The Sea Eagles haven’t overcome a half-time deficit since 2021. So when they went to the break trailing 13-4 against North Queensland at 4 Pines Park on Saturday night their fate seemed sealed.
Despite three sets in front of the Cowboys’ line with as many minutes left in the game, the Sea Eagles struggled to break through the visitor’s defence and went down 19-8.
It wasn’t as if the Sea Eagles were without opportunities in the second-half.
North Queensland fumbled the ball during crucial line breaks to hand possession back to the home side, and Brad Parker took advantage of their luck by putting the first points on the board in the second-half.
Parker’s try came off the back of a handful of penalties for Manly, including one from Reuben Cotter who pushed the Manly marker when the Cowboys were right on the Sea Eagles’ goal line. The play was ruled an obstruction, and it gave the Sea Eagles a leg up the field, resulting in a try.
But the wasted opportunities eventually snuffed out any chance of a second-half comeback, especially with the Sea Eagles handing out set restarts and struggling to keep up with the speed of the Cowboys’ play-the-ball.
Tolutau Koula takes on the Cowboys’ defence.Credit: Getty
Manly coach Anthony Seibold said he was impressed with his team’s defensive effort against an up-and-coming Cowboys side, but their execution in crucial moments cost them the game.
“We were just a little bit off with our detail,” Seibold said. “We looked a little bit clunky in attack down there, so we need to be better than that. We need to maintain that effort, but we just need to be better with some of the detail.”
The first 15 minutes were a war of attrition and the two teams went set-for-set. There were a number of early opportunities for the visitors, who targeted Manly’s right edge but their execution was poor.
Manly fans had their hearts in their mouths early in the first-half when Reuben Garrick was taken from the field for a HIA 12 minutes into the game after copping an elbow from Coen Hess. But Garrick’s misfortune was a lifeline for NRL debutant Dean Matterson, who took the field in the centre for Tolutau Koula who shifted to fullback.
The breakthrough came from Daly Cherry-Evans’ kicking game and the Manly skipper put a kick into the corner to be collected by Jason Saab. Saab flicked it out the back to Huamole Olakau’atu, who shifted the ball out to a waiting Matterson on the edge who scored on debut.
Garrick passed his HIA and Matterson came from the field to a standing ovation after 14 minutes of magic, but the celebration was overshadowed by a runaway Valentine Holmes who broke through the Manly line with Cotter in support and landed the visitors their first points of the night.
The Cowboys’ defence kept Manly at bay at 4 Pines Park on Saturday night.Credit: Getty
It was a two-pronged attack from the Cowboys, who left the Sea Eagles on their backsides and put more points on the homeside within minutes thanks to a Tom Dearden and Jeremiah Nani combination.
Manly looked spent with 10 minutes left in the first-half, and gave away easy field position by holding up the play-the-ball.
The Cowboys went to the break ahead by nine points, after Chad Townsend put a field goal over for good measure, and they kept the same momentum to start the second-half.
With the Sharks, Panthers and Warriors in the Sea Eagles’ run home, Saturday’s loss has made it even harder for the Northern Beaches club to reach finals football.
