Whiz-kid Ben Barba scored the winner a minute from time to keep the Bulldogs near the top of the NRL ladder with a 18-14 win over the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

The Warriors looked like picking up just their sixth win of the season with 60 seconds left on the clock, but Barba drove over two hapless defenders to give Kevin Moore’s side the two points from their trip over the Tasman.

Without Brett Kimmorley, Michael Ennis and Josh Morris through State of Origin duty, Ben Hannant and Jamal Idris due to injury and Greg Eastwood and Bryson Goodwin because of suspension it was always going to be a test of the depth of this Bulldogs squad, but they came through with flying colours.

While the Warriors were without their Queensland Origin player Steve Price, they did have influential Manu Vatuvei back from a hamstring strain.

And it was Vatuvei who made his presence felt in the fourth minute by receiving a behind-the-back pass from Joel Moon and running in to score.

After weathering the early storm the Bulldogs worked their way back into the game, but sloppy errors from the likes of Hazem El Masri and Matt Utai kept them scoreless.

With three minutes in the half remaining the Bulldogs did score, but they needed luck and Luck for it.

Brad Morrin’s pass on the Warriors’ 10m line bounced off Micheal Luck’s knee and when the ball bounced in-goal Bulldogs hooker Michael Sullivan was the first to it.

The Bulldogs started off the second half where they had finished the first, with Luke Patten scoring a great solo try, easily getting past Stacey Jones with a dummy.

Sixty-two minutes into the game the Warriors’ find of the season Kevin Locke scored, beating Tim Winitana in the air to catch a Jones bomb.

Four minutes later Russell Packer powered his way over for the Warriors’ third try and Locke’s conversion gave the home side a 14-12 lead.

But there was one more big play left in the Bulldogs, which was inspired by a break from Winitana down the right wing.

When the ball was quickly moved to the other side, Barba raced in to score the winner.

© AAP 2012

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