An eight-minute hat-trick. A hair pull on a man wearing headgear. And yet another NSW Origin injury headache.
And of course Jarome Luai was in anything and everything.
Michael Maguire’s blood pressure will be rising once more after NSW Origin debutant Haumole Olakau’atu lasted just 24 minutes of Manly’s 32-22 loss to Penrith on Sunday afternoon.
Panthers winger Brian To’o.Credit: Getty
A calf injury disrupted Nicho Hynes’ Origin I preparation and the same issue laid Olakau’atu low as the sun went down at Penrith.
Fellow Blues back-rower Liam Martin watched on with the toe injury that has him racing the clock for game two while Dylan Edwards (quad) sat alongside him in Ivan Cleary’s coaches box.
All eyes on the same sides next Sunday when Manly host the Dragons and Penrith travel to Newcastle as the last to play before Maguire picks his game two squad.
But at least Luai and pocket rocket Brian To’o – with a treble of his own – had themselves a day out after Tommy Talau scored three tries in the first half hour.
When a Sea Eagles ambush loomed, Manly and Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans played like the million-dollar halfback he has been for almost a decade now.
In return, Luai showed promise once more as the million-dollar halfback Wests Tigers will pay him to be next year, with more than handy support from his own likely scrumbase replacement Jack Cole.
Cherry-Evans was everywhere Penrith didn’t want him to be, taking intercepts, putting runners through holes and trying to pinch metres by striding well over the referee’s penalty mark.
Luai simply wanted to be everywhere. Once again he seemed to relish being the Panthers first and second ball-playing option in the No.7 jumper the besieged Tigers will pay him a small fortune to wear.
Like the rest of the Blues, Luai battled at times in a 12-man line-up last Wednesday night.
In more familiar surroundings at Penrith he wanted his hands on the ball and produced key plays without it, bundling Jason Saab into touch and forcing an error from Tof Sipley with strong contact.
From the resulting scrum Nathan Brown was put on report for grabbing Luai’s ponytail despite half of it hiding under his headgear.
After being pinned to a 16-12 half-time lead, the Panthers cracked on from Brown’s penalty.
Sunia Turuva crossed a few plays after his own lengthy break through Manly’s middle, and Liam Henry surged over at the hour-mark for a convincing 28-12 advantage.
Liam Henry celebrates his try for Penrith.Credit: Getty
In a surprise to precisely no one, Luai had tangled Luke Brooks up in the preceding play-the-ball as the two bantamweights exchanged pleasantries.
Manly’s protests over the fracas fell on deaf ears even as Henry was crossing the tryline.
Talau began the afternoon on the end of precise Sea Eagles set plays, so much so he scored carbon-copy tries in the 18th and 22nd minutes.
When Brooks shanked a kick through Turuva’s hands and into Talau’s, the winger had a hat-trick in eight minutes, and Manly enjoyed a surprise 12-8 lead.
To’o’s own finishing prowess, twice reeling passes in one-handed before powering over the tryline, ensured it mattered for naught.
The Sea Eagles did eventually find fortune again for Talau’s fourth and the brief threat of a comeback.
But despite a late flourish from Jason Saab, tiptoeing down the sideline for a stunning, spinning touchdown, the Panthers had them covered to the very last play – with Luai of course right in the middle of it.