MANLY SEA EAGLES 34 BRISBANE BRONCOS 6
IAN HOWE, 4 Pines Park, Saturday
DALY CHERRY-EVANS had been under pressure to retain his Origin place after last Wednesday’s disappointing Queensland defeat in Brisbane, but three days later the Manly skipper responded to his critics in the best possible way by masterminding a brilliant performance by the Sea Eagles to push the failing Broncos aside.
Cherry-Evans’ kicking game was the biggest difference between the sides, but in all honesty the Broncos were a shadow of the side that began the season with a 50-point victory against the Roosters.
The Sea Eagles scored after seven minutes when winger Clayton Faulalo was in at the corner.
The Broncos responded through Ezra Mam, with Adam Reynolds’ goal putting them ahead.
But from then it was all Manly, with further first-half scores from Faulalo, Nathan Brown and Haumole Olakau’atu, all of them involving Cherry-Evans, putting them 22-6 ahead at half-time.
The Broncos did manage to hold Manly out for the first 30 minutes of the second half, without ever looking threatening themselves, but the Sea Eagles added to their misery with two further tries in the closing stages.
The first came whan Olakau’atu scored his second from a Brooks kick, before Tolutau Koula touchd down for their final try two minutes from the end.
On this form it would be surprising to see Cherry-Evans left out of the Queensland squad for the second Origin game in Perth.
Meanwhile Manly have moved to seventh on the NRL ladder, while the Broncos are sliding rapidly downwards.
GAMESTAR: Daly Cherry-Evans was backing up from the State of Origin game three days earlier but his fingerprints were all over Manly’s performance
GAMEBREAKER: Haumole Olakau’atu’s second try on 71 minutes put the Sea Eagles 28-6 ahead and ended Brisbane’s challenge
SEA EAGLES
1 Lehi Hopoate
5 Tommy Talau
3 Tolutau Koula
4 Reuben Garrick
18 Clayton Faulalo
6 Luke Brooks
7 Daly Cherry-Evans
8 Ethan Bullemor
14 Lachlan Croker
10 Josh Aloiai
11 Haumole Olakau’atu
12 Ben Trbojevic
13 Jazz Tevaga
Subs (all used)
14 Jake Simpkin
15 Corey Waddell
16 Nathan Brown
17 Matthew Lodge
Tries: Faulalo (7, 22), Brown (27), Olakau’atu (39, 71), Koula (78)
Goals: Garrick 5/6
BRONCOS
1 Jesse Arthars
2 Selwyn Cobbo
3 Kotoni Staggs
4 Gehamat Shibasaki
5 Deine Mariner
6 Ezra Mam
7 Adam Reynolds
8 Patrick Carrigan
9 Cory Paix
10 Payne Haas
11 Xavier Willison
12 Jordan Riki
13 Kobe Hetherington
Subs (all used)
14 Billy Walters
15 Corey Jensen
16 Brendan Piakura
17 Benjamin Te Kura
Tries: Mam (13)
Goals: Reynolds 1/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0 4-6, 10-6, 16-6, 22-6; 28-6, 34-6
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Sea Eagles: Daly Cherry-Evans; Broncos: Jordan Riki
Penalty count: 3-3
Half-time: 22-6
Referee: Adam Gee
Attendance: 17,375
