The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have crushed the Canberra Raiders' NRL finals hopes with a see-sawing 46-24 victory at Canberra Stadium. Tom Trbojevic looked back to his best with two tries and two try assists, scoring his 99th and 100th career four-pointers in a lethal Sea Eagles attacking display on Saturday afternoon.
Raiders' Hopes Dented by Sea Eagles' Dominance
But the two teams' performances were not as far away as the scoreline suggests. Two pivotal refereeing decisions took the game away from the Raiders. Canberra looked the better side for much of the first half but were deprived of a try just before the interval with scores still level.
Controversial Referees' Decisions Impact Game
Adam Cook appeared to have dropped the ball after being sent in on the Manly tryline by Hudson Young. But video replays showed the young utility smartly stuck a toe out before the ball hit the ground. His try was not allowed to stand, however, as referee Grant Atkins had blown the whistle before Cook was given a chance to ground the ball.
Minutes later, Trbojevic wheeled away from a tackle and sliced through Canberra's defence before finding Ethan Bullemor to give the visitors a six-point lead into the break. Then in the second half, Raiders prop Joseph Tapine was sent to the sin bin for dissent after disagreeing with the bunker's interpretation of a lifting tackle on Jamal Fogarty.
Sea Eagles Capitalize on Raiders' Mistakes
The Sea Eagles made the most of their numerical advantage, scoring four-pointers through Taniela Paseka, Luke Brooks and Trbojevic in Tapine's absence. The win gives Manly a crucial two points in the congested race for the NRL's top eight. Canberra will likely have to win all four of their remaining fixtures, including a high-stakes home game against Penrith, to make finals.
It was a disappointing end to an afternoon that had started with such promise for the home side. If GIO Stadium had a roof, it would've lifted off when Josh Papalii opened the scoring. Canberra's favourite adopted son crashed over in the 10th minute of his 301st NRL game to the delight of more than 100 family and friends who made the trip down from Queensland.
After Trbojevic levelled the scores a couple of minutes later, young fullback Kaeo Weekes sliced through the Manly defence to get the Raiders back in front. But tries to Tommy Talua, Bullemor, Daly Cherry-Evans and Lehi Hopoate swung the game back in the Sea Eagles' favour, before Tapine's sin-binning.
Raiders' Late Surge Not Enough
Consolation tries to Sebastian Kris and Xavier Savage added some respectability to the scoreline but did little to raise the Raiders' spirits.
The Sea Eagles have secured a victory over the Raiders, beating the team from the nation’s capital 46-24 in a high-scoring affair. The clash began with heartwarming scenes, with veteran enforcer Josh Papalii entering the field to a deafening viking clap at GIO Stadium in his 301st game. He played his 300th a week earlier, but it was fitting to celebrate his milestone in front of the Canberra faithful.
However, after starting the game with a four-pointer in the ninth minute, the front rower’s fairy tale game soured in the second half. Responding to Papalii’s try, Tom Trbojevic got himself on the score sheet, cleaning up a messy play before streaking away from defenders. Kaeo Weekes then responded, slicing through Manly’s defence to score but the Raiders would be kept scoreless for 51 more minutes after his four-pointer.
Ethan Bullemor scored on the stroke of halftime, with Trbojevic being the architect of his try to hand Manly an 18-12 lead at halftime. From there, it went pear-shaped for Ricky Stuart’s men with Daly Cherry-Evans crossing in the 43rd minute and Lehi Hopoate scoring in the 49th minute.
Then a moment of madness from Joseph Tapine made things go from bad to worse. The Raiders enforcer, after referee Grant Atkins awarded the Sea Eagles a penalty, was given his marching orders and was sent to the sin bin for dissent. His omission resulted in three Manly tries within four minutes, the first coming from Taniela Paseka, the second Tom Trbojevic and the third Luke Brooks. The Sea Eagles five-eighth delivered an impressive effort, streaking past defenders for a solo try.
Raiders flyers Seb Kris and Xavier Savage scored tries to close out the game, but their efforts were in vain as the sea Eagles ran out victors, dampening Canberra’s finals hopes in 2024.
