PDA

View Full Version : Round 24 Manly Sea Eagles v Newcastle Knights



TITAN PETE
15-08-12, 09:59 AM
SUNDAY

Manly Sea Eagles v Newcastle Knights at Brookvale Oval, 3:00pm (local). #NRLMANNEW

SEA EAGLES: Brett Stewart, Jorge Taufua, Steve Matai, Jamie Lyon, David Williams, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans, Jason King, Matt Ballin, Brent Kite, Anthony Watmough, Tony Williams, Glenn Stewart. Interchange (from): George Rose, Jamie Buhrer, Joe Galuvao, Vic Mauro, Dean Whare

KNIGHTS: Darius Boyd, Kevin Naiqama, Dane Gagai, Timana Tahu, Akuila Uate, Jarrod Mullen, Tyrone Roberts, Kade Snowden, Danny Buderus (c), Willie Mason, Chris Houston, Alex McKinnon, Neville Costigan. Interchange (from): Robbie Rochow, Zeb Taia, Adam Cuthbertson, Zane Tetevano, Joel Edwards

TITAN PETE
20-08-12, 09:04 AM
Manly maul Knights, key players injured

RSS
By James MacSmith AAP Sun, Aug 19, 2012 - 6:38 PM

Manly coach Geoff Toovey again faces an agonising wait to determine the fitness of several key players after Sunday's impressive 42-20 win over Newcastle.

The Sea Eagles totally dominated the first half of the game to lead 38-4 at Brookvale Oval, before a raft of injuries stalled their momentum in the second stanza.

Manly, who have battled with injuries through most of the season, were forced to play almost the entire second half with no interchange bench after Jason King (shoulder), Matt Ballin (calf), Jamie Buhrer (concussion) and David Williams (leg) were all forced off.

"It was a bit like the old days, once you come off you are off," Toovey said after his team's fourth successive win.

"We ran out of troops there ... so I was very proud of the last probably 30 minutes we played with no reserves.

"It was difficult and a lot of players had to play out of their positions, which made it hard for them but they showed a lot of character and we got there."

Toovey said he didn't know the full extent of the injuries and that they would be assessed by club medical staff on Monday.

"I was very pleased with the way our players just hung in there, that's all they could do. I thought our first half was excellent when we had our full complement on board.

"They were really professional and really precise in what we did. But when we ran out of troops it made it very difficult.

"We lost both dummy halves and had to reshuffle the whole side."

From the moment Knights halfback Tyrone Roberts put the ball out on the full from the kick-off the visitors were on the back foot.

Manly led 12-0 after just seven minutes on the back of tries to Jamie Lyon and Glenn Stewart, before Akuila Uate answered back for the Knights in the 13th minute.

But from there it was all Manly as they piled on five more first-half tries, including two to Tony Williams and two to Brett Stewart, to establish a 34-point halftime lead.

Kevin Naiqama scored tries in the 51st and 63rd minutes, and Jarrod Mullen crossed in the 54th minute as the Knights launched a fightback to trail 38-20 with 17 minutes remaining.

Jorge Tafua managed a late four-pointer to take the margin out to 22 points.

Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett conceded his side were out of the finals race, and bemoaned another slow start from his charges.

"Probably topped them all off," Bennett said.

"Today was just a multiple of mistakes wasn't it.

"It was self inflicted, kicking the ball out on the full, getting caught in-goal, giving away penalties, giving away tries.

"It could have been 70 points."

Toovey also faces concern over Tony Williams, who was placed on report for a possible trip in the 66th minute.

Knights Kade Snowden, Darius Boyd and Chris Houston were involved in a lifting tackle soon after that was also placed on report.

TITAN PETE
20-08-12, 09:06 AM
Manly the team to beat: Bennett

RSS
James MacSmith and Russell Jackson AAP Sun, Aug 19, 2012 - 11:33 PM


Wayne Bennett believes Manly are playing the type of rugby league that is good enough for them to become the first club to win back-to-back titles in a united competition since Brisbane last managed the feat under him in 1992-93.

Manly dismantled master coach Bennett's Newcastle side 42-20 at Brookvale Oval on Sunday, running in eight tries to four to leave the seven-time premiership-winning mentor in awe of the Sea Eagles' performance.

Asked how highly he rated them, Bennett said: "Being asked that question now, and I was asked that the other day, and watching the videos of Manly, they are as good as anyone with their potential right now, I think," said Bennett, who also won back-to-back titles with Brisbane in the Super League year of 1997 and then `98.

"They may have taken a bit of a hit here today with some injuries, I'm not sure.

"If they lose a lot of players, it will be too hard to get that right before the season is over, so I don't know that situation.

"But certainly their form - and I'm not saying that because of today's results, I'm saying it because of what I have seen over the last couple of weeks - they are playing the type of footy that wins when it matters."

The loss means Newcastle face a tough battle to make the finals with the Knights sitting 11th on the ladder and two points outside the eight with two games remaining.

If the Knights do miss out, it would mean Bennett won't coach a team in the finals for the first time since 1991.

The Sea Eagles' win moved them to 32 points but left them in fourth spot on points differential behind South Sydney, with two games remaining.

Souths suffered a second consecutive loss when they went down 20-7 to Cronulla at Toyota Stadium on Saturday night.

But the Rabbitohs have a decent run to the finals with games against last-placed Parramatta and Newcastle.

Canterbury, coached by Des Hasler who steered Manly to the 2011 title, skipped four clear of Melbourne in the race for the minor premiership with a controversial 23-22 win over Wests Tigers on Friday night.

Video referee Sean Hampstead is under mounting pressure after he awarded a try to Bulldogs winger Jonathan Wright in the 74th minute despite a shepherd in the lead-up to the four-pointer.

Also on Friday, Melbourne continued their resurgence with a 19-18 win over Brisbane to give the Storm a third straight win which leaves them in second place.

The Broncos are clinging to seventh place on 26 points after four consecutive losses and play Manly at Brookvale next week.

Meanwhile Sydney Roosters veteran Anthony Minichiello faces a nervous wait to see if he is charged by the match review committee after he was sent off against Canberra.

Minichiello, who had never been sent off in his 12 seasons, caught Raiders fullback Josh Dugan high in Saturday's 24-20 loss to Canberra who remain an outside chance to make the finals.

Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah will have further scans to his fractured hand on Monday.

Farah suffered the injury making a tackle early in extra-time in Friday night's loss to the Bulldogs.