, including 12 goals from as many attempts – the most kicked by any player in a match since Sea Eagles custodian Graham Eadie landed 12 in 1975.
The Eagles upset the minor premiership-bound Warriors 18-16 in the penultimate round of ’02, the club’s first win over the Auckland-based side and its last before the merger dissolved. The Warriors won their first two matches against Manly after the club returned to the NRL in 2003, taking their winning streak over the Sea Eagles to four matches; they have not managed to win consecutive games against Manly since.
2004-14 – Solid rivalry culminates in grand final showdown
Manly has taken control of the rivalry over the last decade and a half, winning 20 of the last 24 encounters between the clubs.
The Warriors’ rare wins included a 22-20 upset at Brookvale late in 2005, with club legend Stacey Jones scoring the winning try in his farewell match before joining Super League club Catalans; and a resounding 36-14 win at home in the second-last round of 2007 that the club used to honour the Auckland representative side that defeated Australia, Great Britain and France 30 years earlier, wearing a commemorative blue and white strip.
The Sea Eagles unleashed a merciless beat-down on the Warriors early in 2008, Brett Stewart and Michael Robertson each recording hat-tricks in a 52-6 demolition. But the Warriors snuck into the finals in eighth spot, before knocking off top-four sides Melbourne and Sydney Roosters to set up a preliminary final showdown with Manly.
Preliminary Final, 2008 – Sea Eagles swamp Warriors to set up grand final rematch
A clinical Manly swept to a second straight grand final date with Melbourne via a comprehensive 32-6 victory over the 2008 finals’ fairytale side, the Warriors. An early tryscoring chance to Manu Vatuvei went to ground and the Sea Eagles capitalised, building a 12-0 lead from three tries on the back of outstanding ball control. Manly added another four tries after the break before the Warriors finally landed on the scoreboard through winger Aidan Kirk, the Sea Eagles’ goalkicking proving a problem in a seven-try thrashing at Allianz Stadium.
Round 2, 2009 – Jones turns back the clock in Brookvale upset
Stacey Jones missed the Warriors’ opening-round win over Parramatta, but the mercurial halfback enjoyed a dream comeback against the defending premiers. After spending the previous season with club side Point Chevalier, Jones embarked on an NRL renaissance and inspired the Warriors to a thrilling 26-24 win over Manly. The Warriors overturned 10-0 and 24-16 deficits; the 32-year-old Jones’ chip-and-regather laid on a try for Brent Tate, before his pinpoint bomb allowed Jerome Ropati to equalise in the dying minutes. New recruit Denan Kemp nailed the difficult conversion to snatch the win.
Grand Final, 2011 – Sea Eagles crowned premiers after holding off Warriors rally
Manly secured its second premiership in four seasons, but only after holding off a late Warriors comeback in a 24-10 triumph in the 2011 grand final. The Warriors started promisingly, but fell behind 12-2 by halftime courtesy of a Brett Stewart try after an illegal strip was let go, and a brilliant – but controversial – touchdown to rookie halfback Daly Cherry-Evans seconds before the break, which started with an audacious grubber by Glenn Stewart for winger Michael Robertson on Manly’s 20-metre line. Glenn Stewart appeared to put the result beyond doubt at 18-2 in the 57th minute after benefitting from a piece of brilliance from teenager Will Hopoate. But the Warriors’ first-year No.7 Shaun Johnson – playing just his 16th NRL game – sparked a final-quarter comeback, reprising his preliminary final heroics by laying on tries for Manu Vatuvei and Elijah Taylor in the space of six minutes. James Maloney’s conversions both agonisingly shaved the uprights to leave the Warriors eight points adrift, and the Sea Eagles iced a deserved win when Clive Churchill medallist Glenn Stewart deftly put skipper Jamie Lyon over with 80 seconds remaining.
The clubs staged a ripping grand final rematch in Round 1 of 2012, enthralling the 37,502-strong crowd at iconic rugby union venue Eden Park.
Manly led 16-0 early, but the Shaun Johnson-sparked Warriors fought back to trail by just six at halftime. Johnson scored a dazzling solo try, while his third try-assist – and second for Manu Vatuvei – edged the Warriors to within two points with 10 minutes left, but the Sea Eagles overcame the late sin-binning of Matt Ballin to seal a 26-20 win.
Later that season in a Perth thriller, Manly overcame an 18-0 scoreline to win 24-22 – the second week in a row the Warriors had coughed up an 18-point advantage, a unique occurrence in premiership history.
The Sea Eagles piled on four unanswered tries in the space of 20 minutes in the second half, before Jamie Lyon’s late conversion of a freakish Daly-Cherry Evans try stole the match.
A high-quality 18-16 upset at Mt Smart midway through 2013 after overcoming an early 12-0 deficit – breaking a six-match losing streak to Manly – by the Warriors was offset by a 27-12 loss in Gosford in Round 22.
A similar result late in 2014 meant the Sea Eagles had helped foil the Warriors’ finals bid for a third straight season.
Manly extended its winning streak over the Warriors to a record seven matches, including a golden point victory in the Perth wet in 2016, a 26-22 result in the Western Australia capital the following season after the Sea Eagles had trailed 16-0, and an incredible golden point win at Mount Smart later in 2017.
Cherry-Evans kicked a late levelling field goal before banging over the match-winning one-pointer in extra-time for a 22-21 as Manly marched towards the finals.
The Warriors chalked up a drought-breaking result in resounding fashion in Christchurch in 2018. David Fusitu’a bagged a hat-trick and Shaun Johnson ran riot in a 36-14 smashing of the Sea Eagles at Rugby League Park.
But Manly turned the tables in Christchurch early in 2019, chalking up their first win of the season and capitalising on an awful Warriors performance with a 46-12 result.
Manly’s visit to Mt Smart in Round 21 of 2019 coincided with the Warriors’ best performance of the season. Rookie half Chanel Harris-Tavita laid on a double for Ken Maumalo as the hosts raced to an 18-0 lead, eventually hanging on 24-16 after withstanding a late Sea Eagles fight-back following the farcical sin-binning of Adam Blair.
The Warriors chalked up two wins in a season over Manly for just the second time in 2020. They hung on for a gutsy 26-22 victory at a sodden Brookvale Oval in Round 13 after having two players sin-binned in the second half – their first win over the Sea Eagles in Australia since 2009.
Finishing the club’s late-season revival in style, the Warriors reeled in Manly to prevail 40-28 in an entertaining final-round affair in Gosford with fill-in centre Adam Keighran bagging a hat-trick.
But Daly Cherry-Evans yet again thwarted the Warriors in their early-2021 encounter. The 0-4 Sea Eagles chalked up their first win of the season courtesy of a last-second DCE field goal.
In one of the most error-ridden, unwatchable games in years, Kodi Nikorima and Wayde Egan had absolute shockers for the Warriors.
They met a month later with a Jason Saab hat-trick and a blistering two-try display from Tom Trbojevic engineering a 38-32 comeback win for Manly, with Reece Walsh’s injection from the bench not enough for the Warriors to mount a successful rally of their own.
The Warriors’ meek showing in a 44-12 loss at Brookvale in the clubs’ sole 2022 clash would mark coach Nathan Brown’s last match at the helm.
Manly finished mid-table in 2023 but tested the top-four-bound Warriors late in the regular season in a Mt Smart thriller. The Warriors had to battle back from a halftime deficit before sealing a 29-22 win late with a Marata Niukore try and a Shaun Johnson field goal. Saab and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak both scored three tries.
THEY PLAYED FOR BOTH CLUBS
Phil Blake: A freakishly-talented try-machine, Blake was a teenaged halfback star for Manly in the early-1980s but never fully realised his potential. After a brief renaissance at Souths, the versatile livewire endured underwhelming stints with Norths, Canberra and St George, but finished his career with a memorable stay as a foundation Warrior. He scored the club’s first-ever try from fullback and crossed for four tries in its maiden win, finishing a 268-game career with 138 touchdowns.
Gene Ngamu: Ngamu was groomed as Cliff Lyons’ long-term five-eighth successor at Manly, but following nine games in 1992-93 (and a New Zealand Test debut in the latter season) he was dumped after signing with the Warriors for their debut season. A veteran of 22 Tests for the Kiwis, Ngamu scored 283 points in 81 games for Auckland – including a club record 28 against North Queensland in 1996.
Matthew Ridge: Young All Blacks star Ridge was lured to Manly in 1990 by Kiwi coach Graham Lowe. One of the most successful converts of all time, the courageous, combative and skilful Ridge established himself as one of the best fullbacks of the 1990s and one of the greatest goal-kickers the game had ever seen. The Super League signee won a grand final with the Sea Eagles in 1996 before belatedly joining the Warriors. But his stint in Auckland was mired in injury and suspension, playing just 37 games in three seasons. However, the 25-Test veteran set a new Kiwis record of 168 points, adding to his tally of 1,331 points in 159 first grade games.
Kevin Iro: A teenaged Test star for New Zealand, blockbusting three-quarter Iro carved out an impressive maiden professional stint at Wigan before reuniting with coach Graham Lowe at Manly, where he scored nine tries in 24 games in 1991-92. After stints with Leeds and Hunter Mariners, Iro showed flashes of brilliance during his brief 1998 stay with the Auckland Warriors, playing 16 NRL games.
Ivan Cleary: An outstanding fullback/centre, Cleary was also one of the game’s ace goalkickers. Following strong stints with Manly – scoring 132 points in 15 games in 1992-93 – and Norths, he spent three seasons with the Roosters (1996-99) and broke the all-time season pointscoring record with 284 points in ’98. Cleary was an outstanding buy for the Warriors after an injury-plagued initial 2000 season, scoring a club record 242 points in ’02. He retired after their grand final loss to the Roosters that year with a total of 1,363 points in 186 first-grade games to his credit. After a successful grounding as a coach in the Roosters’ lower grades, Cleary took over the Warriors’ NRL post in 2006, taking the club to the 2011 Grand Final before being poached by Penrith. Surprisingly axed by the Panthers at the end of his fourth season in charge, Cleary took over at Wests Tigers midway through 2017.
Joe Galuvao: Auckland-born Galuvao cut his teeth as an explosive centre/fullback for the Warriors, playing 27 first grade games from 1998-2000. But his career took off when he joined Penrith and switched to the back-row, winning a premiership there in 2003 and becoming a Kiwi international. After two seasons at Souths, Galuvao rejuvenated his career with 34 games for Parramatta in 2008-09, culminating in another grand final appearance in the latter season (a loss to Melbourne). The evergreen forward linked with Manly and became part of a select group to play in grand finals with three clubs, celebrating in the Sea Eagles’ win over the Warriors in 2011 decider. Galuvao retired in 2013 after 240 NRL appearances – including 78 for Manly.
Michael Witt: Sharpshooter half Witt scored 176 points in 27 games for Parramatta in 2003-04. After two seasons at Manly, which netted 144 points in 20 games, Witt brought his talents to Auckland and scored 291 points in 43 games for the Warriors, kicking at an astonishing 87.68 percent. Witt switched to rugby union with Otago in 2009, before returning to league with Celtic Crusaders, London Broncos and St George Illawarra.
Feleti Mateo: Gifted ball-player Mateo – primarily a back-rower but sometimes used at five-eighth – played 88 games for Parramatta from 2004-10, before helping the Warriors to a grand final in his first year at the club. Mateo played 95 games in four seasons for the Warriors (at one stage he had played 79 consecutive first grade games) but joined Manly in 2015, making 22 first grade appearances in the maroon and white.
Jeff Robson: After playing just six games across five seasons for Manly, Robson emerged as a surprise hero of Parramatta’s charge to the 2009 grand final. The wily halfback played 61 games for the Eels from 2009-11, before providing excellent value in four seasons as Cronulla’s No.7. His move to the Warriors in 2016 lasted just seven first grade outings, however, as he sought a mid-season release to return to Parramatta. Robson made another 10 appearances for the blue-and-golds before hanging up the boots.
Lewis Brown: Riccarton Knights (Christchurch) junior Brown was picked up by the Warriors after lower-grade stints in Sydney, making his NRL debut aged 22 in 2009. He played his first Test for the Kiwis in 2011 and scored a now-iconic try in the preliminary final that year against Melbourne that propelled the Warriors into the decider. After 84 games in Auckland, Brown joined former Warriors coach Ivan Cleary at Penrith in 2013 and made 66 first grade appearances across three seasons. The New Zealand Test regular linked with Manly in 2016 and played 48 games for the club but fell out of first-grade favour and retired at the end of 2018.
Pita Godinet: Christchurch-born livewire Godinet played 18 NRL games for the Warriors from 2011-13, while he also featured in the club’s NSW Cup grand final loss to Canterbury in 2011. After two seasons with Wakefield Trinity, the utility played two first grade games for Manly in 2016 and featured prominently for ISP outfit Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles last year before earning a contract with Wests Tigers.
Ligi Sao: A member of the Warriors’ 2011 NYC grand final success, Sao was lured to Manly and played 21 NRL games for the club from 2013-15. The rugged forward returned to Auckland in 2016 and played 26 games for the Warriors before departing for Super League at the end of 2019.
Kieran Foran: Auckland-born five-eighth Foran became one of the NRL’s genuine superstars after debuting for Manly and breaking into the New Zealand Test side as a 19-year-old in 2009. Part of the Sea Eagles side that defeated the Warriors in the 2011 grand final, Foran joined Parramatta in 2016 and was installed as captain, but he played just nine games as injuries and off-field problems derailed his campaign. The 20-Test Kiwi joined the Warriors at the end of 2016, playing 17 games in 2017 before returning to Sydney with the Bulldogs. Foran rejoined the Sea Eagles in 2021 and took his club appearances tally to 196 in two strong campaigns, then headed to Gold Coast in 2023.
Toafofoa Sipley: Hulking forward Sipley played two NRL games for the Warriors in 2016 before taking up an opportunity at Manly. He has made 71 first-grade appearances for the Sea Eagles since making his club debut in 2018, while also representing Niue.
Shaun Lane: A rookie sensation with the Bulldogs in 2015 – scoring five tries in 14 games – Lane linked with the Warriors midway through 2016 as Faitala-Mariner went in the opposite direction. Lane featured in the under-strength Warriors’ gutsy win over the Dragons, but could not force his way into the first grade 17 again, instead featuring in the club’s InTrust Super Premiership finals campaign before signing with Manly for 2017. He played 33 games for the Sea Eagles – including all 24 in a breakout 2018 season – but was snapped up by Parramatta at the end of 2019.
Peta Hiku: An NYC star for the Warriors, Gisborne-born Hiku was snapped up by Manly and scored 28 tries in 61 games for the club from 2013-15, as well as making his Test debut for New Zealand in 2014. He moved to Penrith for an injury-riddled stint but the versatile back returned to the Warriors in 2018 after a short stay with Warrington. The 17-Test Kiwi played 73 games for the Warriors, predominantly at centre but also making starts at fullback, wing and five-eighth, before liking with the Cowboys in 2022.
Blake Green: Journeyman five-eighth Green had uneventful stints with Parramatta, Cronulla and Canterbury, but a four-season Super League stint – which included a Harry Sunderland Trophy win in Wigan’s 2013 grand final success – turned his career around. Green’s two-year stay at Melbourne garnered 50 games and a grand final appearance in 2016, while he was hailed as one of the buys of the year after linking with Manly in 2017, playing 24 games and helping the club to a top-eight return. The wily playmaker’s influence was equally striking after joining the Warriors in 2018, featuring prominently in their return to the finals. A tremendous clubman and leader, Green’s on-field appeal waned and he was informed midway through 2020 that his contract would not be extended, prompting him to link with Newcastle. He played 55 games for the Warriors – more than at any other Australian or English club.
Addin Fonua-Blake: Making his first-grade debut with Manly in 2016, Fonua-Blake debuted for both Tonga and New Zealand the following season before developing into one of the game’s best front-rowers in subsequent campaigns with the Sea Eagles. He played 97 games for the club before gaining a shock release and signing a deal with the Warriors – arguably their biggest engine-room acquisition since nabbing Steve Price and Ruben Wiki in 2005. Fonua-Blake has been a front-row behemoth in three and a bit seasons for the Warriors, playing 68 games and earning a Dally M Team of the Year spot in 2023.
Matt Lodge: Controversial former Tigers and Broncos prop Lodge joined the Warriors for an eventful 14-match match stint across 2021-22 that ended with an acrimonious mid-season departure to the Roosters. He left Bondi for the Sea Eagles in 2023 but has managed just three NRL games for the club.
Dunamis Lui: Debuting with the Broncos in 2010, Lui made 38 appearances for Manly in 2014-15 before spending one year with the Dragons and a successful five-season stint with the Raiders that included a grand final and one Origin match for Queensland. The rugged forward played four games for the embattled Warriors in 2022 after arriving midyear, his last NRL foray.
Karl Lawton: A popular utility best suited to hooker, Lawton joined the Warriors from Gold Coast in 2018 and played 33 games for the club. He has been at Manly since 2021 and racked up a further 41 top-grade appearances.
Dylan Walker: Bursting onto the scene as a gun teenage centre at Souths, Walker won a premiership and represented Australia in 2014. He joined Manly in 2016 and racked up 124 games for the club, including stints at five-eighth, centre, fullback and as a bench impact player – the role he performed spectacularly for the Warriors after heading across the Tasman in 2023. Also an occasional No.6 for the Warriors, the former NSW Origin rep has played 26 games to date for his current team.
Brayden Wiliame: A 2013 debutant for Parramatta, Wiliame made 23 NRL appearances for Manly in 2015-16, had a Super League stint with Catalans and returned to the NRL with St George Illawarra before a short-lived rugby union foray in the US. Wiliame was a surprise pick-up for the Warriors in 2023 and won a centre spot for the start of the season but succumbed to injury after just two games, eventually slotting into an off-field role with the club.
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