Warriors 26 Knights 20

In the six days between their thumping at the hands of Manly last Monday and the opportunity for redemption against Newcastle yesterday, the Warriors focused on one word, one concept: respectability.

For hooker Nathan Fien, it meant "getting back the respect of teammates, our families, the fans … to come back in after the game, look at each other, and say we gave it 100 per cent".

But for Warriors captain Ruben Wiki, it meant justifying why the oldest player in the NRL still turned up each week. That question had been raised by Wiki's former Kiwis teammate Matthew Ridge in a Sunday newspaper.

"Ruben quite simply can't keep up with the pace any more," Ridge wrote in the Sunday News. "It really pains me to say this, but there comes a time in a player's career when he has to sit back, take stock, and ask himself a simple question - am I still cutting the mustard?"

Wiki, who is in his 15th season in the NRL, hadn't read Ridge's column before kick-off against the Knights yesterday, but knew the gist of Ridge's comments from a relative's text message. "I knew it was going to come," he said. "I knew there would be critics out there … I knew they [the media] would have a look at me because I am 35.

"'Ridgey' has always been like that and I wasn't fazed by it. He will have to tell it to my face, though, because I don't read newspapers."

Warriors officials were less restrained, with one senior figure describing the column as a "disgrace".

As the Warriors hung on doggedly to defend leads of 14-0 and then 26-16 against Newcastle, Wiki was happy enough with his personal performance and how his teammates responded to last week's embarrassment. "I had to lead from the front, and I think I have done that," he said.

While Wiki, in the twilight of his career, was influential, so too was a Warrior at the dawn of his career.

New Zealand's first two tries were scored by a player who six months ago was planning to make his earnings from negotiating other blokes' contracts.

Ryan Shortland emigrated to Sydney from Masterton, near Wellington, at the age of two, but returned to New Zealand last year after being cut by the Melbourne Storm having played just one first-grade game in four years. He had intended to help out at his uncle's Christchurch player agency, and play a bit of rugby union, but instead cut a deal with the Warriors. Last night he was happy with his decision. "Old Dan Carter will have to fill in there for me for a while," he said.

Shortland's double, combined with an early 6-0 penalty count for the Warriors and a huge share of the first-half possession, put the result firmly in the control of the home side.

Once the penalties began to even out, however, the Knights came back into the contest. Tries to Wes Naiqama in the 33rd minute and Corey Paterson in the 38th narrowed the Warriors' lead to 14-12 at half-time.

While Evarn Tuimavave scored an important try just after the break, the Warriors were troubled again when the Knights began to play with more adventure.

The turning point for the home side was a 100-metre intercept try from a Newcastle kick by winger Patrick Ah Van when the Knights looked likely to take the lead in the 66th minute.

And the clincher was another intercept, with only 33 seconds left: Logan Swann claimed a stray pass as the Knights were pressing hard to force the game into golden-point extra time.

"Blokes were showing up when we were gone for all money," said Fien. "It was really courageous."