Manly-Warringah became the first side to qualify for the NRL grand final with a methodical 26-14 win over Brisbane in front of 31,894 at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night.
The men from Sydney’s northern peninsula made an ideal start in the windy conditions. The Eagles received two early penalties to carry them into the opposition twenty for hooker Matt Ballin to crash over from dummy half after only four minutes. Jamie Lyon’s conversion put Manly in front 6-0.
Manly raced to a 16-0 lead through tries to Will Hopoate (10th minute) and Brett Stewart (20th minute). Stewart capitalised on a wonderful delayed pass from half-back Daly Cherry-Evans to touch down in a handy position for Lyon to convert.
Jharal Yow Yeh kept the Broncos in some contention when he scored a classic winger’s try close to half-time. The Queensland and Australian rep made an athletic leap to claim a cross-kick from Matt Gillett to send the sides to the break with Manly ahead 16-4.
Hopoate claimed his second try early in the second stanza when he dived over in the corner, again after some great lead-up from Lyon and Cherry-Evans.
Even sixteen points down the Broncos were not going away. Peter Wallace burst on to a clever offload from Corey Parker to touch down under the posts. Parker converted, leaving Manly a slightly uneasy ten points in front.
Brisbane’s hopes, however, were dashed shortly thereafter when Manly’s Kieran Foran trailed a midfield bomb and wrenched the ball from the grasp of fullback Gerard Beale to score. Lyon’s conversion put the Sea Eagles in front 26-10 and effectively into next Sunday’s premiership decider.
The match was played at a very swift tempo in the sometimes blustery conditions. The Eagles played solid, mistake-free football on the back of the platform laid by their forwards. Cherry-Evans performed with the aplomb of a ten-season veteran and his judicious kicking troubled the Broncos. Manly’s Tony Williams and Steve Matai were both placed on report and the duo will face a few anxious moments in the first days of grand final week.
Sadly, with this result the curtain has dropped on the club career of Bronco immortal-to-be named Darren Lockyer. Locky’s cheekbone injury kept him out of the elimination final. It is doubtful though if even his inspirational presence could have made any difference to the final scoreline, with Manly leading from the fourth minute and always seeming in control.
Manly-Warringah 26 (W Hopoate 2, K Foran, M Ballin, B Stewart tries; J Lyon 3 goals) def Brisbane 14 (J Yow Yeh, P Wallace, D Copley tries; C Parker goal).
Sydney Football Stadium 23 September 2011
Crowd 31,894
