Roar Guru
At halftime it was 4-4 but Manly scored two tries in the second half to seal a comfortable win against the Broncos.
Not an outstanding game by any means, but Manly did enough to get the victory and probably claim their first minor premiership in 17 years.
On this form the Broncos will miss the semis this season.
FINAL SCORE:
Sea Eagles 16
Broncos 4
The Brisbane Broncos travel to Brookvale Oval keen to cement their position in the top eight while a win for the Manly Sea Eagles could confirm their grasp of the minor premiership. Join The Roar for all the action from 7:40pm (AEST).
All the talk at the Sea Eagles might be about players asking for releases and off-field dramas, but the Brookie boys just keep getting the job done.
Last weekend they travelled to Auckland and dispatched the Warriors and the week before that they put away the Dragons. Manly sits on top of the table, four points ahead of the Rabbitohs, Panthers and Bulldogs, and victory here will probably confirm their first minor premiership since 1997.
The Sea Eagles are a club that feeds off adversity, that love to have their backs against the wall, and the Broncos are in for a fiery reception.
The comments about Brookvale Oval being a “s**thole” by Brisbane forward Todd Lowrie will only add a little more spice to the occasion.
The Broncos have had their own off-field issues to deal with – the end-of-season axing of coach Anthony Griffin for former boss Wayne Bennett, salary cap problems, a disciplinary breach – and it has been an inconsistent season for them.
The Queensland outfit come into this game on the back of just one win in their past five games. It’s a terrible record and they will be big longshots in this one. Jorge Taufau returns on the wing, Brett Stewart is in great form, with 19 try assists this season, and the Sea Eagles just love playing at home.
Ben Barba has had an ordinary 2014 season and the Broncos will need a big game from the in-form Ben Hunt, against fellow Maroon halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, to have a chance in this one.
Brisbane got the better of Manly the last time the two sides met, though the northern beaches side was missing a few players. This is a match the Broncos really need to win to stay in semi-final contention.
The Broncos are in eighth spot, with 22 points, the same number of points as the Dragons, Warriors, West Tigers and Eels. The Titans are only two below, on 20, while seventh-placed Cowboys are all on 22 points. A loss at Brookvale would see Brisbane slide out of the eight at a crucial time in the season.
The Broncos really need to stand up tonight and give one of their best performances of the season to knock off the competition’s best team. This should be a cracker.
Join The Roar from 7:45pm (AEST) for all the action.