A captain’s knock from Daly Cherry-Evans helped the Sea Eagles overcome injuries to several of their stars and come away with a 30-14 win at 4 Pines Park on Sunday.
With Rueben Garrick (head knock), Toafofoa Sipley (knee) and Taniela Paseka (thumb) all ruled out early into the match and forward Corey Waddell also spending 45 minutes on the bench, a second half masterclass from Cherry-Evans helped Manly to a season defining win.
An early penalty against Dragons prop Francis Molo for a dangerous tackle gave the Sea Eagles field position and rookie fullback Lehi Hopoate capitalised when he sliced through from 20 metres out to score his first NRL try and also the first for the afternoon.
The Dragons looked to hit back ten minutes in through Zac Lomax on the right edge but the bunker ruled a knock on in the in goal.
But the visitors were gifted another opportunity just three minutes later when a Cherry-Evans short dropout backfired with Rueben Garrick tapping the ball back and Jacob Liddle pouncing on it to score.
Jacob Liddle Try
St George went further ahead in the 15th minute when Ben Hunt spotted Garrick down in the line and found Luciano Leilua on the left who turned the ball back inside for Kyle Flanagan to score. Lomax kicked for a 10-4 lead.
Manly came up with a reply late in the half after a stray Zac Lomax flick pass gave the home side a full set from close range and Cherry-Evans sent Haumole Olakau’atu crashing over on the right. Cherry-Evans couldn’t add the extras and the Dragons took a 10-8 lead into the break.
Haumole Olakau’atu Try
With Garrick (head knock) and Taniela Paseka (thumb) ruled out at half time the Sea Eagles went into the second term significantly undermanned but managed to steal the lead in the 44th minute when Karl Lawton made a break down the left side and found Luke Brooks in support.
The see-sawing contest continued when Lomax busted the line four minutes later and this time made sure he got the ball down to tie things up 14-14.
Manly got on a run late in the half with Hopoate produced some more dazzling speed and footwork to send Ben Trbojevic through before his older brother Jake also cashed in nine minutes later courtesy of a clever Cherry-Evans grubber.
With eight minutes to play the Sea Eagles skipper came up with another pinpoint grubber which this time bounced perfectly for Jason Saab to score in the corner and seal the Round 15 victory.
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Match Snapshot
- The Dragons were forced into a reshuffle prior to the match when Moses Suli suffered a hamstring injury in the warm up. 18th man Christian Tuipulotu shifted to centre with Michael Molo stepping back in as the reserve.
- Manly centre Rueben Garrick was sent for a HIA in the 16th minute for which he later passed.
- Manly props Toafofoa Sipley (knee) and Taniela Paseka (thumb) both suffered injuries just 15 minutes into the match and did not return.
- Manly forward Haumole Olakau’atu was placed on report for in the 59th minute for a dangerous tackle.
- Dragons five-eighth Kyle Flanagan was sent for a HIA in the 60th minute for which he later passed.
- Sea Eagles hooker Jake Simpkin made an impact on club debut, racking up a team-high 41 tackles in an 80-minute stint at prop
Play of the Game
On the evening before squads once again assemble for State of Origin duties a fitting moment came in the 63rd minute when the Queensland and New South Wales captain combined to put Manly in front by eight points.
Jake Trbojevic Try
What They Said
“I thought it was there to win, it could have gone either way there at one point but just with poor execution, twice we were over the try line and didn’t get tries with Zac on two occasions. But credit to them, they hung in there and got the crucial two points. We’ll just have to lick our wounds and start again.” – Dragons coach Shane Flanagan.
“We fought really hard and didn’t have a lot go our way as far as injuries and were under the pump numbers wise. I just thought the boys were really tough, they were well lead by Chez (Cherry-Evans) and I thought Jake (Trbojevic) through the middle was really tough as well.” – Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold
NRL Press Conference: Sea Eagles v Dragons – Round 15, 2024
What’s Next
The Sea Eagles meet with the Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium for a Saturday night showdown while the Rabbitohs while the Dragons enjoy a bye before facing the Dolphins in Round 17.