A clinical Manly has handed Newcastle a 32-0 drubbing in their round two clash at Brookvale Oval on Sunday night.
The Sea Eagles were dominant in both attack and defence against a hapless Knights, who executed poorly. This provided Manly a plethora of opportunities via a litany of Newcastle handling errors.
Manly went to the half time break leading just 10-0 despite dominating possession. A sixth-minute try to Manly winger Jorge Taufua set the theme for the evening.
Jamie Lyon provided the highlight of the first half by leaping high above the Newcastle defence to score Manly’s second try in spectacular fashion.
Whilst the Knights were still managing to create opportunities, their execution was mediocre. The few sets that they did manage to complete were often finished with poor kick options.
An ankle ligament injury to promising Newcastle centre Dane Gagai early in the match did not help the Knights cause. Manly also lost Steve Matai just before half time after he injured his neck whilst making a tackle.
The second half started no better for Newcastle, when an early dropped ball was swooped upon by Joe Guluvao. He offloaded to Anthony Watmough who ran sixty metres to score.
The Knights also lost Willie Mason early in the half with a calf strain.
Manly completely outplayed Newcastle in the remainder of the match. The Knights’ poor completion rate (23 of 35) was telling and the Sea Eagles feasted on the extra possession.
Jorge Taufua scored his second try with a great show of strength in a one on one battle with Akuila Uate.
Manly’s third try of the second half was possibly the best all night. A backline movement saw Jamie Lyon in space.
Lyon kicked ahead with Brett Stewart looking as though he would be beaten to the ball by Newcastle’s Jeremy Smith. In a show of extreme determination Stewart made a lunge around Smith and got a fingertip to the ball to score.
The try was a reflection of proceedings. Manly looked hungry, Newcastle looked a step behind.
Manly iced the victory in the 79th minute with a Jorge Taufua hat-trick. Replacement centre Tom Symonds created the try with a rampaging run that attracted three defenders. Symonds offloaded to Taufua who topped off a night to remember with his third try.
Jamie Lyon converted from the sideline right on full time to finish with four from six with the boot.
Manly will be buoyed by the win and the fact that they kept the Knights scoreless.
Anthony Watmough was punishing in defence and a stand out for the Sea Eagles. Jamie Lyon was at his best in attack and his deft kicking game was a huge factor in the Manly win.
It will be back to the drawing board for Wayne Bennett and the Knights. They would need to improve considerably on their latest performance to be considered as serious contenders for the 2013 title.
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.
Manly are at risk of becoming the second NRL club to face legal action over training techniques, with former player Lloyd Perrett threatening to…
Souths CEO Blake Solly has confirmed that Wayne Bennett is on the shortlist to take over from Jason Demetriou, telling media that the club…
Daly Cherry-Evans has avoided being suspended for the first time in his 14-year career, rolling the dice to dodge a three-match ban after having…
Anzac Round is done and another NRL touchpoint is ticked off amid the onward march of the 2024 season. It helps to see things…
Manly have been slammed by the judiciary with both Daly Cherry-Evans and Haumole Olakau'atu charged for two weeks for their part in a dangerous…
Brad Arthur must wonder what he has to say to his team anymore. With his job under huge pressure, his Parramatta side managed to…
