In Review: 2025 Game by game

We could not have asked for a better start to the season. 

A full house at Brookie went nuts it up as their team thumped the Cowboys 42-12.

Up 18-0 after 10 minutes. 24-0 at halftime. 42-0 with eight minutes left.  Seven different try scorers.  It was the perfect way to kick off the 2025 campaign.

It was also a nice beginning to life at Manly for the club’s two recruits Siua Taukei'aho (Sea Eagle #661) and Jazz Tevaga (Sea Eagle #662).

Round 2 vs Warriors at Go Media Stadium, Auckland

The team came crashing back to earth in Auckland, suffering a 20-point loss to the Warriors. 

Plenty went wrong that night conceding 11 set restarts to the Warriors’ two.

We missed 39 tackles, Jake Trbojevic was put in the bin, Turbo (hamstring tightness) and DCE (back) both failed to finish the match.

The game included a spectacular Cherry-Evans try which came from a Jason Saab in-field kick and an amazing in-goal tap-back by Reuben Garrick.

Round 3 vs Raiders at 4 Pines Park

A very special Sunday at Brookie.

Our second home game of the season and our second seven-tries-to-two victory.

Before kick-off was a touching tribute in memory of our little legend Beau Hewitt.

It was 40-0 on the hour mark after we piled on 30 points in a 15-minute, first-half blitz. 

Reuben Garrick stole the show scoring four tries in a 28-point haul just hours after the birth of his first child. 

An awful day, however, for Taniela Paseka who suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles.

Round 4 vs Eels at 4 Pines Park

Sunday afternoon and another full house at the fortress.

Raining one moment. Sunny the next. Our third win from four games.

Points were a bit hard to come by in the slippery conditions. Tolu Koula scored the first of his 17 tries for the season. 

The win was soured by a knee injury to Tom Trbojevic which would see him miss the next three games. Early days but the Sea Eagles are second on the ladder. 

Round 5 vs Storm at 4 Pines Park

The result of our fourth home game was a shock to the system. 

The ‘battle of Brookie’ was a one-sided affair with the Storm scoring seven tries in the space of 15 minutes!

Three tries in a five-minute burst saw them shoot out to an 18-0 lead.  They then scored another four tries in a 10-minute raid to be up 48-10 with about 15 minutes remaining. Ouch.

Round 6 vs Sharks at Optus Stadium, Perth

Manly looked the better side after a scoreless first 35 minutes in Perth but two tries in five minutes saw the Sharks up 8-0 at the break.

Haumole Olakau’atu made his 100th NRL appearance while Jason Saab (ankle) was a late withdrawal.   

A long-range intercept by Tommy Talau put DCE over to score with only a minute or two remaining, but it was too little too late. 

A shoulder injury to Josh Aloiai saw the experienced prop sidelined for the next seven weeks.

Round 7 vs Dragons at 4 Pines Park

It was a challenging period with three games in 11 days, including the trip to Perth.

Fought back from 8-0 down at half time to be trailing 20-18 with 14 minutes to play.  Had too little left in the tank to land the killer blow, suffering a third straight loss.

Jake Trbojevic was forced from the field early on following a collision with David Klemmer.

Toff Sipley was sent to the sin bin for a hip-drop style tackle, later copping a four-match ban. Team drops to eleventh on the ladder.

Round 8 vs Panthers at CommBank Stadium

Manly’s right edge was red hot in the Anzac Round clash at Parramatta.

Turbo returned after a three-week absence and three players were put in the bin.

Reuben Garrick, Tommy Talau and Haumole Olakau’atu all crossed for tries, as did Tolu Koula, who swept around from left centre to create the extra man on the right. 

Back in the winners’ circle. Great night. Four and four. Eighth on the ladder.

Round 10 vs Sharks at 4 Pines Park

Cronulla's recent good record at Brookvale continues.

Although fresh off our first bye it was a sluggish start and scrappy finish that saw the Sharks continue their recent run of wins at Brookvale.  

Manly fought back from 14-0 down at half time to be level at 14-14 on the hour mark after Tolu Koula bagged his second double of the season. 

The Sharks second win over Manly in a month handed the Sea Eagles a third straight loss at home ahead of a trip to Townsville.

Round 11 vs Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium

The Sea Eagles do the double over the Cowboys to maintain a nine-year winning streak in Townsville.

Scores were level 6-6 at the break, with Manly running in three unanswered tries in the second half. 

Jason Saab bagged a double to make it seven tries from his first eight games.

Jake Trbojevic suffered his second concussion in a month.  The team climbed to sixth on the ladder.

Round 12 vs Eels at CommBank Stadium

The third week in a row where Manly played a team for the second time this season.

DCE was in camp for the Maroons with Turbo taking over as captain and Jake Arthur filling in at No.7. It was also a first game for the season for Lachlan Croker and Matt Lodge. 

Down 16-10 at half time after a double from Lehi Hopoate, Manly were held scoreless after the break.

Round 13 vs Broncos at 4 Pines Park

Giddy up! One of the high points of 2025.

The Broncos made their first trip to Brookvale in 11 years and were heavily beaten in front of a full house at 4 Pines Park.  

Despite missing a few players (Tom Trbojevic, Jake Trbojevic, Siua Taukeiaho, and Jason Saab) the team jumped out of the blocks to lead 22-6 at half time.  Brisbane failed to score a point in the second half.

Jazz Tevaga celebrated his 150th NRL game with a big win.

Josh Aloiai reinjured his shoulder after about 20 minutes, in what would be his final game for the season.

Round 14 vs Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium

One that got away.

A crazy game where Manly looked on track for a big victory only to suffer a gut-wrenching loss in extra time.  

The team had to do a quick reshuffle in the outside backs after just five minutes. Lehi Hopoate was taken from the field with a category one HIA after his head hit the ground while attempting to finish a long range try. 

Despite that missed opportunity, Manly bagged three unanswered tries to be up 16-0 at half time. 

The Knights outscored Manly four tries to one in the second half, with Kalyn Ponga scoring off his own bomb to snatch victory in extra time.

Round 15 vs Titans at Cbus Super Stadium

A fast start that ended in pain.

Reuben Garrick crossed for a try after just four minutes in his 150th NRL game. It went downhill in a hurry though with the Titans scoring three tries in eight minutes, and a fourth not long after, to lead 22-8 at half time.

The date was Friday 13th. No luck at all for Haumole Olakau’atu who dislocated his shoulder in the act of reaching out to score a try.

No try. Haumole misses 6 weeks. Back-to-back losses for the first time since Round 7.

Round 17 vs Tigers at 4 Pines Park

Second half surge sees Manly return to winning ways.

It was a scoreless first half before Jason Saab crossed in the 39th minute to give the Sea Eagles a 6-nil lead at the break.

The points flowed in the second half with Manly up 22-4 on the hour mark.

The team’s seventh win of the season, however, came at a cost. A ruptured bicep saw Nathan Brown miss the rest of the season, adding to a growing list of forwards on the sidelines.

Round 18 vs Rabbitohs at 4 Pines Park

A full house on a glorious Sunday afternoon for Golden Eagles Day.

More than 100 former players did a pre-game lap of honour which was followed by a convincing win over the Bunnies. 

Turbo - who was playing right centre for the second game in a row - and Reuben, both scored doubles to put Manly ahead 24-0 with just under half an hour to play.

Tolu Koula crossed in the dying stages to extend his try-scoring streak at 4 Pines Park to seven consecutive games.  The win lifted Manly to eighth on the ladder.

Round 20 vs Storm at AAMI Park, Melbourne

Manly’s ninth victory of the season snapped a six-year drought in Melbourne.

After weathering the Storm early on, Manly ran in three tries (Saaby, Tolu and Reuben) in 10 minutes to lead 16-6 at the break.

The Storm fought back with Xavier Coates bagging a hat-trick to level the score at 16-16, before heartbreak for the home side.

Harry Grant makes contact with Luke Brooks as he attempts a field goal. Garrick nails the penalty from in front. End of story. 

A match also remembered for Reuben's ‘amazing chase’, Jurbo's post-match bucket-kick, and Bull’s 100-game milestone.

Round 21 vs Bulldogs Allianz Stadium

Manly’s three-game winning streak comes to a sudden halt.

Down 12-4 at half time, the Sea Eagles were in the fight, before the Bulldogs ran in five unanswered tries to register their biggest win over Manly.

In his first match since dislocating his shoulder six weeks prior, Haumole Olakau’atu suffered a season-ending injury to the same shoulder early in the second half.

Jason Saab scored Manly’s one and only try in his 100th NRL game.

Round 22 vs Roosters at 4 Pines Park

Played in atrocious conditions, the Gotcha4Life Cup was won for a fourth time by the Sydney Roosters. 

In a nutshell, the Roosters scored all three of their tries off kicks, while the Sea Eagles failed to ice several of their own attacking opportunities. 

Not the result Luke Brooks was hoping for in his 250th NRL game.

Roosters climb one place above tenth-placed Manly with five rounds remaining.

Round 23 vs Raiders at GIO Stadium, Canberra

Strange performance results in a third straight loss for Manly.

Manly were leading 12-10 with half an hour to play after Tolu Koula set up his team's first try before scoring their second.  

Jake Trbojevic was taken from the field after a heavy second-half collision with Josh Papalii, in what would be his final game for the year.

The would-be minor premiers went on to score three unanswered tries with Ethan Strange completing his hat-trick.

Round 24 vs Tigers at Allianz Stadium

A disappointing end to a match which started so brightly.

Tolu Koula beat four defenders to score after just 90 seconds.

Reuben Garrick was later forced from the field with a busted shoulder as the Tigers scored four unanswered tries and the Sea Eagles missed a few chances.

Although still mathematically possible to make the finals, this loss meant that a bunch of unlikely results would have to fall Manly’s way.

Round 25 vs Dolphins at 4 Pines Park

Daly Cherry-Evans became just the fifth player to play 350-games, celebrating the milestone with a thumping win over the Dolphins.

Chez set up three of his team’s 10 tries and kicked nine from 10 conversions.  

It was a scintillating second half from Manly, scoring six unanswered tries before conceding a couple of late consolations. 

Turbo and Lehi Hopoate each scored doubles while Tolu Koula crossed for his ninth try in eleven games.

Round 26 vs Dragons at Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah

It was Manly's first win at Kogarah since 2014.

The comfortable victory kept Manly’s very faint finals hopes alive.

Cherry-Evans had another strong performance in his second last game for the club.

Tolu Koula scored his seventeenth and final try of the season before leaving the field with a serious knee injury.

Toff Sipley was sin-binned early in the second half for a dangerous tackle. He was later handed a second four-match suspension for the season (both offences against the Dragons) after a failed appeal at the judiciary. Sips' final appearance for Manly was also his 99th NRL game.

Round 27 vs Warriors at 4 Pines Park

Another full house at the fortress for the last game of the season.

It was DCE’s 352nd and final game for the club, and a first NRL appearance for 19-year-old local junior, Joey Walsh.  

The Warriors scored the quickest try on record, just nine seconds into the match after the kick-off was allowed to bounce.  

As if already scripted, Daly’s final minutes in a Manly jersey were very special. With about five left on the clock he slotted the match-deciding field goal, off his left boot, the 29th of his career.

Emotional scenes after full time with thousands of fans remaining behind to say one last farewell to Chez and other departing players as the 2025 season draws to a close. 

The squad for next season will come together for pre-season training at the start of November.

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