The sin-binning of Reni Maitua and Josh Starling for punching should serve as a warning to the remaining teams in the finals, says Canterbury coach Des Hasler.
Hasler backed on-field officials Gerard Sutton and Ben Cummins for removing both players, who were sin-binned for separate incidents either side of half-time.
"It's within the rules," Hasler said of the sin-binnings. "[It was] tit for tat. What happened to one side was always going to happen to the other side.
"Always in the heat of the battle players forget [the automatic punch and sin-bin rule]. It serves as a warning."
Halfback Trent Hodkinson proved the match-winner with two late field goals after hobbling from the field with a knee injury in the 18th minute. Hasler said Hodkinson had irritated scar tissue but would not be in doubt for their next clash against Penrith on Saturday night.
Skipper Michael Ennis singled out Hodkinson for praise. "He is a pretty special player in those situations," Ennis said.
"It's probably why he scored that try in game two in Origin. He is just calm and sits back and takes his moment. He is a terrific kid to play with."
Meanwhile, Ennis feared he had lost his side the game when he fumbled a Manly grubber which resulted in a try to Cheyse Blair to draw the scores level. A loss would have ended Ennis's time at the Bulldogs. The hooker moves to Cronulla next year.
"I had thoughts like that," Ennis said. "The talk behind the line was positive. We've been in that position a few times this year. Both halves wanted the footy.
"I could see it coming, I did my best, but it bounced straight off my chest and it went pear-shaped from there."
