Match Report: Round 6 vs Sharks

The game went right down to the wire after a late Daly Cherry-Evans try put Manly back within six points with only a minute left on the clock.

After a scoreless opening 35 minutes, the Sharks ran in two tries in quick succession to lead 8-0 at half time.

Manly looked the more expansive of the two sides for much of the first half, but the Sharks made the most of their limited opportunities, with five-eighth Braydon Trindall laying on two tries for winger Sam Stonestreet.

The first was from a cutout ball on the short side, and the second, scored on the same patch of grass, was from a neat in-goal grubber.

It looked like the Sharks had extended their lead four minutes into the second half when fullback Will Kennedy caught a bomb inside his own 20 metre line, running 80 metres to cross, only for the try to be disallowed due to obstruction.

Two minutes later it was Manly’s turn to have a try denied by the bunker when winger Clayton Faulalo was on the end of a sweeping play to the right, planting the ball down in-touch-in-goal.

Kennedy was rewarded with a try six minutes into the second half, when he beat five Manly defenders, darting his way from right to left and scoring next to the posts to give his team a 14-0 lead.

Manly scored their first try with half an hour remaining when Faulalo collected a Reuben Garrick grubber, with Garrick adding the extra two points to have his team trailing by eight.

The Sea Eagles were in again in the 57th minute when Luke Brooks took an intercept and raced 80 metres to score, with plenty of Sharks giving chase. 

Garrick’s conversion had the Sea Eagles trailing 14-12.

The Sharks got out to a six-point lead when Marwene Hiroti found himself on the end of a quick shift to the left, with Nico Hynes’ conversion attempt from the sideline bouncing off the near post.

With the Sharks up 18-12, the match was still in the balance before an error at the back by Lehi Hopoate gave the ‘home side’ some breathing space.

The young fullback, who was busy throughput, was unable to contain a bomb, which led to Cronulla’s fifth and final try, a close-range effort from prop Tom Hazelton.

With 90 seconds remaining Cherry-Evans cashed in after Tommy Talau took an intercept and raced 80 metres to give his team the faintest of hope.

Down by six points and with only a minute on the clock, the Sea Eagles fought to the end but return from Perth empty handed.

Next up is a clash against the Dragons on Thursday at 4Pines Park.