By MARK CASHMAN

Warringah bench man Harley Attwater went from “zero” one week to “hero” the next as Warringah got their season well and truly underway with a gripping 31-28 win over Eastern Suburbs on Saturday.

Attwater had the ball knocked out of his grasp as he reached for a try in the final minutes of the loss to Randwick last weekend at Coogee but showed his cool when he kicked a vital penalty goal later in the game against the Beasts.

The heroics played out in the final moments of a thumping encounter that could quite easily have gone either way.

The win was vital for the Rats as they faced the very real possibility of starting the first month of their season without a win.