The ugly tackle from Joey Manu would leave him with a yellow card and a bloodied eye. Photo / Sky Sport
The ugly tackle from Joey Manu would leave him with a yellow card and a bloodied eye. Photo / Sky Sport
Rugby league’s longest-held rivalry has delivered once again as the Sydney Roosters took a 20-18 win in another thriller against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Kiwis and Roosters centre Joseph Manu had two of the biggest moments of the match, pulling off one of the great try-savers, before being sin binned minutes later.
Another bruising contest boiled over with three minutes remaining after Manu took Isaiah Tass high as he was about to slam the ball down, despite the play already being called back for a forward pass.
After the last clash between the sides ended in a spiteful elimination final last season, which included a record seven sin bins, this match had been billed as round two all week.
It wasn’t close to being as spiteful as last time out, until Manu’s hit.
At 20-12, Manu flew in from the side and collected Taas high before Rabbitohs captain Cam Murray intervened — and it was on.
Like most NRL fights in 2023, it was mostly pushing and shoving, Manu left the scrap with a bloodied eye which immediately became swollen.
However, there was immediately concern it had reinsured Manu’s fractured cheekbone from Latrell Mitchell in the 2021 edition of the rivalry but coach Trent Robinson said he believed it was just a split and would only require stitches.
It’s unclear how it happened but Manu said he was punched.
Joey Manu was sin binned with the shiner. Photo / Sky Sport
Australian mixed martial artist Damien Brown tweeted: “Manu deserve a whole combo not just a punch after that cheap shot. As dirty as it gets especially after the play is done”.
Ultimately Manu was sin binned for his tackle, while the Rabbitohs’ Michael Chee-Kam was also sin binned for being the third man in.
After the match, Murray said the melee was “valid” after the hit on Tass.
“I let my emotions get the better of me,” Murray said.
“I was just sticking up for my teammate. I’ve said it before that I won’t go and start something but I’ll always go and stand up for myself and my teammates.”
Manu had earlier pulled off one of the great try-savers, chasing down Tass from behind to punch the ball out of his clutches.
Roosters coach Robinson said Manu made a mistake with the second hit.
“He was trying to make the tackle he made on Tass before and knock it out and he got it wrong,” he said.
“And then running in and everything that went on after that is what it is.”
Joseph Manu of the Roosters scuffles with Cameron Murray of the Rabbitohs. Photo / Getty
But after the questions continued, Robinson had enough, slamming the media for being negative.
“It’s been so negative all week, and then we came out and played a game, so let’s focus on the footy,” he said.
“Don’t blow something up to be … from both sides. It was a push and a shove and something that shouldn’t happen and someone reacted poorly — so what.”
But the 12-on-12 finish set up a grandstand finish when Izaac Thompson crashed over to make it 20-18 with 60 seconds to go.
Latrell Mitchell had the chance to send the game into golden point but his audacious field goal attempt out of dummy-half landed short to leave Souths with one win after three rounds.
With all the ups and downs in the clash, it was another classic which once again left social media in awe.
