Match Report: Round 3 vs Raiders

It was a near-perfect way for the club to celebrate its Members Round match with the seven-tries-to-two win soured by a likely season-ending injury to prop Taniela Paseka.

The night began with a touching pre-match tribute for 12-year-old Manly fan Beau Hewitt, who passed away during the week after a battle with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The brave young fella would have loved what was to follow.

It was a huge night for Reuben Garrick who scored four tries and bagged 28 points, just 24 hours after he and his partner celebrated the birth of their first child.

The Raiders were highly resilient in the opening 20 minutes, repelling countless Manly raids, before the pressure finally took its toll.

Prop Corey Horsburgh was put in the sin bin for a professional foul when tackling in an offside position at marker with his team camped on their own try line.

And boy did the home side make the most of their one-man advantage, running in three tries in the 10 minutes when the Raiders were reduced to 12 men.

Garrick bagged his first try in the 22nd minute, barging over from close range before Ethan Bullemor crossed for a double in the space of three minutes.

Bullemor’s first came off a Daley Cherry-Evans bomb which fullback Kaeo Weekes failed to handle, and so too did his second.

Again Weekes failed to secure a DCE bomb, this time under pressure from Clayton Faulalo who contested the kick, with Bullemor collecting the spoils.

‘Bully’ was heavily involved in the next try only two minutes later with a strong carry setting up replacement hooker Jake Simpkin who darted over from dummy half.

A 10-minute blitz that resulted in four tries and a 24-0 lead, had the Raiders reeling, and there was more pain to come.

Garrick’s second of the night came after some quick hands on the right edge from Haumole Olakauátu and Lehi Hopoate to have his team up 30-0 at half time.

Garrick was over again nine minutes into the second half, collecting a precise Cherry-Evans in-goal kick which bounced kindly, followed up by a ‘rock-the-cradle’ try celebration.

His fourth, and the final points of the night for Manly, came with almost half an hour still to play.  Garrick beat his opposite number on the outside after receiving early ball from Cherry-Evans, and slicing through to score.

The Raiders stopped the bleeding with about 25 minutes still to play, scoring a couple of late tries, before accepting their first loss of the season.

Paseka, who left the field midway through the first half, is expected to have surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon in the coming days.