MANLY SEA EAGLES 24 MELBOURNE STORM 48
TOM SMITH, Four Pines Park, Sunday
GRANT ANDERSON tallied his first NRL hat-trick as Melbourne breached Manly’s Brookvale fortress.
The Sea Eagles did will to trail by just eight at half-time after the Storm scored three tries in five minutes early in the first half.
But the floodgates opened in the second half when the Victorians slammed on five more tries in a 15-minute burst.
Halfback Jahrome Hughes starred on return just two weeks after breaking his hand, pulling the strings alongside stand-off Cameron Munster.
Melbourne had lost their last three outings at Four Pines Park, but silenced the locals with an intimidating display that cements their status as premiership fancies.
This clash evokes memories of the clubs’ epic rivalry in the late 2000s and early 2010s, including the bitter ‘Battle of Brookvale’ brawl that erupted in 2011.
Fourteen years later, the Storm saved their smashing for the scoreboard.
The Sea Eagles had a bad build-up off the park, losing injury-prone star Tom Trbojevic to a knee injury and dealing with Daly Cherry-Evans’ contract saga for a second week.
Eagles coach Anthony Seibold shuffled Lehi Hopoate to fullback in Trbojevic’s absence, and also replaced Josh Aloiai (shoulder) with Toafofoa Sipley.
Storm counterpart Craig Bellamy handed rugby union convert Moses Leo his NRL bow in place of Marion Seve, on top of welcoming back Hughes in the halves.
Reuben Garrick got the Sea Eagles on the scoreboard first with a penalty goal, before the Storm unleashed their early onslaught.
Ex-Tiger Stefano Utoikamanu steamed onto a perfectly timed Munster pass to claim the first try from close range.
Then after Garrick booted the kick-off out on the full, Munster added another four points all on his own, bamboozling Haumole Olakau’atu with his footwork then crawling over the whitewash.
When a looping Hughes cut-out put an unmarked Anderson into the right-hand corner in the 17th minute, it looked like a shellacking was on the cards.
But Manly managed to stem the bleeding, and Tolutau Koula scored a deceptively simple four-pointer by running straight through some patchy goal-line defence.
Garrick’s conversion, followed by another long penalty goal on the half-time hooter, kept the hosts in touch at the break.
However, the Sea Eagles offered little resistance in the second half.
Anderson completed his hat-trick down the right flank either side of a sizzling team try, where Hughes split Manly’s line from within his own half before finding Munster, who released Ryan Papenhuyzen beneath the uprights.
Bronson Garlick snaffled a Harry Grant grubber and Jack Howarth raced down the left edge off a scrum to bring Melbourne’s try tally to eight, courtesy of a stunning onslaught in each half.
With the contest decided, Bellamy rested Hughes and Manly added three consolation tries — Koula’s second, plus one each to wingers Jason Saab and Clayton Faulalo.
GAMESTAR: After injury curtailed his 2024 campaign, a fit-again Cameron Munster continued his impressive start to the season, notching two try assists and a four-pointer of his own.
GAMEBREAKER: Jack Howarth’s try just after the hour mark completed the Storm’s second-half blitz.
MATCHFACTS
SEA EAGLES
1 Lehi Hopoate
2 Jason Saab
3 Tolutau Koula
4 Reuben Garrick
5 Clayton Faulalo
6 Luke Brooks
7 Daly Cherry-Evans
10 Siosiua Taukeiaho
9 Jazz Tevaga
17 Toafofoa Sipley
11 Haumole Olakau’atu
12 Ben Trbojevic
13 Jake Trbojevic
Subs (all used)
8 Nathan Brown
14 Jake Simpkin
15 Corey Waddell
16 Ethan Bullemor
Tries: Koula (31, 68), Saab (73), Faulalo (80)
Goals: Garrick 4/6
STORM
1 Ryan Papenhuyzen
4 Grant Anderson
3 Jack Howarth
21 Moses Leo
5 Xavier Coates
6 Cameron Munster
22 Jahrome Hughes
8 Stefano Utoikamanu
9 Harry Grant
10 Josh King
11 Shawn Blore
12 Eliesa Katoa
13 Trent Loiero
Subs (all used)
7 Tyran Wishart
14 Bronson Garlick
15 Alec MacDonald
16 Tui Kamikamica
Tries: Utoikamanu (12), Munster (14), Anderson (17, 49, 54), Papenhuyzen (51), Garlick (59), Howarth (63)
Goals: Papenhuyzen 7/7, Wishart 1/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 2-0, 2-6, 2-12, 2-18, 8-18, 10-18; 10-24, 10-30, 10-36, 10-42, 10-48, 14-48, 18-48, 24-48
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Sea Eagles: Tolutau Koula; Storm: Cameron Munster
Penalty count: 7-7
Half-time: 10-18
Referee: Grant Atkins
Attendance: 17,346
