NRL: Stewart snakes past Fulton's tries record

AAP

21 Jul, 2013 05:30 PM3 mins to read

Brett Stewart of the Sea Eagles. Photo / Getty Images

Brett "Snake" Stewart has surpassed league immortal Bob Fulton on Manly's all-time tryscorers' list as the Sea Eagles yesterday cemented their position in the NRL top four with a stylish win over Gold Coast.

The prolific fullback needed just five minutes to bag his 130th career four-pointer in 171 games before delivering the final pass for three others in a dazzling man-of-the match display in Sydney.

Stewart's tryscoring haul is second only to Manly legend Steve Menzies' 151 from 280 games and, boasting the best strike rate in the league, the 28-year-old is on track to break the club record some time next season.

On a milestone day at Brookvale, Manly captain Jamie Lyon also collected his 100th career try, fittingly off a nice short ball from Stewart, as the Sea Eagles chalked up their third straight win.

Manly outscored the Titans eight tries to four and the victory margin would have been even more comfortable had Lyon not missed five conversion attempts.

An anxious Craig Gower enjoyed the perfect homecoming with the former Penrith skipper producing the crucial try in Newcastle's win over the Panthers at Penrith.

Gower, who has enjoyed a footballing odyssey since leaving Penrith in 2007, was one of five tryscorers for the Knights - who climbed to fifth.

The hooker could have been excused for having his mind on other things rather than football, with wife Amanda set to give birth to the couple's second child at any time.

But with the Knights clinging to a 10-8 lead just eight minutes after the restart, Gower showed he was right in the game as he chased down a Jarrod Mullen grubber, touching down just inside the dead ball line with rookie Panthers fullback Matt Moylan willing the ball to roll dead.

From there Akuila Uate - who had not scored in his previous six matches - went in his second of the afternoon just before the hour mark to take the visitors out by two converted tries.

Any chance of a late comeback by the home team at Centrebet Stadium was snuffed out when Kade Snowden scored his first try of 2013 10 minutes from fulltime.

Compounding the loss for the Panthers, forwards Mose Masoe (shoulder charge) and former Warrior Lewis Brown (high tackle) were both placed on report for separate tackles which floored Robbie Rochow.