‘Holy s**t’: NRL lose it as Justin Olam crushed in ‘shot of the year’

Manly Vs Melbourne doesn’t often disappoint and this was no different as there the latest edition of the clash had it all.

Justin Olam got put on his back. Photo: Fox Sports

Another Battle of Brookvale, another old-fashioned, knock-‘em-down, drag-‘em-out bash-fest, as Manly Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm flew at one another like Dodgem cars at 4 Pines Park on Friday night.

There is no need to pump these games; the players genuinely don’t appear to like each other.

But while the chaos of the night almost seemed more important than the scoreline, it was the Sea Eagles that came out in front in an 18-8 win in front of their home fans.

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There was toughness, skill, straight running – in defence and attack – and the odd bit of grubbiness. And a bumper crowd roared all night.

In the end, after five HIAs, six reports, three sin bins and so many bone-rattling tackles – including one that Gorden Tallis called “shot of the year”, Manly came away with the two points in front of 13,572 fans.

It had rained sporadically all day on the northern beaches and 20-year-old Storm five-eighth Jonah Pezet was a target for the Sea Eagles right-side big units while Daly Cherry-Evans’ tactics early were to bomb stand-in fullback Cameron Munster.

Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic smashed through any injury cloud, beginning the game with three strong charges, a knock-on and the first try of the match when Cherry-Evans bunted over Munster’s head for Trbojevic to tear through and score.

The vocal crowd was up again when nuggety Storm centre Justin Olam was folded in half in a crunching tackle by Haumole Olakau’atu.

Justin Olam got put on his back. Photo: Fox Sports

Fox Sports analyst and former firebrand Tallis was bubbling in commentary.

“That’s shot of the year,” Tallis said. “Ten times out of ten (Olam) wins the collision. That time he didn’t.”

Power on Power!!
Wow that was a heavy hit on Olam🤯#NRLManlyStorm

— Ashton Sims (@ashtonsims26) April 14, 2023

If that was anyone but olam that guy would be in serious trouble 🤦🏽‍♂️ holy shit that’s one the best hits I’ve ever seen! 🙌🏽#nrl@levelsnetwork

— Willie Mason WMM 💯🇦🇺🇹🇴 (@mase21) April 14, 2023

Olam later left the field for a category two head inspection.

Jason Saab’s battle on the eastern side with fellow leaping tall man Xavier Coates was fast and physical. Saab also folded Munster.

Storm belied a lack of field position and possession to hit back with a tidy backline play that saw winger Will Warbrick trot over out wide in a paddock of space.

With Josh Aloiai charging hard in the middle, Kelma Tuilagi went as hard in defence but his night was over after 25 minutes when his head connected with Tui Kamikamica’s head.

Aaron Woods came on for his fifth NRL club (he’s so new his profile on Manly’s website has him in Dragons kit), made a crowd-pleasing run, and then knocked on.

The HIA doctor’s surgery was more a casualty ward when Trbojevic went off after falling into a tackle with Pezet.

Raymond Vaega channelled former crash-tackle king Jorge Taufau and flattened Munster with a big shoulder-shot. Vaega went on report and off for 10 minutes. Munster went off for an HIA.

It was that sort of half – physical, passionate, attritional. And the Sea Eagles led 10-6.

Early in the second dig Manly, a man in the bin, had two tries disallowed.

Kamikamica belted Cherry-Evans, late, in the back. The more it was looked at, the more likely it would be 12-on-12.

The Sea Eagles pulled off the win. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

And then things got funky.

Cherry-Evans hit the post with a goal before Pezet put a hip drop on Olakau’tau while Harry Grant came over the top. The Sea Eagles came from everywhere.

Cherry-Evans nailed the goal this time. Hughes nailed one up the other end. It was like a NSWRL game from 1978 – teams going up by two.

Then there was another scuffle after Tuialagi – in his third game of first grade – channelled Taufua again and launched himself at Warbrick. The crowd loved it. Referee Adam Gee laid down laws. It threatened to erupt. It was some game of footy.

It wasn’t over. Olam hit Cherry-Evans, a carbon copy of the Kamikamica hit. Went off for ten. Cherry-Evans looked like he’d been run over by a Brahman bull.

And then it was over. With six minutes to go Taniela Paseka popped a pass for Lachlan Croker who scored his first try of 2023.

Originally published as ‘Holy s**t’: NRL lose it as Justin Olam crushed in ‘shot of the year’