Manly were left licking the wounds in more ways than one after champions Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic were injured in Friday night’s 36-16 hammering from the Warriors at Mount Smart Stadium.
With barely 10 minutes remaining, the injury-plagued Trbojevic headed inside to the dressing room with an undisclosed ailment.
Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans were both injured in Manly’s loss to the Warriors.Credit: Getty Images
The Sea Eagles then lost Cherry-Evans, who was helped from the field with what appeared to be a back or hip problem.
Neither were able to return and Manly will be desperately sweating on the fitness of their two main men after a night that started promisingly ended on a potentially disastrous note.
The Sea Eagles led 6-0 early but the Warriors hit back to reaffirm the theory that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
The Warriors were awful in their season-opening 30-8 loss to Canberra at Allegiant Stadium and were determined to leave that form back with the bright lights and various temptations of Sin City.
Back on home soil and apparently recovered from any jet lag, they were a different team on Friday night, once they had recovered from a scratchy start.
Trbojevic scored the opening points of the match after only three minutes with the 11th try of his career against the Warriors, after backing up a Jason Saab break.
A Reuben Garrick penalty seven minutes later had Manly 6-0 in front and looking good.
But the visitors paid a price for over-confidence, and Trbojevic was the main culprit, producing several uncharacteristic errors in attacking situations.
That allowed the Warriors to gain some traction, and they capitalised in the 19th minute when five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita dived over.
Midfield tries from wingers Taine Tuaupiki and Ali Leiataua in the 26th and 29th minutes left the visitors pondering an 18-6 half-time deficit.
Manly reduced the arrears five minutes after the resumption, when Saab dived over in the corner.
Warriors hooker Wayde Egan soon calmed the nerves of home fans – who last witnessed a victory at Mt Smart on July 26 last year – with a try from dummy-half.
Then came one of the tightest line-ball calls you will ever see.
In the 58th minute, Saab broke clear and centre-kicked, and the ball appeared beat everyone over the dead-ball line.
But at the last split-second, Garrick launched himself, batted the ball back infield, and Cherry-Evans grounded it.
After repeated viewings, the bunker approved the try, ruling Garrick’s foot avoided the line by a millimetre.
Garrick’s conversion left the Warriors clinging to a 24-16 lead.
Manly suffered an untimely setback in the 64th minute when lock Jake Trbojevic was sin-binned after a spate of set restarts, prompting Cherry-Evans to protest: “That’s a big call.”
With Manly down to 12 men, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck sealed the win by cutting back inside to crash over and score in the 71st minute.
A Luke Metcalf try iced the Warriors win.
