Brisbane Broncos hit top form in the second half to comfortably dispatch Manly Sea Eagles 26-10 in an injury-hit clash.
Injuries began to mar the game in the second half as Moses Suli (broken finger), Apisai Koroisau (calf), Toafofoa Sipley (broken leg), Jack Bird, who may have suffered an ACL tear, and Tevita Pangai Jnr all left the field with injuries.
Manly opened the scoring through Koroisau who snuck over cleverly from dummy half. Then Manly’s Lebanese international Abbas Miski was denied a try twice in the first half, first for obstruction and second for a forward pass as the Sea Eagles continued to pile the pressure on the Broncos.
But the ‘home side’ couldn’t capitalise and they were pegged back by Anthony Milford’s try with five minutes to go in the first half.
The Broncos hit the front after only four minutes of the second half when Darius Boyd found Corey Oates free on the left flank. Then they extended that lead through Milford’s kick that found Matt Gillett.
The Broncos were able to deal with the absences better in the second half and scored once again off a kick from Milford which was taken in by Darius Boyd.
The Sea Eagles did well to score and give themselves hope with ten minutes to go when Jack Gosiewski went over for his first try in the NRL. But David Fifita’s try on 78 minutes sealed the win for Brisbane.
Sea Eagles: Elliot, Miski, Suli, Parker, Garrick, Sironen, Elgey, Sipley, Koroisau, Taupau, Thompson, Gosiewski, Trbojevic; Interchanges: Fainu, Tanginoa, Waddell, Boyle
Tries: Koroisau, Gosiewski; Goals: Garrick
Broncos: Boyd, Oates, Staggs, Bird, Shibasaki, Milford, Dearden, Lodge, Turpin, Haas, Glenn, Gillet, Flegler; Interchanges: Carrigan, Fifita, Pangai Jnr, Ofahengaue
Tries: Milford, Oates, Gillett, Boyd, Fifita; Goals: Staggs 3
Full match reports of all this weekend’s NRL Magic Round games will feature in Monday’s League Express.
