LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles delivered an impressive performance with a 30-12 victory over the Newcastle Knights in round 23 of the NSW Cup at 4 Pines Park this afternoon.
The Knights jumped out to an early lead, scoring two tries within the first ten minutes, but quickly lost momentum as the Sea Eagles rallied to score 30 unanswered points, sealing an 18-point win.
Francis Manuleleua and Kyle McCarthy put the visitors ahead with tries in the opening eight minutes, giving them a 12-point advantage.
Manly responded by finding their stride, scoring three tries in quick succession throughout the first half. Dean Matterson got the Sea Eagles on the board with a try in the 15th minute, following a well-executed play down the right edge.
After forcing an error in Newcastle's territory, Manly capitalized in the 35th minute with a clever cut-out pass from Clayton Faulalo that enabled Navren Willett to score in the corner.
Shortly before half-time, Faulalo set up Willett for his second try by chipping the ball over the defense into the right corner, allowing Willett to sprint past the defenders and dive under the posts, bringing the score to 18-12 at the break.
The Sea Eagles continued their momentum into the second half, with Willett completing his hat-trick just four minutes in. A rapid shift to the right edge allowed Willett to evade his marker and score in the corner, extending the lead to 24-12.