Manly have taken another step towards the finals with an impressive 42-12 win over Newcastle at a packed 4 Pines Park.
The 15,896 fans were treated to a stunning display of attacking football: the Sea Eagles made double digit line breaks with Jason Saab, Tolutau Koula and Reuben Garrick in stirring form out wide.
This was like Manly of 2021: they shifted early and regularly, using their huge pace advantage to trouble the Knights’ often shaky edge defence.
Daly Cherry-Evans followed up his Origin efforts with another dominant display, bringing a standing ovation when he was withdrawn with five to play.
Des Hasler will need his talisman on top form for the next few weeks: with 12 wins looking like the bare minimum to make the top eight in 2022, this win moved the Sea Eagles to nine.
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
With the Roosters having won and the Rabbitohs still to play, a win at home to the lowly Knights was essential ahead of a run that will see Manly go to Kogarah to face a Dragons side in the last chance saloon before the Chooks and Eels head to the Northern Beaches.
“The first half was pretty slow, particularly the way that the ruck was interpreted, but the second half we were able to consolidate a little bit,” said Des Hasler. “I don’t think the scoreboard reflects the type of game it was, particularly the first half.
“In the first half, we were probably a bit conservative but when we did chance our arm, we got results off it. We were pretty controlled and finished strong.
“(Our attack) has been a real focus point. They’ve worked really hard in that area and it was good to get a bit of a scoreline because it’s tight around that 6/7/8 spot and for/against might come into it at the end of the year.”
The result likely snuffs out the last hopes that Newcastle had of reaching the finals. This was their 10th spine of the season, though perhaps it might be the one they stick to.
Jayden Brailey, in just his second appearance of the year, was excellent and Kalyn Ponga, backing up for an outstanding Origin performance on Wednesday, was a clear best on ground for the Knights.
They lost Dom Young to a rib injury at half-time and Tyson Frizell not long after with a similar complaint.
“It was a weird game for us to dissect,” said Knights coach Adam O’Brien. “There’s so much there to build on, so much more than last week, but there’ll be some disappointing stuff to look at as well. We lost three key players and had a man in the bin. There was a fair bit to contend with.
“They’ve hurt, clearly. Injuries hurt a lot. Ten different spines is a big thing for us. Waking up this morning, I was excited to have Brails play with this guy (Ponga), with Milford and Adam Clune.
“They’ve had one game together, and that’s what I was alluding to: we can build on that. But there’s no doubt, it’s been a season that’s been plagued with injuries.
“I don’t want the team to look at next year now, and I certainly won’t be either. We just need to get better.
“I thought we were better today than we were last week and if we can be better against the Roosters at keeping our bodies moving when they need to move and not giving ourselves an out. I’m focused on that because it will hold us better long term.”
Newcastle have so often shot themselves in the foot, and the first try of the night was almost entirely self-inflicted.
Anthony Milford dropped the ball cold, gifting possession to the Sea Eagles. When they got to the kick, Young claimed it cleanly, but Dane Gagai was pinged for an escort. On the first serious shift wide, Koula was able to stand up Enari Tuala and go by him with ease.
It was an unforced error, a needless penalty and pathetic defensive effort on the goalline – all very familiar for Knights fans.
After the horror show came something much better. Milford and Gagai showed the best of their game, challenging the Manly left edge to get Young free, and the Jamaican winger was able to dink kick inside that Adam Clune reached just before the dead ball line.
After the early flurry, a long grind set in. Manly were completing at 100% through 25 minutes but failing to make the most of their kicks, with Garrick and Dylan Walker pressed into action with the boot.
Newcastle were offering little, but with only one error, they were able to keep their end of the bargain. Ponga offered attacking threat, with eight runs within the first half hour, but nobody was able to go with him.
Manly might not be the entertainers that they were last year, but they still have buckets of strike out wide.
They went left early in their own end and found the seam between the winger, Young, and Gagai, with Andrew Davey able to skin the Queensland centre before finding Jason Saab streaking outside of him to score.
They would repeat the trick: Garrick through a cutout pass to Saab to release him along the touchline, and while his kick came to nothing, Milford had impeded Garrick’s attempt to chase and found himself sat down for 10 minutes.
Cherry-Evans took the two with 20 seconds left on the clock to take an 8-point lead to the sheds despite a very tight first half.
It was telling that, by half time, both teams had enjoyed the bulk of their possession in their own halves and had collectively accumulated less than two sets’ worth of tackles in good ball situations. Manly’s endeavour from deep was paying off.
Newcastle were a man light but decided to put a bit of air under the footy themselves. Ponga put Lachlan Fitzgibbon through a hole, he offloaded to Tuala and with the fullback approaching, he threw it blind behind him back to Ponga for an outstanding Knights try.
Manly were almost affronted by the class shown by their opponents and put on something special of their own.
Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran went short side combining to take several players out of the game before DCE unveiled a no-look pass of his own to the onrushing Saab.
Manly’s edges would fire again. Koula broke down the right and might well have put Cherry-Evans over, but was stopped by Ponga. With all the Knights looking for the long side shift, Garrick went short and found Haumole Ola’kauatu, carried a few with him en route to the line.
The Manly backline was purring. Saab made another clean break, with Ponga again able to stop the surge temporarily, but just like last time, Garrick pounced and put in his back-rower, with Davey this time the man to get over.
The tries were flowing and Newcastle had no answer. Christian Tuipulotu got the next: Ola’kauatu had been brought down within a yard, and with the Knights looking to fire out of the line, Cherry-Evans kicked in behind and found his winger for an simple finish.
Manly have made a habit of horrendous late collapses, but there was to be none tonight. With time running out, they iced the cake via Walker turning in the tackle and presenting the ball to Lachlan Crocker for the easiest of tries.
The lawyer representing former Manly prop Lloyd Perrett in proposed legal action against the Sea Eagles has predicted a spate of more civil suits…
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…
