Junior Reps: Round 2 Wrap

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles showed plenty of heart but were unable to secure their first win of the season, going down 18-0 to the North Sydney Bears in Round 2 of the Lisa Fiaola Cup at 4 Pines Park on Saturday.

The Bears made a strong start, opening the scoring through five-eighth Palace Koia. They continued to build momentum when second-rower Summah Pleasance crossed after receiving an offload from prop Georgia Kouris, giving North Sydney a 10-nil lead heading into the half-time break.

Manly emerged from the sheds with renewed energy in the second half, with captain Erin Krenmayr leading the way through tough defence and determined attacking efforts. Despite swinging momentum in their favour, the Sea Eagles were unable to convert their pressure into points.

North Sydney extended their lead in the 49th minute through centre Tiffany Tomlinson, before Pleasance capped off a standout performance by slicing through the Manly defence late in the match to score her second try and complete a two-try, one-assist display.

Manly’s courageous performance was highlighted by their resilience in defence, holding the Bears at bay for much of the second half and showing plenty of spirit until the final whistle.

The Sea Eagles will look to regroup when they travel to WIN Stadium in Wollongong to face the Illawarra Steelers before the bye round.

Tarsha Gale Cup

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Tarsha Gale Cup side were defeated 30-6 by the North Sydney Bears in their Round 2 clash at 4 Pines Park on Saturday morning.

Manly found themselves on the back foot early after the Bears burst out of the blocks with two quick tries in the 3rd and 6th minute, establishing a 10-0 lead.

Manly worked their way into the contest towards the end of the first half, sparked by the impact of interchange forward Vai Sefo who produced a series of strong carries that generated good momentum.

The Sea Eagles looked certain to post their first points just before the break when they crossed the white line, however, the try was disallowed due to separation, denying Manly a crucial breakthrough. The Bears took a 10-0 lead into half-time.

North Sydney made an emphatic start to the second half, striking in the 33rd and 36th minute to extend their lead. The back-to-back tries placed the Sea Eagles under mounting pressure.

Manly continued to compete and searched for momentum, but the Bears maintained their dominance. North Sydney’s left back-rower proved damaging, crossing for a double within five minutes to push the margin out to 30-0.

To their credit, the Sea Eagles fought until the final whistle and were rewarded late in the contest. Centre Isabelle Fitzgerald produced a superb individual effort down the left edge, beating multiple defenders on a powerful run to score in the corner.

The sideline conversion was nailed by Lara Edwards from out wide to add the extras, bringing the final score to 30-6 in favour of the Bears.

While the result did not fall their way, the Sea Eagles will take positives from their resilience and patches of momentum as they look to regroup ahead of next week’s clash against the Steelers.

Harold Matthews Cup

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have opened their season with back-to-back victories in the Harold Matthews Cup, after defeating the North Sydney Bears 24-18 in Round 2 at 4 Pines Park on Saturday.

The Sea Eagles wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with winger Tom Longland finishing off a slick backline movement in the second minute after receiving a cut-out pass from Sam Clarke-Moar. Zac Gedz added the extras to give Manly an early 6-0 lead.

North Sydney responded through sustained possession, with winger Jozaiah Fakalangi crossing in the corner in the 13th minute to reduce the margin to 6-4.

Both sides continued to trade blows in a high-quality first half. Manly extended their lead in the 25th minute when five-eighth Mitch Peterson finished a clever flick pass from second-rower Jayden Richards, one of Manly’s standout performers from last week. However, the Bears hit back shortly after through winger Karhys Morseu in the 29th minute.

Strong goal-kicking from Gedz proved crucial, with the Manly sharpshooter converting both tries to give the Sea Eagles a 12-8 advantage heading into the half-time break.

The contest remained tight early in the second half, before Manly faced a setback in the 44th minute when fullback Carlito Vesley was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul. North Sydney capitalised soon after, with Elijah Lowe crossing to give the Bears the lead.

Manly responded through a strong forward effort, applying sustained pressure through the middle. Their persistence was rewarded when centre Jett Watkin dived over in the left corner to restore the Sea Eagles’ lead. Gedz again delivered from the tee, slotting a superb conversion to make it 18-12.

The Sea Eagles continued to build momentum, with prop Billy Miller producing a powerful effort to barge through the Bears defence, capping off an unbelievable individual performance, and extending the margin further. Gedz calmly added his fourth conversion of the afternoon.

North Sydney claimed a late consolation try through five-eighth Morgan Carter, but Gedz’s flawless goal-kicking proved decisive, finishing with four conversions from four attempts.

Manly showed composure in the closing stages to secure the 24-18 victory and maintain their perfect start to the season.

The Sea Eagles will look to carry their winning form into Round 3 when they travel to Wollongong to face the Illawarra Steelers.

SG Ball Cup

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles SG Ball Cup side produced a commanding first-half performance to set up a 32-18 victory over the North Sydney Bears at 4 Pines Park on Saturday afternoon.

The opening exchanges were fierce, with both sides trading sets in a fast and physical first 10 minutes. Manly struck first following a slick shift to the right edge, creating space for Oscar Crotty to dive over in the corner.

An error from the kick-off handed the Bears an early opportunity to respond, but the Sea Eagles’ goal-line defence stood tall, defending multiple sets on their line.

The home side extended their lead in the 19th minute when Lachlan Metcalfe produced a clever short ball to Sifa Oldfield, who burst through a gap and powered his way over for Manly’s second.

Momentum continued to build, and in the 25th minute Nathaniel Robinson broke away from a scrum for a runaway try to further extend Manly’s lead.

Manly capped off a dominant opening half in style when Ashton Large darted from dummy half, engaging the markers before sending Kobe Morris over the line. The Sea Eagles headed into the sheds with a commanding 20-0 lead.

The Bears came out with a point to prove after the break, crossing down the left-hand side to reduce the margin and spark hopes of a comeback.

North Sydney continued to apply pressure and were rewarded when their five-eighth swooped on an intercept to race away and score. Just three minutes later, the visitors struck again to close the gap to 20-18, setting up a grandstand finish.

Any thoughts of a comeback were quickly put to bed by the Sea Eagles, as Lachlan Metcalfe delivered a perfectly weighted cross-field kick to the right corner, where Taj Thompson caught and planted the ball for a crucial four-pointer.

The Sea Eagles sealed the result soon after, shifting the ball left to find Oscar Crotty for his second try of the afternoon. A high tackle in the act of scoring saw Manly awarded a potential eight-point try.

Tempers flared in the closing stages of the game, culminating in a North Sydney player being sent off in the 69th minute as the intensity of the contest boiled over.

After a fiery and passionate 70 minutes, Manly emerged 32-18 victors making it back to back wins to open the season.