LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles triumphed over St George Illawarra Dragons with a score of 40-24 in Round 26, hosted at Kogarah Jubilee Stadium.
Throughout the first half, Manly demonstrated significant dominance, securing four tries while narrowly missing a couple more that were disallowed.
The match began with the visitors taking the lead just five minutes in, courtesy of Corey Waddell, who skillfully maneuvered off a pass from Daly Cherry-Evans to penetrate the right edge. Cherry-Evans successfully converted, making it 6-0.
In response, the Dragons equalized in the ninth minute when five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia capped off an impressive 60-meter play involving multiple players, and half Kyle Flanagan converted to bring the score to 6-6.
Manly pulled ahead again midway through the first half when centre Tolu Koula executed his signature long-range try along the left edge. He outpaced Flanagan and sprinted away to extend the lead to 12-6.
Immediately following, Manly's Tom Trbojevic linked up with Cherry-Evans on a short side play, setting up Saab for a clear run as DCE followed up inside. Despite leading 18-6, Turbo was denied a try due to grounding the ball just short of the line.
Shortly after, another potential try was thwarted when Jason Saab was ruled to have not effectively regripped the ball upon grounding it.