Sea Eagles 38
Tigers 20
GOSFORD - A 22-point virtuoso performance from skipper Jamie Lyon helped Manly recover from a horrid start to beat Wests Tigers in a fiery NRL encounter at Bluetongue Stadium yesterday.
The Sea Eagles scored six tries to four to move up to fourth, one spot behind the Tigers.
Centre Lyon scored two tries and kicked seven from seven to send the Tigers to their first defeat in four games.
The Sea Eagles bounced back from an 8-0 deficit and the first half sin-binning of centre Steve Matai.
The Tigers dominated early possession and territory statistics, with a try to lock Chris Heighington and two goals to five-eighth Benji Marshall.
Manly piled on 18 points in 12 first-half minutes to take control through converted tries to Shane Rodney, Kieran Foran and Lyon.
A feisty affair threatened to boil over when Matai was binned five minutes before halftime when he was put on report for a challenge on Tigers skipper Robbie Farah.
The Tigers got to within six points after halfback Robert Lui juggled and Marshall converted.
Manly enjoyed a 24-12 halftime lead after winger Michael Robertson threw a miracle pass to keep the ball in play and four passes later lock Glenn Stewart crossed.
Centre Blake Ayshford dummied his way over off a Marshall cut-out pass to get the Tigers within eight.
But Lyon pushed Manly's lead out to 14 after he converted his own try which came from a great leap following a a cross field bomb by Foran.
Tigers winger Lote Tuqiri, who was hurt trying to defuse a bomb, smashed his way over for his 12th try of the season to reduce the deficit to 10.
The Sea Eagles secured the points when Trent Hodkinson and forward Brent Kite set up fullback Ben Farrar for a 67th minute try.
- AAP
