Bewildered Warriors coach Ivan Cleary says he has no idea how a mix-up occurred that could cost the club its third NRL fine in two weeks.

A disappointing 20-10 loss to Manly is likely to be compounded by a breach notice after forward Jeremy Latimore, who was named on the bench an hour before kick-off for the Brookvale Oval clash, started the match instead of Russell Packer.

The Kiwi side were hit during the week with a $3,000 fine for being three minutes late onto the Mt Smart Stadium field to face the Sydney Roosters last Saturday night.

They copped a further $2,000 for trainer Ruben Wiki manhandling a player when an altercation started.

The hip pocket pain will add to that already inflicted by the Sea Eagles, who scored four tries to two in front of a tiny crowd announced as 8,680 on a boggy Brookvale surface.

"It was always going to be the case," Cleary said of Latimore starting the match.

"I don't know anything about it."

To make matters worse, the Warriors' centre crisis deepened with Shaun Berrigan off for X-rays after suffering a suspected fractured hand.

They already have Kiwi international Jerome Ropati out for the season with a knee injury.

Michael Oldfield, Michael Robertson, Jamie Buhrer and Joe Galuvao scored tries for Manly with Daly Cherry-Evans booting two from four.

Backrowers Lewis Brown and Elijah Taylor bagged the Warriors' four-pointers, with James Maloney kicking one from two as the Kiwi side's two-match mini revival came to an end.

Manly's young guns continue to shine - halfback Cherry-Evans, pivot Kieran Foran and exciting fullback Will Hopoate who laid on the home side's first three tries.

It didn't stop Manly coach Des Hasler delivering a reality check to his players.

"We did what we had to do, we controlled the game fairly well, but what we need to do is go to the next level and start putting sides away," he said.

"When we get back into it Monday and Tuesday, that will be the main topic of conversation - we need to finish it off and finish it off well.

"It's got nothing to do with (having so many) young blokes, it's called mentality, and we need to work on that mentality.

"It's round six and we've got time do to it."

But Hasler was pleased with the return of Test forward Anthony Watmough after a week's suspension for off-field misbehaviour.

"He's hard to handle ... I'm pleased with his progress and he's playing a real consistent footy," Hasler said.

"That was one of his goals this year."

Manly led 14-4 at the break before Galuvao, who picked up a foot injury, capitalised on good work from hooker Matt Ballin to make it 20-4 after 54 minutes.

The second half deteriorated into an error-fest but the Warriors didn't give up and Feleti Mateo laid on a consolation try for Taylor three minutes before the siren.

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