Sea Eagles 24 Dragons 6
Manly produced their best performance of the season when they upset NRL leaders St George in a thriller at Brookvale Oval last night.
The Sea Eagles scored four tries, two in each half, to one in a guts-and-glory display before an ecstatic home crowd of almost 17,000. Right winger Tony Williams scored a hat-trick and backing-up test player Jamie Lyon kicked four goals to take his season tally to 90 - but this was a total team effort.
The Sea Eagles showed remarkable energy levels throughout and there were some outstanding performances, including those by halfback Trent Hodkinson and forward Shane Rodney.
The Dragons had won four in a row and seven out of eight going into the game to be alone at the top of the table.
The Sea Eagles had won five out of eight and were buoyed after beating South Sydney away last weekend.
The Dragons started as clear TAB favourites and had a 10-4 winning record against the Sea Eagles, including a 48-18 win when they played last year.
No fewer than 13 players were backing up after national and representative duty on Friday night, including eight of the Sea Eagles.
Manly made an outstanding start in front of a packed ground and led 10-0 after 18 minutes after two tries by Williams. He scored his first when he crashed through two tackles after a long cut-out pass from Hodkinson and his second after Lyon put him into space after he got outside his opposite.
It was a rude awakening for the Dragons, who had conceded only 12 tries in their previous eight matches. The Sea Eagles dominated the first quarter and thoughts of fatigue were dispelled as they played with immense energy.
The Dragons were finally stung into action and, after several furious attacks, the ball spilled loose and was scooped up by front rower Trent Merrin, who scored their first try.
The half ended with Manly leading 10-6 and with Williams putting in a high tackle on Darius Boyd as he tried to break clear from inside his own quarter. It had been a high-quality first half but the 22 missed tackles by the Dragons indicated the pressure their defence had been under.
The Dragons had clambered their way back into the game after a lethargic start and the big question was whether the Sea Eagles would fade in the second half, as they have been prone to do this season.
Sea Eagles and Kiwis stand-off Kieran Foran, so influential in the first half, did not come out for the second after straining his hamstring. But it was Manly who scored first in the second half, courtesy of a brilliant individual try by fullback Ben Farrar after seven minutes.
He bounced out of several tackles, veered infield and shrugged off the remaining defence to score by the posts. Lyon's conversion made it 16-6.
Eight minutes later, the Sea Eagles scored their fourth try with opportunism and sleight-of-hand which had the Dragons reeling in disbelief.
Hodkinson chipped through on the last tackle, Lyon knocked the ball back centimetres before it reached the dead ball line and all Williams had to do for his hat-trick was to bestow a fatherly pat on it. Lyon was equally accurate with the conversion and Manly looked comfortable at 22-6.
There were no signs of a fade from Manly and a spectacular tackle by wing Michael Robertson on his opposite emphasised their commitment.
It was not that the Dragons played particularly badly - though they were not at their best - but they were simply out-passioned by Manly.
The Dragons' night was summed up when Michael Lett appeared to score a fair try with 10 minutes to go but it was ruled out because of a marginal forward pass.
Sea Eagles 24 (T. Williams 3, B. Farrar tries, J. Lyon 4 goals); Dragons 6 (T. Merrin try, J. Soward goal). Halftime: Manly 10-6.
