Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has rallied around Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad after the returning fullback made a costly mistake with his very first carry.
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Stuart was also full of praise for Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans' kicking game.
The Sea Eagles halfback's field goal - and his kicking game in general - guided his team to a 19-18 win at Lang Park on Friday night.
It wasn't the return Nicoll-Klokstad wanted, losing the ball on his very carry and that error leading to the Manly try that levelled the game in the second half.
Raiders back Jordan Rapana missed a long-range field goal after the siren that would've given the Green Machine the win, with Stuart also full of praise for the amount of work Rapana got through.
The loss means the Raiders probably need to win both of their remaining games to make the NRL top eight, while Manly continue their charge towards the top four.
The Raiders wore black armbands in honour of Sia Soliola's mum, who died in the lead-up to the game.
Stuart went to Nicoll-Klokstad straight after the game to lend him his support.
"It was good to see him back out," Stuart said.
"I grabbed him at the end of it and said, 'Don't beat yourself up over that. These things happen. It happens to everyone'.
"We bounced back from it. We just weren't there from the end."
Cherry-Evans' kicking game in the second half was sublime.
It proved the difference as the Raiders also had co-captain Elliott Whitehead put on report for high contact on Marty Taupau.
Nicoll-Klokstad scored a try in the 80th minute to give the Green Machine one last shot at salvaging something from the game, but they fell short after Rapana missed a two-point field-goal attempt.
With reduced forward numbers on the Raiders bench, Joe Tapine and Josh Papalii were always going to be a big part of the Green Machine's hopes.
Tapine was back to his best, running for 124 metres in the first half alone - and finishing with 175m for the game.
Canberra were clunky in attack, but it was their defence that got them going. And Tapine.
The Raiders middle produced a one-on-one strip that led to the opening try.
A string of injuries and suspensions in the outside backs has opened the door for some Canberra young guns to get their chance.
And two of them showed what they're capable of - Matthew Timoko producing a lovely flick pass for Harley Smith-Shields, a with a nasty gash on his arm from being trodden on, to dive into the corner.
Manly second-rower Haumole Olakau'atu looked dangerous early, with the bunker saving the Raiders' blushes when he had a try disallowed for obstruction - after the Green Machine had failed to defend a Hudson Young error.
Raiders winger Bailey Simonsson's been one of those injured players, but his return from a toe problem has sparked a dangerous left-edge combination with Dally M Medallist Jack Wighton.
Simonsson scored a hat-trick last week, with Wighton setting all of them up.
That's how the Raiders went in again, off the back of a Reuben Garrick error - the Manly makeshift fullback unable to handle a Sam Williams bomb.
It had an upset on the cards at half-time, with Canberra 12-0 up at the break.
Olakau'atu continued his breakout year and continued to trouble Canberra's defence, as Manly continued to get him one-on-one with Wighton close to the tryline.
The Sea Eagles forward crashed over from close range on the back of a Moses Suli break.
Suli repeatedly cut through the Raiders right edge, finishing with 213m, six tackle busts, a linebreak and a linebreak assist.
It's been more than four months since Nicoll-Klokstad last played and it's safe to say he started a bit rusty.
He lost his very first carry after coming off the bench for Rapana, who ran for 134m and made five tackle busts with his usual effort.
"Jordan Rapana was unbelievable tonight," Stuart said.
"I was sitting high tonight and the work he was doing off the football was extraordinary.
"Why was he doing it? That's what Cherry-Evans makes you do.
"If you want to defend with the full line your fullback's got a lot more pressure on him because he's got to cover both sides of the footy field.
"You want to drop back on tackle four and protect your backfield they're going to threaten you on the edges and create opportunities the way they have been over the last 4-6 weeks.
"We defended with a full line tonight and it put extra pressure on Jordy, and he did a marvelous job."
Nicoll-Klokstad's error ended up with centre Morgan Harper crossing on the back of a Daly Cherry-Evans cross-field kick to level the scores.
Cherry-Evans' kicking game started to prove the difference.
He grubbered perfectly for Curtis Sironen to run onto and put the Sea Eagles in front for the first time.
Fittingly, Cherry-Evans then iced it with a field goal inside the final two minutes.
AT A GLANCE
MANLY SEA EAGLES 19 (Haumole Olakau'atu, Morgan Harper, Curtis Sironen tries; Reuben Garrick 3 goals; Daly Cherry-Evans field goal) bt CANBERRA RAIDERS 18 (Harley Smith-Shields, Bailey Simonsson, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad tries; Sam Williams 2, Jordan Rapana goals) at Lang Park. Referee: Adam Gee.