Match Report: NSW Cup Round 25 vs Bears

It was the Sea Eagles eighth victory of the season and their second in a row following a 30-12 win over the Knights two weeks ago.

Fresh off the bye, the Sea Eagles were extravagant in attack as they outscored their opponents seven tries to three.

Manly’s Hugo Hart and Joey Walsh combined for the opening try of the match, with the latter scoring under the post.

Walsh threw a perfectly-timed short ball to send Hart through the defence before he smartly offloaded back to the young half-back, who stepped past the North Sydney full-back to score for an early 6-point lead.

The Bears’ levelled the scores with a try to Israel Ogden seven minutes later for a 6-all scoreline.

It didn’t take long for the Sea Eagles to regain their lead, with Michael Chee Kam crashing over eight minutes later with a barnstorming run for a 12-6 lead.

Manly’s momentum continued with their third try in the 28th minute as Clayton Faulalo dived over in sensational fashion.

A quick shift to the right edge and an offload by Navren Willett freed up enough space for Faulalo to fly in the corner, just beating the chasing defenders to score for a 16-6 scoreline.

Another incredible diving effort saw the Sea Eagles score again in the right corner, with Willett getting his name on the scoreboard in the 36th minute.

Well-timed passes helped shift the ball wide allowing Willett to leap over the diving defenders to ground the ball in the corner for a 22-6 lead at half-time. 

Both sides traded possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half before Walsh stepped up once again to play an integral part in Manly's fifth try.

The half-back reeled in two defenders and forced the winger off his sideline with a strong run before offloading to Chee Kam who strolled over untouched for his second try, pushing the lead out to 28-6 in the 57th minute.

Manly’s sixth try three minutes later couldn’t have come simpler for Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega, with the winger running 95 metres downfield after stopping a kick with his feet, scoring untouched in the corner for a 32-6 scoreline.

The Sea Eagles continued to pile the tries on  with another try in the 62nd minute. A strong run by Walsh and a looping pass by Zaidas Muagututia sent Hart through a gap for a try next to the posts, extending the lead to 38-6.

The Bears scored through Sean Vaivelata four minutes later to cut the deficit to 26 points with 12 minutes to play.

North Sydney went back-to-back to score the final try in the 71st minute through Riley Meyn for a final scoreline of 38-18.

The Sea Eagles host the Newtown Jets in the final round of the NSW Cup at 4 Pines Park. The match kicks off at 1:45pm on Sunday August 31 following the Jersey Flegg Cup fixture.