LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
The Sea Eagles faced a 26-12 defeat against the Wests Tigers in Round 24 of the Telstra NRL Premiership at Allianz Stadium.
The match kicked off with an impressive display of strength and skill from Tolu Koula, who evaded four defenders to score from 45 meters out, putting his team ahead 6-0 just 90 seconds into the game.
However, the Tigers quickly capitalized on a mistake from the Sea Eagles when a forward pass from Tom Trbojevic put the Tigers in scoring position. This error was followed by a set restart, leading to Adam Doueihi's first try as he exploited quick hands around the ruck to score from close range.
Midway through the first half, the Sea Eagles experienced a setback when center Reuben Garrick was sidelined with a shoulder injury, making way for Tommy Talau to step in on the right edge.
Following this, the Tigers continued to take advantage of Manly's mistakes, with a penalty resulting from a kick chase converting into further scoring opportunities. With the Sea Eagles' defense vulnerable on the left flank, Jeral Skelton managed to cross just inches from the sideline in the 33rd minute.
Doueihi's successful sideline conversion increased the Tigers' lead to 12-6, which remained the halftime score.