A game expected to be close has ended in an impressive away win for the St George Illawarra Dragons at Lottoland, with the Manly Sea Eagles well below par in a one-sided encounter.
The game started well for both teams who completed their sets well and finished them with decent final tackle kicks.
However, a controversial try to the Dragons in the third minute gave St George the early advantage and they didn’t look back.
In a Manly play the ball was snatched away by Gareth Widdop after no one from the Eagles was behind the man, leading to a video referee decision going in favour of the Dragons.
The controversial call was the cornerstone of what was to come, with the Dragons scoring soon afterwards through Euan Aitken after some great play down the right-hand side.
Within ten minutes it was 10-0 to the Dragons who were beginning to look on top early in this encounter.
By the 17th min, the Dragons had scored again through Aitken after some more individual brilliance down the right-hand side.
As the half progressed, the Dragons continued to look dominant while Manly were clueless and fatigued.
However, some great solo play by George Taufua looked to give Manly some hope after busting through some tackles on the left-hand side before scoring in the corner.
As the second half began, Manly came out considerably better than their showing in the first, and began to out the Dragons under some heavy pressure.
However, an unnecessary penalty to the Dragons relieved any pressure and momentum built up by the Eagles, with McCrone breaking through the line and De Belin scoring after the upload.
Afterwards, Widdop consolidated the lead by scoring a penalty goal to make it 24-6 with the Dragons well on top.
After some more great attacking play down the left the Dragons scored again with Kurt Mann scoring in the corner after a great passing move.
Taufau did get a try back for Manly in the 68th min with some good play down the left. However, that was as good as it got for the eagles as Widdop slotted a field goal and then scoring a great clutch try at the buzzer after following up the kick and reaching out to score in front of the Manly player.
Final score
Manly Sea Eagles 10
St George Illawarra Dragons 35
eagleJack
Roar Guru
It's an interesting point you raise Stripes. Both Manly and the Roosters looked lethargic this week. It doesn't bode well for either team when it comes to the weekly grind. Consistency is essential. But with no standout team, and such an even competition, I think you'll see this happen a fair bit. Virtually any team can win on their day. Complacency can't be tolerated and it wouldn't surprise me to see to see Manly turn up a different outfit against the Storm. Much like they did after their Souths loss.
Stripes
Guest
That must have been one hard game last week between the Roosters and Manly as this week both teams looked like and played like park amateur footballers. Hard to imagine either making the 8 though - Dragons now second premiership favourites after the Storm one would say.