If Saturday night’s elimination semi-final between Manly and Canterbury had been a Shakespearean play, literary scholars would argue for weeks about what the Bard was trying to say.
It was drama, tragedy, farce, violence, poetry and irony, all rolled into an amazing 80 minutes, plus extras for the DVD release.
Manly may exuant as the old Shakespeare texts used to say, but they do so having been in one of the most extraordinary games this tortured maroon and white heart has witnessed live.
CATCH UP ON THE LATEST NRL HIGHLIGHTS
The early acts were dominated by the Aidan Tolman, Greg Eastwood and James Graham, who played the role of ruthless assassins for the Bulldogs, tearing through a Manly central defence that was so short on first-line troops that their pack resembled the winners of the local paper’s ‘Sea Eagle for a day’ competition.
In trying to shore up the middle, the flanks were left vulnerable, and the Bulldogs were 16-0 up before the main characters had managed to utter a meaningful monologue.
In the first 20 minutes, Manly had got through one set of six. Patrons not wearing blue were looking longingly at the exits.
But Shakespearean plays don’t end after Act 1 (unless you’re a bored stiff schoolboy wondering why you have to endure that stuff). What happened next came straight out of the realms of fiction.
The Bulldogs continued to dominate everywhere and were even the recipient of a man’s advantage when Josh Starling was sin-binned in farcical circumstances after reacting to having his arm pulled out of his socket and waved around like a trophy. At this point, Bulldogs by 30 at halftime seemed a conservative belief.
Instead, the Sea Eagles for a day hung on for those ten minutes and right on half time, Jayden Hodges played the part of court jester, scurrying over for a try from dummy half. Not bad for a kid who exited his first game in a neck brace a week earlier.
When the curtain opened for Act 2 it was like the players had been given different scripts. The Bulldogs hitmen ran out of lines and Manly’s understudy cast were suddenly centre stage. The second half remained scoreless for a long time and Bulldogs fans started getting restless in their seats.
Just like great theatre, 200-game veteran Brett Stewart found a way through the Canterbury defence, Jamie Lyon kicked the conversion, and it was 16-12. The nightmare of 40-point blowout was gone for Manly fans.
The last ten minutes contained just about everything. Michael Ennis, a Machiavellian character in the game, spilled a Kieran Foran chip kick – twice. Cheyse Blair grounded the ball in the corner and Reni Maitua shined up his elbow in an in-goal scuffle on a Manly jaw to earn himself a sin-bin spell and had Manly fans checking the crib notes in their text for the rules regarding eight-point tries.
Jamie Lyon obliged the neutrals by missing the conversion and a game that should have been over an hour ago was heading for extra acts.
One of the great thrillers had another twist. The Bulldogs were correctly awarded another set of six inside Manly’s 20 when a kick through hit the referee. It is a galactically stupid rule but it is a rule, and Trent Hodkinson benefitted from the extra set by slotting a field goal with five minutes left to give the Bulldogs a 17-16 lead.
Hodkinson, a former Manly player, had seemingly plunged Macbeth’s dagger into the Sea Eagles’ heart. However, his opposite number, Daly Cherry-Evans, who had fluffed a few lines on the night, kicked a field goal of his own and we had an odd-looking modern day scoreline at full time of 17-17.
The golden point norm of smash, bash and dash down the middle to set up another field goal then took shape. The Bulldogs had the first chance but Hodkinson’s attempt was charged down by a flying Jesse Sene-Lefao, a sight akin to Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose, but to much better effect.
It was down to the other end and Cherry-Evans was unable to get time for a clear shot, instead turning the ball inside to Brett Stewart, who normally thinks a drop kick is the guy who cuts in on his waves at Dee Why Point. The attempt slid agonisingly wide.
When presented with a second chance moments later, Hodkinson finally drew the curtain on this incredible game.
It would be too easy to be bitter. Instead, I’m just glad I saw it live. The Dogs gave their fans heart failure, but were worthy of their slim win. And the Sea Eagles for a day might well have earned themselves a curtain call in 2015.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
1. Manu is not No.1 at Roosters Everyone knows Joey Manu is a really good fullback. He’s probably in the top five in the…
Cameron Ciraldo must wonder what to say to his players at times like this. Against the best teams in the league, Canterbury have performed…
Viliame Kikau could well be the most overrated player in the NRL based on the stats he has produced thus far in 2024.
1. Sea Eagles see no evil The Manly Sea Eagles are a loveable bunch, which is why they famously don’t have to carry banners…
Sometimes in rugby league, it seems like everything that can go wrong will. That was the Roosters in the first half: they trailing the…
Playing talent is always important, yet creating a winning culture even more so.
