Match Report: Round 26 vs Dragons

The win keeps Manly’s faint finals hopes flickering ahead of their last game of the regular season against the Warriors on Friday.

Manly were by far the more dominant team in the first half, running in four tries and having a couple of others disallowed.

The visitors opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Corey Waddell ran a good inside line off a Daly Cherry-Evans pass to slice through on the right edge with Cherry-Evans adding the extras.

The Dragons hit back in the ninth minute when five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia finished off a 60-metre movement that went through several sets of hands, before half Kyle Flanagan converted from in front to make it 6-6.

The Sea Eagles went ahead midway through the first half when centre Tolu Koula scored his trademark try from long range on the left edge. 

The Tongan rocket was able to get on the outside of Dragons half Kyle Flanagan, leaving him in his wake, before racing away to make it 12-6.

Manly was in again the very next set when Tom Trbojevic combined with Cherry-Evans on the short side to put Saab into space with DCE collecting the last pass backing up on the inside.

With his team leading 18-6 Turbo was then denied a try when deemed to have grounded the ball short of the line. 

The visitors were denied another four-pointer not long after when Jason Saab was ruled to have not regripped the ball when grounding it.

A long-range break by Turbo on the stroke of half time put Manly ahead 22-6 at the break.  The star fullback - who had another impressive game - found Cherry-Evans in the backfield who sent Schoupp into score in the southeastern corner.

The Dragons scored first in the second half while Manly were down a man after Toff Sipley was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle.

A break down the western touchline by Tyrell Sloane was followed up by a kick infield which bounced kindly for Jacob Liddle to score.

The Dragons went back-to-back a few minutes later to trail 22-18 when Christian Tuipulotuto collected a pass around his ankles to cross in the corner.

Waddell went in for his second try with just over 20 minutes remaining, again collecting a DCE short ball close to the line to put his team ahead by ten.

Cherry-Evans was again the provider for Manly’s next try five minutes later which put the Sea Eagles ahead 34-18.

The wily No.7 planted a well-timed pass on the chest of Tommy Talau who punched through a hole to score untouched.

Dragons prop Emre Guler scored a late consolation for the Rev V before Manly were awarded a penalty try at the other end on the stroke of full time. 

It was replacement Caleb Navale who was awarded the try after being held back off the ball for what would be his first try in seven NRL games.

The top eight, although unlikely, is still a mathematical possibility. 

Manly head into their final game of the regular season needing to thump the Warriors on Friday night at Brookie with other results going their way if they are to  overturn substantial for-and-against differential.