It was complete chaos at Brookvale Oval as Anthony Seibold’s Sea Eagles recorded an 18-8 win over the Storm.
Five players were placed on report for six separate offences and referee Adam Gee sent three players to the sin bin.
Manly scored the first try of the night from a smart Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic trick play, with the halfback chipping the ball for his fullback to score.
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Moments later Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes spotted space on the wing and found Will Warbrick for his side’s first points.
It seemed the action had finished for the first half, before winger Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega hit Cameron Munster late.
The referee raised ten fingers for the first time on Friday night, sending the rookie winger packing as the score sat 10-6 at the break.
Only one more try was scored in the contest, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t controversy.
Tui Kamikamica found himself in the sin bin in the 46th minute, becoming the first player to hit halfback Daly Cherry-Evans late.
Manly were then denied two tries in bizarre circumstances with both Ethan Bullemor and Aaron Woods looking to have scored.
A wayward Harry Grant pass saw Jahrome Hughes under pressure, and on initial review it seems he had knocked the ball on before Ethan Bullemor kicked it forward to score.
But instead the Bunker ruled that veteran prop, in his first appearance for the Sea Eagles, had stripped the ball from Hughes.
Only moments later it almost went from bad to worse, with a Hughes error in the in-goal handing Woods an unlikely four-pointer that was also denied.
Later in the contest the referee warned both captains that the next offence would result in a sin bin after several scuffles broke out.
The Justin Olam responded in the worst way possible, hitting Cherry-Evans late before he spent 10 minutes on the pine.
With five minutes remaining in the game, Taniela Paseka secured victory for the home side with a smart offload to find a charging Lachlan Croker.
Read below for all the big talking points!
THE ’SHOT OF THE SEASON’
If rivals players weren’t already scared of Manly enforcer Haumole Olakau’atu — they now have one more reason.
The 24-year-old is known for his barnstorming running game which has thurst him into the selection conversation to be included in Brad Fittler’s NSW side.
However, it was his tough defence that shone bright on Friday night and one hit was labelled “shot of the year”.
Storm hard-man Justin Olam, who is not an easy player to stop, charged the ball into the Sea Eagles defence and was absolutely folded by Olakau’atu.
He subsequently left the field for a head knock assessment, even without any direct contact to his neck or head.
“There’s been a lot of heavy collisions in the first half… it’s not with their fists, it is with their shoulders,” Gorden Tallis said.
“That shot is the shot of the year so far, Olam is such a hard guy to tackle, ten times out of ten he wins the collision, that time he didn’t.”
“You rarely see the timing when two players go low like they did and hit the player simultaneously on either side,” Greg Alexander added.
“Olam is a hard man to hurt, but they obviously stung him.”
Olakau’atu finished the night with 109 running metres, two tackle breaks and two offloads.
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Manly Sea Eagles Press Conference | 09:41
SIN BINS APLENTY
It was a heated and hotly contested clash between the Storm and Sea Eagles and one thing became clear – referees won’t hesitate to send players to the sin bin.
Referee Adam Gee gave three players their marching orders, all for late hits on playmakers shifting across the field.
The first came on the stroke of halftime when Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega belted Cameron Munster late after he had got rid of the ball.
It took only six minutes for Tui Kamikamica to follow him, also hitting Manly’s halfback Daly Cherry-Evans late.
After several scuffles and lots of shirtfronting, the referee warned that the next instance of foul play would result in a sin bin.
Like clockwork, Justin Olam hit Cherry-Evans late with a bump in back-play and was also sent packing.
Fox League’s commentators were left stunned and even they couldn’t keep up with the chaos across Brookvale Oval.
“We’ve got players on report all across the park,” Dan Ginnane said.
A staggering five players were put on report, while Trent Loiero will have two separate instances reviewed by the Match Review Committee.
“We had the referee a number of times warn the players that the next time something will happen,” Greg Alexander said.
“We had three players sent to the sin bin, it could have been more.
“It didn’t let us down in terms of the drama, there was plenty of that throughout the whole game.”
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‘HE’S BACK’
Superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic struggled against the reigning premiers in Round 6, battling through the contest nursing an injury.
It emerged he had been dealing with back spasms from a needle he received to deal with a hip pointer, and the spotlight was cast on his fitness during the week.
Head coach Anthony Seibold declared his key fullback was ready to go prior to Friday night’s crucial clash and Trbojevic delivered.
The 2021 Dally M Medallist ran for 189 metres, scored a try and broke the line once, easily besting his 78 running metres a week prior.
Legendary halfback Cooper Cronk said Trbojevic looked like a man on a mission straight after kick-off which signalled a return to form.
“The Turbo man was in it all… his first three carries were immense, it was I am going to this contest, give me the ball and Melbourne try and stop me,” Cronk said.
“Overall it was a very good performance from Tom Trbojevic because he has been quiet the last couple of weeks.
“Like no other player in the competition, when he decides to hit the accelerator he can break open any game.”
Gorden Tallis and Greg Alexander both highlighted Trbojevic’s first carry, bursting through Melbourne’s defensive line in a big statement.
“It made us sit up and notice, your teammate, it makes them have so much energy, when you have arguably the best player in the game putting his body on the line, you are checked in,” Tallis said.
“If I am a Manly fan, I am going ‘he’s back’, you don’t even have to say his name.”
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