12 Sep 2011

Melbourne help Warriors out

11:29 am on 12 September 2011

Melbourne's 18-8 win over Newcastle on Sunday night has given the New Zealand Warriors a lifeline in the National Rugby League finals.

After Saturday night's humiliating 40-10 loss to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, the Warriors needed the top two sides Manly and Melbourne to win their preliminary finals to earn a second chance as one of the two highest-ranked losers.

The second-ranked Sea Eagles obliged with a 42-9 win over North Queensland, while the minor premiership-winning Storm weren't as dominant but still beat the eighth-placed Knights 18-8 to ensure the Warriors stayed alive.

They'll now travel to Sydney to face the fourth-ranked Wests Tigers in the first semi-final at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night.

The Tigers earned hometown advantage with their 21-12 win over St George Illawarra in week one.

The winner of this play-off will take on the Storm in Melbourne the following weekend.

On Saturday night Brisbane play St George with the winner going on to meet Manly.