A dominant Manly Warringah Sea Eagles crushed the Newcastle Knights to claim a monstrous 44-6 victory in front of a sold out 4 Pines Park tonight.
Four tries in the first half were enough to propel the home side out to a 20-0 lead at half-time. Four more tries in the second half put the cherry on the top as the Sea Eagles moved to seventh place on the ladder with 23 competition points.
On a jam packed day, there was a lot to unpack. Jamie Humphreys (#659) and Clayton Faulalo (#660) made their NRL debuts on a proud day as the Golden Eagles were celebrated.
Former Manly players, officials and administrators paraded around the field in front of a sold-out 4 Pines Park, the sixth time out of seven home games so far this season.
“It was a special day for us, the boys put in a really good performance for Golden Eagles Day, it’s one we mark on the calendar at the start of the year. So to turn up and have a performance like that is special,” said Manly captain Tom Trbojevic.
'Turbo’ also proudly ran out onto the field as the club’s 69th captain, alongside club legend Cliff Lyons, who received his 300 club ring from NRL CEO Andrew Abdo before the match.
Trbojevic spoke on his love for the club and what it means for him to captain it.
“Yeah, first one as captain, one from one for me. It’s quite surreal really. I grew up in the area. I’ve always played for and loved this club. So to be able to lead them out was really special,'' he added.
Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold spoke about the side’s performance following this week’s preparation, and gave special praise to winger Lehi Hopoate after his two tries.
“We prepared really well. I thought both sides of the footy were good today. We came with a plan and the guys executed the plan really well,'' Seibold said,
“Lehi started on a 6-week train and trial deal. But because of how well he did over the pre-season, we brought him over to Vegas with us because we thought at some stage he’d play.
"That was his first game he’s ever played on the wing. He's just a really good footy player with really good footy sense. I like how he's willing to learn and improve.”
With spirits high, the Sea Eagles didn’t take too long to find the line as Humphreys dived over for his first career try on debut. After a quick shift to the right edge, winger Jason Saab found himself with just the full-back to beat. A pin-point pass infield sent the young halfback over untouched in front of the Bob Fulton Stand for a 6-0 lead.
Manly were in again as ‘Turbo’ scored his first try since round 10 against the Dolphins. Five-eighth Luke Brooks put up a high bomb from 30 metres out and Trbojevic worked his magic. The full-back outleaped his opposing full-back to win the ball and score for a 12-0 scoreline.
After setting up the first try 16 minutes earlier, Saab went over to score in the corner in the 21st minute. A quick shift through the line was capped off with a smart flick pass from centre Reuben Garrick to extend the lead to 16-0.
The Sea Eagles maintained their hold as they scored their fourth through centre Tommy Talau with six minutes to play in the first half. A well-placed crossfield kick from Brooks was taken by Hopoate, who quickly caught and passed infield to Talau to take the score to 20-0.
Manly carried their red-hot form into the second half with a try through Garrick in the 42nd minute. Saab broke down the right sideline after a quick shift and moments later, passed back infield to Garrick who raced away to score under the posts in front of the Lyons-Menzies Stand. The centre converted his own try for a 26-0 scoreline.
The Sea Eagles’ scintillating attack continued to push the Knights on the back foot as they scored in the 58th minute through Hopoate.
A quick shift to the left edge culminated with a cut-out pass from Trbojevic to send the winger over untouched. Humphreys converted the try for a 32-0 lead. Faulalo made his way onto the field four minutes earlier for his NRL debut.
Newcastle scored their only try in the 72nd minute through second-rower Tyson Frizell to cut the deficit to 38-6.
Hopoate went over with three minutes remaining to score his second try of the match, with another accurate cut-out pass from Trbojevic sending the winger over for a final scoreline of 44-6.
The Sea Eagles are back at 4 Pines Park to take on the Gold Coast Titans in round 20 of the NRL Telstra Premiership on Sunday July 21, 4:05pm.
Get here early to watch our newly debuted Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership team in their third match of the season, with their match kicking off at 1.45pm.
Sea Eagles 44 (Hopoate 2, Humphreys, Trbojevic, Saab, Talau, Garrick, Olakau’atu tries, Garrick 3/5, Humphreys 2/2 goals) d Knights 6 (Frizell try, Pryce 1/1 goal)
