Match Report: NRL Round 7 vs Cowboys

The Sea Eagles went into half time leading 22-6, scoring a further three tries and keeping the home side scoreless in the second half.

The 32-point victory keeps Manly’s unbeaten record at Queensland County Bank Stadium intact, makes it seven straight wins in Townsville, and continues a perfect start to Kieran Foran’s role as interim head coach.

Lehi Hopoate scored Manly’s opening try in the fifth minute after Reuben Garrick took an intercept on the halfway line before sending Jason Saab on a run for the southern goal-line.

A shift to the far left then enabled Luke Brooks to deliver a very clever pass for Hopoate to score in the southeastern corner.

The 21-year-old winger threatened to score a second try moments later in the same corner only to be stopped a couple of blades of grass short of the line.

Manly suffered a major blow in the thirteenth minute when Tom Trbojevic was forced from the field with what looked to be a hamstring injury.

A quick reshuffle saw Tolu Koula shift to fullback with Clayton Faulalo entering the game from the bench into left centre.  

Koula looked immediately menacing at the back and Faulalo, with just his second touch of the ball, provided Hopoate with his second try of the game.

It was a three on two on the left spotted by Brooks with Faulalo sending Hopoate in untouched to make it 10-0 after 18 minutes.

The Cowboys crossed for their first try in 22nd minute after forcing a repeat set through a good kick chase.

Coen Hess then split a couple of defenders from 15 metres out scoring next to the posts to reduce Manly’s lead to six points.

Jake Trbojevic was sent for HIA thirteen minutes out from half time and one minute later younger brother Ben crossed for Manly’s third try of the match to put his team ahead 16-6

‘Burbo’ stormed onto a well placed in-goal kick from Jamal Fogarty which Fogarty converted to restore Manly’s 10-point advantage.

A try for the Cowboys at the other end was then denied by some magic defence from Koula, getting his leg between the ball and the in-goal as Cowboys prop Tom Mikaele looked odds-on to score.

Three minutes out from half time Manly were in again, with Hopoate poised to score a first half hat-trick only to generously donate the try to a teammate. 

After collecting a spilled bomb at the back Hopoate casually coasted into the Cowboys’ in-goal, but rather to put the ball down, gave it Brandon Wakeham who scored his first try in Manly colours.

With Manly up by 16 points at the break, both teams traded blows for the opening ten minutes of the second half.

Koula continued to relish his new role at the back diffusing a number of bombs as Fogarty’s kicking game continued to control the tempo.

On the hour mark a good tackle by Hopoate forced a Cowboys’ error in their own end applying further pressure to the home side.

A penalty for offside then gifted Manly an extra two points putting the visitors ahead by three converted tries at 24-6.

With 17 minutes to play Koula saved his second try of the game with a desperate cover tackle in the southwestern corner, adding further to his enormous impact on the outcome on the match.

Moments later at the other end Taniela Paseka beat four Cowboy’ defenders to score his first try since 2024 which put Manly ahead 30-6 with less than 15 minutes to play.

The Sea Eagles were in again one minute later when Fogarty elected to kick and chase rather than clear. 

Collecting his own grubber from 40 metres out, he sent Brooks over to finish it off before adding the extras to make it 36-6.

The Sea Eagles new No.7 then capped another big game with a penalty goal in the dying minutes to ice a 38-6 victory.

The Sea Eagles, unbeaten on the road but yet to win at home, return to 4 Pines Park to face the Eels in a bumper ANZAC Round clash on Sunday 26th April.