- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Sea Eagles 30
Knights 10
A pleasant afternoon for Rugby League at Brookvale has seen the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles beat the Newcastle Knights by 20 points in what was a dominant display.
The Sea Eagles were led by half Daly Cherry Evans who put in a man of the match performance and really stood up for the Sea Eagles who were playing without Kieran Foran. It wasn’t just the Titans bound half though as the forward pack played exceptionally as well and Brett Stewart was able to bag a double.
For the Newcastle Knights it was an absolute nightmare of a game. After dominating for the first 15 minutes or so, having all the possession and field territory they couldn’t crack the solid Manly defence. The Knights then became impatient and the turning point was a mistake just a few meters from the tryline when they should have scored easily in the 16th minute.
As soon as that mistake was made Manly were able to put on 2 quick tries with one going to Jorge Tafua and the first of 2 Brett Stewart tries which started from inside their own half and was finished with an exceptional kick ahead by Peta Hiku.
Following that try from Brett Stewart the game became a battle of end to end footy and the Knights has a pair of tries disallowed. The Knights again became frustrated and impatient which allowed the Sea Eagles to make the most of it and clinch an 18 point lead at halftime as Ligi Sao crashed over off the back of some Cherry Evans brilliance.
After the half time break the Knights came out firing and it looked Manly were struggling. James McManus managed to score in the corner for the Knights and the signs weren’t good for the Sea Eagles when Newcastle almost scored again just a few minutes later.
Following the first 10 minutes of the second half however the Knights went to sleep. They were dropping the ball and giving away penalties which invited the Sea Eagles to Brett Stewart and then in the 68th minute Daly Cherry Evans was able to score off the back of a great team play and put the match beyond doubt.
Tariq Sims managed to score with about 6 minutes to go as a consolation for the Knights in what was an otherwise sloppy, unattractive and boring final 10 minutes.
For Manly their whole forward pack really stood up and dominated the Knights lead by Blake Leary who seemed to move into the forwards after about 20 minutes and was exceptional. Tom Symonds and Jake Trbojevic were the other 2 who lead the Manly pack.
For the Knights it was a tale of woe and they missed Jarrod Mullen badly with Tyrone Roberts failing to stand up. Joseph Leilua was probably the Knights best on ground whilst Tyler Randall also played well.
In the end though the Sea Eagles far too strong for the sloppy Knights.
Coming off a rare win, the Manly Sea Eagles host the Newcastle Knights at Brookvale Oval. Join The Roar from 1:45pm (AEST) for our live coverage.
The Sea Eagles have had a horror season, winning just two games, both against the Melbourne Storm.
After winning their first four games of the season, the Knights can’t seem to buy a win at the moment. While they sit in ninth place on the ladder, they should be a lot higher after the start to the season they had.
In team news the Sea Eagles welcome back Jamie Lyon from injury, but Steve Matai is out with suspension. Jamie Burher is out with injury meaning Dunamis Lui will start at lock and Blake Leary is added to the bench.
The Knights welcome back hard-hitting second rower Beau Scott from injury. This pushes Chris Houston to the bench and Sione Mata’utai again becomes the 18th man.
Manly’s will hope to control possession, complete their sets and get big metres out of the likes of Luke Burgess and Justin Horo. Then they’ll rely on the creative skills of Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans to get them home.
Foran and Cherry-Evans are under pressure, with the team struggling and them both leaving for the Eels and Titans respectively next year, so expect them to use the momentum of the win against the Storm to ease some pressure.
The Knights meanwhile will look to find Akuilla Uate as often as possible. He has really recaptured his form this year and looks dangerous every time he gets his hands on the ball. Put Joseph Leilua playing inside a try-scoring weapon like Uate and the likes of Jarrod Mullen, who could be pushing for a State of Origin spot, and Tyrone Roberts in the middle, and it’s a potentially lethal combination.
In short it looks like the battle of the halves is where the game will be won and lost.
Looking at the history between the two clubs and the Sea Eagles hold it over the Knights in a big way, particularly at Brookvale where the Knights have only won two out of 15 games.
Prediction
Manly will be desperate for another win and the way they played against the Storm suggests they can. Holding all the history over the Knights makes them very hard to tip against considering how the Knights have been playing.
Manly by 12.
Join The Roar from 1:45pm (AEST) for our live coverage of the clash and be sure to leave your comments in the section below.