MANLY SEA EAGLES 40 CANBERRA RAIDERS 12
TOM SMITH, Four Pines Park, Sunday
REUBEN GARRICK celebrated becoming a father by piling on four tries in Manly’s massacre of Canberra.
Rocking his arms like he was cradling a baby after scoring twice in each half, Garrick – whose partner gave birth to a daughter, Elsie, the previous day – notched 28 points thanks to his accurate goal-kicking, falling just two short of the club record for most individual points in a game.
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Corey Horsburgh’s sin-binning for a ruck infringement as the hosts hammered Canberra’s line opened the floodgates.
Manly scored three times with Horsburgh off the park — including two in two minutes to Ethan Bullemor — then kept their foot on the throat.
However, a ruptured Achilles to prop Taniela Paseka took some gloss off the win.
Canberra headed to Four Pines Park brimming with confidence after season-opening wins over the Warriors and Broncos, and Brookvale holds no fear for the Green Machine, who were one of only two away teams to breach the Eagles’ fortress last season.
But they return to the nation’s capital licking their wounds.
Manly coach Anthony Seibold took no risks with star fullback Tom Trbojevic, who departed their round-two defeat to the Warriors early with a hamstring complaint.
Lehi Hopoate deputised at the back, with Clayton Faulalo coming onto the wing.
Skipper Daly Cherry-Evans also suffered injury last Friday in Auckland, but he overcame his back spasms to play.
On Ricky Stuart’s team sheet, Xavier Savage returned from suspension to displace Lehi’s brother Albert on the wing, while back-rower Zac Hosking’s broken hand invited Trey Mooney into the starting line-up.
With his brilliant brother watching from the stands, Ben Trbojevic nearly claimed the opening try, but the officials spotted a Manly error in the build-up.
Instead, it looked like Canberra had notched the first points against the run of play via Sebastian Kris, although the officials intervened again, spotting a Horsburgh obstruction.
Horsburgh compounded his error by committing the professional foul that landed him in the bin and began a run of seven Manly tries in 30 minutes.
First Garrick dived over from dummy-half to finally tally the first points after 23 minutes, then Bullemor pounced on a towering Cherry-Evans bomb that fullback Kaeo Weekes mishandled.
Two minutes later, Bullemor had an unlikely brace, after Weekes spilled another probing Cherry-Evans kick.
Having crossed three times with Horsburgh off the park, Manly added their fourth within seconds of his return — this time through Jake Simpkin from dummy-half.
Once Garrick scored his second in the right corner, and the sharp shooter nailed his fifth conversion, the hosts took a 30-0 lead into the sheds.
It didn’t take long for the prolific centre to add tries number three and four in the second half — one off a Cherry-Evans grubber, the other fending off Kris.
The only blemish was missing his conversion attempt in the 51st minute.
Kris eventually gave the Raiders four points off Jamal Fogarty’s boot and Josh Papalii put Hudson Young in late, but it was scant consolation.
GAMESTAR: New dad Reuben Garrick marked the occasion with four tries and six goals for a 28-point individual haul.
GAMEBREAKER: Once Grant Atkins sin-binned Corey Horsburgh for a professional foul midway through the first half, there was no turning back.
MATCHFACTS
SEA EAGLES
5 Lehi Hopoate
2 Jason Saab
3 Tolutau Koula
4 Reuben Garrick
19 Clayton Faulalo
6 Luke Brooks
7 Daly Cherry-Evans
8 Taniela Paseka
9 Jazz Tevaga
10 Siosiua Taukeiaho
11 Haumole Olakau’atu
12 Ben Trbojevic
13 Jake Trbojevic
Subs (all used)
14 Jake Simpkin
15 Corey Waddell
16 Ethan Bullemor
17 Josh Aloiai
Tries: Garrick (23, 38, 49, 52), Bullemor (28, 30), Simpkin (33)
Goals: Garrick 6/7
RAIDERS
1 Kaeo Weekes
2 Savelio Tamale
3 Matthew Timoko
4 Sebastian Kris
5 Xavier Savage
6 Ethan Strange
7 Jamal Fogarty
8 Josh Papalii
9 Tom Starling
10 Corey Horsburgh
11 Hudson Young
12 Matty Nicholson
16 Trey Mooney
Subs (all used)
13 Morgan Smithies
14 Owen Pattie
15 Simi Sasagi
17 Ata Mariota
Tries: Kris (64), Young (78)
Goals: Fogarty 2/2
Sin bin: Horsburgh (22) — professional foul
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0, 24-0, 30-0; 34-0, 40-0, 40-6, 40-12
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Sea Eagles: Reuben Garrick; Raiders: Hudson Young
Penalty count: 10-4
Half-time: 30-0
Referee: Grant Atkins
Attendance: 16,125