How Stephen Larkham inspired Warringah’s miracle comeback against Manly
A meeting with Steve Larkham was the driving force behind the incredible play that sparked Warringah’s incredible comeback victory over bitter rival Manly.
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Meeting his idol Steve Larkham inspired Warringah Rats rising star Ben Marr to produce a game-breaking performance in Saturday’s thrilling 31-25 win over Manly in their huge local derby at Manly Oval.
The battle of the beaches again lived up to all the hype and attracted a crowd approaching 10,000 — far more than the 6311 spectators who watched the Brumbies beat the Bulls in Super Rugby in Canberra on Friday night.
And it was 21-year-old Marr who turned the game on its head five minutes into the second half.
With Warringah trailing 25-3 and Manly attacking their line, Marr took an intercept and raced try 85m to score a try.
That solo effort resulted in a total shift in the momentum of the contest, a fact acknowledged by Manly coach Brian Melrose.
“If we had scored then we possibly would have run away with the game,” Melrose said. “It was really looking like we would get on top of them and that gave them hope.”
The Rats scored another three unanswered tries, the matchwinner from halfback Josh Holmes in the 38th minute, to beat their fierce rivals in another epic contest.
Marr said it was just lucky he was in the right place at the right time.
“I was as surprised anyone, I don’t know if I am a bit faster than I thought,” he said.
Marr revealed he got a big boost in his game preparation by meeting former champion Wallaby Larkham when he attended Rats training last Tuesday at the invitation of coach Mark Gerrard.
“It was awesome, I’ve idolised ‘Bernie’ Larkham, he’s one of the best Australia has ever had,” Marr said.
“We had a little chat about what my aspirations are and if I was interested in playing professional footy and obviously I am.
“To have a chat like that was a bit of an eye-opener.”
In the other local derby Norths beat Gordon 18-14 while Sydney University defeated Souths 50-10, Eastwood beat West Harbour 43-27 and Easts had a 40-20 win over Western Sydney.
The ladder: Eastwood 31, Sydney Uni 28, Norths 25, Warringah 24, Easts 21, Manly 17, Souths 17, Randwick 15, Gordon 14, West Harbour 13, Western Sydney 6.
Originally published as How Stephen Larkham inspired Warringah’s miracle comeback against Manly
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