Match Report: NRL Round 19 vs Cowboys

Manly scored three tries to one in the first half but failed to control the second half with the Cowboys scoring a try in the 78th minute to send the match into extra time.

Scott Drinkwater nailed the field goal in the second minute of golden point to secure victory for his team, giving Manly back-to-back losses.

The Cowboys opened the scoring in 10th minute when right centre Tom Chester found space through the middle after an angling run towards the posts to score. Jake Clifford was successful from in front to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.

Ben Trbojevic was forced from the field in the next set after a head clash from the kick restart.  Deemed a Category 2 HIA, he was unable to return.

Manly went close to scoring in the 15th minute when Reuben Garrick’s crafty flick pass sent Jason Saab down the eastern touchline, before being tackled just metres short of the line.

He didn’t need to wait long for his next opportunity, opening Manly’s account in the 17th minute after a break from Tom Trbojevic.  Turbo split the Cowboys left edge defence on Manly’s 40-metre line before delivering the final pass to Saab in support.

Jamal Fogarty converted from almost in front to level the score at 6-6.

Manly turned momentum in their favour scoring again following a Cowboys’ mistake, a knock-on by Chester coming out of yardage.

As seen many times before this season Lehi Hopoate finished off a quick shift to the left on the end of a clever touch-on pass from Tolu Koula.

With Fogarty unable to convert, manly led 10-6

A few minutes later Haumole Olakau’atu used brute force to cross for Manly’s third try. The right-edge wrecking ball beat three defenders from close range before reaching out to score.

Fogarty’s conversion bounced off the upright leaving Manly ahead 14-6 on the half hour mark.

After receiving several set-restarts the Cowboys were denied a try in the 33rd minute when hooker Reed Mahoney was pinged for a double movement. After making a 30-metre dash to the line, Mahoney was caught by a great tackle from Tom Trbojevic.

Manly went very close to scoring a fourth try in the shadows of half time when Olakau’atu pounced on a Joey Walsh grubber. Walsh, however, was ruled to have knocked on when catching a pass from dummy half on the half volley.

The Sea Eagles went into the sheds with an eight-point lead, up 14-6.

Hopoate was placed on report just a minute into the second half after taking Chester high, before both teams went set for set for an extended period.

Like they did in the first half, the Cowboys opened the scoring in the second, almost on the hour mark.

After three consecutive set restarts, winger Braidon Burns, who had a try disallowed in the first half, sneaked his way over from dummy half just a metre or two out from Manly’s goal line.

Clifford was unsuccessful from the sideline, leaving Manly ahead 14-10.

Five minutes later the Sea Eagles hit back through Jason Saab.

Fogarty put through a beautifully weighted grubber into the in-goal in the scoreboard corner with Saab there to score his second of the afternoon.

Fogarty was unsuccessful from the sideline, with Manly again ahead by eight points.

The Cowboys went short off the kick restart and successfully regained possession.

It was only three minutes after Saab collect his second try, that Burns did the same. He was on the end of a nice cut-out ball from Jaxon Purdue, stepping back inside to score.

Clifford, from exactly the same spot from his earlier attempt, was unsuccessful, leaving Manly ahead 18-14.

Tensions were raised heading into the final 10 minutes when Chester was penalised for taking Koula high and was placed on report.

Then, in the 78th minute, the Cowboys crossed to level the scores at 18-18 with a try to lock Reuben Cotter. A light grubber from Drinkwater found Purdue who offloaded and sent his skipper over.

Although only just off centre, Clifford was unable to convert sending the match into extra time. The Cowboys half, like Fogarty, finished the day with one successful conversion from four attempts.

The Cowboys made a break down the eastern sideline through Burns in their first set of golden point but were stopped by a desperate Manly scramble.

But then came heartbreak for the home side.

Drinkwater, with Manly’s markers charging towards him, slotted the match-winning field goal from 35 metres out to secure a vital two competition points for North Queensland.

Next up for the Sea Eagles is a trip to the Gold Coast to face the Titans on Sunday 19 July (2pm).