Match Report: Jersey Flegg Cup Round 26 vs Dragons

Those in attendance at Lionel Watts Park in Belrose were treated to a high-scoring affair, with both sides producing plenty of attacking football. Victory secured the minor premiership for the Dragons.

It was a game of two halves, with the Dragons dominating the opening 40 minutes to score six tries to one, before Manly took complete control after the hour mark and almost pulled off an incredible comeback.

The Dragons got off to a flying start, immediately finding space down the left edge and forcing the Manly defence to scramble. The Sea Eagles held strong but were forced into an early reshuffle when halfback Charlie Boyle was taken from the field for a HIA just 90 seconds into the contest. He later returned to the field.

Dragons left-edge back-rower Jarrah Treweek caused plenty of problems early, playing a major role in setting up St George Illawarra’s opening tries.

Treweek broke the line and fooled the defence with a dummy before offloading to hooker Dextar Grant, who crossed after six minutes.

The Dragons then went bang-bang, scoring twice in three minutes. Treweek was again heavily involved, producing a short no-look pass to centre Oliver Burton, who went over untouched.

In their next set, the dangerous left edge continued to wreak havoc as Burton sliced through before finding winger Cornelius Pupualii in support, who finished off the long-range movement.

Shadi Hammoud converted to give the Dragons a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes.

Manly hit back through winger Mitchell Heather, who supported Benjamin Keene-O’Keefe after the centre broke through the Dragons’ defensive line. Fullback William Herbert added the extras.

Just as Manly looked to have settled into the contest, the Dragons turned it on again, scoring three quick tries to close out the half.

Fullback Lucas Borg finished off another long-range effort before Burton was involved again, this time on the right edge. After being moved to the wing following a reshuffle, Burton contested a bomb and successfully tapped the ball back to lock Braith Plecas, who improved the position before scoring under the posts.

Interchange forward Daniel Meafou then carried multiple defenders over the line to score the Dragons’ sixth try.

Halfback Marley McLaren converted the final three tries to send St George Illawarra into the break with a commanding 32-6 lead.

The second half began in grinding fashion, with no points scored until the 58th minute. Both sides had opportunities but struggled to capitalise, before Burton showcased his aerial brilliance once again, leaping above Heather to score his second try of the afternoon.

McLaren converted to stretch the lead to 38-6 with 20 minutes remaining.

What followed was an extraordinary response from the Sea Eagles, who ran in five unanswered tries to put themselves within striking distance.

Interchange forward Lukas Butler reached for the line to score Manly’s second try, after the Sea Eagles started the set with a short restart.

Just a minute later, Keene-O’Keefe found space on the left edge and used his speed to burn the defence before kicking infield for hooker Zaidas Muagututia, whose effort to keep up with the play was rewarded with a try.

The Dragons were unable to respond as Manly’s halves continued to combine. Five-eighth Beau Alexander’s grubber found Boyle, who grounded the ball just before the dead-ball line.

Five minutes later, Boyle crossed again after a short ball put Freddie Benson-Sparkes into open space, with the forward finding his skipper in support.

Herbert maintained his perfect record from the tee to reduce the margin to eight points with seven minutes remaining.

The crowd was on the edge of its seats as Boyle continued to control proceedings. A perfectly weighted cross-field kick landed in Heather’s lap, with the winger scoring his second try of the afternoon.

Manly declined the conversion attempt, leaving the score at 38-34 with 90 seconds remaining.

Despite a desperate late push to complete one of the competition’s great comebacks, the Sea Eagles fell just short, with four points ultimately separating the two sides.

An incredible 80 minutes of football brought Manly’s Jersey Flegg Cup campaign to a close with five wins and 16 losses.