A late try to Ben Trbojevic and a Daly Cherry-Evans double helped Manly to a hard-fought 18-16 win over the Roosters at 4 Pines Park on Sunday.
Back in the side for his first game since Round 12, Trbojevic powered onto a short ball from Josh Schuster in the 71st minute to bring the raucous home crowd to its feet.
The Roosters made a strong start and looked to have opened the scoring in the eighth minute when a Luke Keary bomb finished up in the hands of Corey Allan who crashed over but Daniel Tupou was ruled to have knocked on as he leapt for the ball.
A superb long kick by Cherry-Evans that trapped James Tedesco in goal gave Manly field position but the Roosters dug deep in defence to keep their line intact.
What a pass by Joey Manu
The Roosters were rewarded for their resolve in the 23rd minute when Junior Pauga crossed for the game's opening try courtesy of a sublime flick pass by Joey Manu.
Four minutes later the home side hit back when Reuben Garrick chipped over the top for Cherry-Evans to regather and score after great lead-up work by Brad Parker.
Schuster pass puts Manly ahead
The Roosters hit back in the 33rd minute when Nat Butcher put Tedesco over with a slick flick pass but Cherry-Evans had the final say in the first half when he snaffled an intercept and ran 35 metres to score to make it 12-10 to the home side.
Six minutes after the break the Roosters snatched back the lead when youngster Sandon Smith sent a long ball to Manu who showed all his power to cross out wide. Smith converted to give the Roosters a 16-12 lead.
On the back of a penalty against Butcher for holding on too long in the play the ball the Sea Eagles marched down field and Ben Trbojevic crossed to level the scores. Garrick converted for an 18-16 Manly lead.
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Match Snapshot
- Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans' kicking game was on song with 756 total metres kicked from 23 kicks.
- Roosters hooker Jake Turpin left the field for a HIA in the 31st minute which he failed.
- James Tedesco had a stunning first half for the Roosters with 171 running metres and a try. He finished the day with 299 metres from 27 runs.
- Roosters centre Joseph Manu made his 150th NRL appearance.
- The Sea Eagles had 57 per cent of possession to the Roosters' 43 per cent.
- Jake Trbojevic returned in style for Manly with 127 metres from 18 runs and 34 tackles.
Manu does it again
- Joey Manu had 14 tackle breaks for the Roosters while Reuben Garrick came up with 10 for Manly.
- Siua Wong made his NRL debut for the Roosters and came up with five runs for 52 metres in 26 minutes of game time.
- Roosters forwards Naufahu Whyte (raised elbow) and Victor Radley (dangerous tackle) both went on report for separate incidents in the space of a minute early in the second half.
- Kelma Tuilagi was strong for Manly with 122 running metres and seven tackle breaks.
- The Sea Eagles have won five from seven at 4 Pines Park in 2023.
- Lachlan Croker worked himself to a standstill in defence with 50 tackles for Manly.
Like a thief in the night
Play of the Game
Rival skippers Daly Cherry-Evans and James Tedesco led from the front in the opening half with a string of big plays but it was DCE who got the better of the battle with a double. DCE's first try came after a powerful burst by centre Brad Parker, who left Joey Manu in his wake before finding Reuben Garrick in support. The fullback chipped over the top as defenders converged and it was Cherry-Evans backing up as ever to collect the bouncing ball and cross for his 82nd career try in game number 297.
Manly play entertainers for a brilliant try
What they Said
"I think 'Chez' [Cherry-Evans] has been our best player this year and certainly the leadership he has given our group and myself has been outstanding. It's a credit to where he is at. There's a lot of distractions at this time of year with State of Origin, he has led Queensland exceptionally well also so it's a big win for the club, full house here so a really good afternoon." - Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold
Sea Eagles: Round 18
"It was a mighty performance from the guys. I felt like they set it up really well in the first half, they were playing such a strong brand of footy... I felt like we were really strong tonight for nearly all the match, I felt like we were really dominant, the combinations were there, I felt like our defence was really pressuring. I think the six-agains were 7-0 [against us] in the second half so we were just going to spend time on our goal line defending, we weren't going to get anything coming off our line and they [Manly] were obviously the perfect team in that second half. The guys were epic, they kept fighting and they fought for everything right to the end." - Roosters coach Trent Robinson
Roosters: Round 18
What's Next
The Sea Eagles and Roosters both have a bye in Round 19. For Manly their next assignment is another home game against the Cowboys in Round 20 while the Roosters host the Storm at the Sydney Cricket Ground.