NRL 2020: Manly defeat Parramatta 22-18 in stunning upset| Match Report
Handed an embarrassing defeat by the Dragons just six days earlier, Manly hit back in the best way possible as Daly Cherry-Evans starred in an impressive win over table-topping Parramatta.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
This was a good old Brookie ambush as Manly beat Parramatta 22-18.
The down and out Sea Eagles, embarrassed just six days ago by St George Illawarra were supposed to again be handed a heavy defeat by the first placed Eels.
Instead the 11th placed Manly dealt better with the high profile players both teams were missing.
Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Manly stunned Parramatta by scoring three unanswered tires in just 17 minutes. Parramatta never recovered and on their way lost their grip on top of the premiership ladder, in what was just their second defeat of the season.
Daly Cherry-Evans starred, scoring a try and laying on another but it was the platform set by his forwards which helped with the onslaught including the ever impressive Taniela Paseka in front of 2021 people.
The Eels scored two tries in the final eight minutes to present an unlikely chance at victory.
Manly coach Des Hasler praised his team’s efforts.
“I thought we played pretty strong in the first half,” Hasler said.
“Second half there were periods in which we put too much pressure on ourselves and against a side like Parramatta you can’t afford to give them too much possession. We gave ourselves some nervous moments.”
HORROR SHOW
The Eels could not have started any worse. George Jennings fumbled the ball with his first touch of the game.
Other elementary errors included Maika Sivo being bundled into touch on the second play, Dylan Brown kicked out on the full while Clint Gutherson sent a kick restart over the deadball line.
In the set after Jennings’ error, the Eels conceded a try to Marty Taupau in his 100th game for the Sea Eagles. Taupau shrugged off a poor attempt of a tackle by opposite Junior Paulo before carrying Nathan Brown and Jai Field over the try line after four minutes.
Eels coach Brad Arthur was scathing.
“We knew what we were walking into,” Arthur said.
“We prepared for it. We weren’t prepared to do anything about it when we got here. The tries we allowed were soft.
“The good teams keep getting themselves up all the time.”
By midway through the first half the Sea Eagles led by 16. Cherry-Evans sliced through poor attempts by Shaun Lane and Dylan Brown to race 15 metres to score before Danny Levi barged over from dummy half, taking advantage of a poor defensive read by Brown, Clint Gutherson and Michael Jennings.
The Sea Eagles scored in the final play of the half when Joel Thompson pounced on a Cherry-Evans grubber and put the ball down – even if replays suggested there was a small bobble to give Manly a 22-4 half-time lead.
The Eels didn’t start any better in the second half, spilling the ball in their opening set. Their shining light was prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard unbroken 80 minute stint.
CONTROVERISAL CALL
Taupau was stripped by Waqa Blake who raced 95 metres to score – except there were two players in the tackle.
Remarkably the bunker decided it was Taupau’s loose carry and in his attempt to off-load, Blake had every right to take the ball from Blake’s grasp.
Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen chimed in on twitter asking “how’s that not a strip”.
The try closed the gap to 22-8 but luckily for the Sea Eagles the 55th minute try did not having an impact on the result. Jennings scored his second try with seven minutes left.
BROWN’S BLUES
Parramatta’s night went from bad to worse when lock Nathan Brown limped from the field with three minutes left of the first half.
Brown injured his hip and was unable to return.
The Eels’ only first half joy came from a try by centre Michael Jennings in the 31st minute.
Manly winger Moses Suli Reuben Garrick did not finish the game because of concussion while opposite Maika Sivo left the field with a leg injury.
Scrum gaffe denies Souths comeback of the season
Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best have given Knights fans reason to believe their team can go all the way in 2020.
The duo starred in Newcastle’s 20-18 win over South Sydney at Bankwest Stadium, to give the Knights their best start to a season in over a decade.
But the win didn’t come without an almighty scare. After holding a 20-0 lead with 15 minutes to go, the Knights conceded three late tries to give South Sydney an opportunity to pull off a miraculous comeback.
Rabbitohs forward Mark Nicholls strolled over for a rare try and Damien Cook bagged a double, but the Knights managed to hang on for a two-point victory.
DRAGONS 28 BULLDOGS 22: Read the full report
With six wins and a draw from the opening 10 rounds, the Knights haven’t started this well since 2009, giving themselves a great launching pad for an assault on the competition.
The two-point victory lifts the Novocastrians into the top four at the halfway stage, leapfrogging last year’s grand finalists, the Roosters and Raiders.
With fullback South Sydney Latrell Mitchell sitting on the sidelines through suspension, the Rabbitohs looked lost in attack and shaky in defence as they produced their worst performance of the season – before a rapid final 15 minutes.
Souths cost themselves a last ditch effort to potentially win the game, with the forwards packing a scrum five meteres off referee Grant Atkin’s mark, letting the clock run down instead of calling time off with 10 seconds to go.
SIMPLY THE BEST
Bradman Best showed why he’s one of the most exciting youngsters in the competition with an impressive performance on Saturday night.
The 18-year-old centre was involved in everything – from scoring tries to setting them up for teammates – and even came up with some massive defensive plays.
Best was impressive from the outset and was responsible for the Knights’ opening two tries.
Enari Tuala bagged the first four-pointer of the night after 10 minutes when Best managed to draw the defender and pass it off to his winger.
Five minutes later, Best was at it again with a giant run to put his side in good field position before Mitchell Pearce sent Kurt Mann through a yawning gap for a 10-0 lead.
Best also managed to find the try line in the second half after he chased down a delicate Ponga grubber kick to score.
Not only was he at his damaging best in attack, he came up with some big plays in defence, shutting down numerous South Sydney raids and dragging opponents over the sideline.
PONGA PALOOZA
Kalyn Ponga was first to admit his form hadn’t been up to scratch over the past month, but that looks to be behind him now after he produced a sizzling display against the Rabbitohs.
The superstar fullback was back to his best and showed off his dazzling skills when he used footwork and pace to break through the line for Newcastle’s third try of the evening.
He then assisted Best for another try and impressed with his kicking game.
The Knights will need their No.1 man to remain at his best if they are any hope this season.
ILL-DISCIPLINED RABBITS
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett would’ve been beyond furious with his players after they had their worst 65 minutes of the season.
They may have given their fans a glimmer of hope with three late tries, however it was a performance littered with errors and penalties conceded. It was just one of those nights where nothing went to plan in the opening hour.
They may have turned the game on its head in the final 15 minutes but they left it far too late.
RABBITOHS 18 (Tries: Nicholls, Cook 2 & Goals: Reynolds 3/3) go down to KNIGHTS 20 (Tries: Tuala, Mann, Ponga, Best & Goals: Ponga 2/5) at Bankwest Stadium.
BULLDOGS HEARTBREAK AFTER SQUANDERED HALFTIME LEAD
—Martin Gabor
Who would want to be an NRL coach?
Just days after Dean Pay fell on his sword, interim coach Steve Georgallis suffered an unimaginably tough beat as the Bulldogs squandered a 22-10 lead to go down 28-22 to the Dragons on the last play of the game.
With barely two minutes left on the clock, five-eighth Corey Norman scooped up a loose ball after Marcelo Montoya inexplicably coughed up the pill in his own half.
“It’s devastating for the kid,” Georgallis said after the game.
The final flurry masked a poor display by the Red V who only showed resolve in the first 10 minutes and the last 15.
It was a heartbreaking loss for a Bulldogs side that has had to endure plenty this week, but at least there were some promising signs.
Trent Barrett is the name on everyone’s lips, but Georgallis has emerged as a genuine candidate to take the reins at the Bulldogs after an encouraging performance at WIN Stadium.
A drama-charged week at Belmore looked set to end in delight after the blue and whites overcame an early 10-point deficit as they chased what would have been just their second win of the season in front of 1619 fans.
While Barrett remains favourite to replace Dean Pay in 2021, Georgallis has to be on the club’s radar beyond this year after his troops showed a spark that has been missing this season.
It could have been easy for his side to throw the towel in when Matt Dufty crossed for the fastest try of the season after 58 seconds and Euan Aitken strolled over to make it 10-0, but instead they lifted for their bearded leader.
Simple tries through the middle for Jeremy Marshall-King and Raymond Faitala-Mariner sandwiched an even easier four-pointer for Nick Meaney which exposed a worryingly flimsy Dragons defence that should have been able to handle the competition’s worst attack.
A bombed try by Jason Saab early in the second half summed up St George Illawarra’s afternoon as he made the easy look impossible; a bit like blowing a 10-0 lead at home against the competition cellar dwellers.
But the hulking winger made amends in the 65th minute, before Dufty backed up a big Adam Clune break and Zac Lomax converted to level the scores with six to go.
Norman missed a field goal from directly in front but atoned for the error when he raced away to steal the improbable win.
BAZ ON ICE
Trent Barrett is the overwhelming favourite to get the gig in 2021, but do the Bulldogs already have their man? Steve Georgallis may not have the biggest personality but his laid-back demeanour is the perfect foil for a club that has attracted poor publicity in recent years. He spoke pre-game about making footy fun again and his players clearly enjoyed the new approach.
“He stepped up to the plate this week. He’s a really calming influence and kept things simple for us,” skipper Josh Jackson told the Sunday Telegraph.
HOT AND COLD DRAGONS
The Dragons looked to have turned their season around with a big win over Manly last week, but questions remain after limping past the Bulldogs. This was a game they should have won by plenty. Their attack was electric early on but suffered a power outage as the halves failed to take control, while Ben Hunt was also guilty of finding forwards on the last tackle.
“I was very disappointed with that 15-minute period. Our leaders and most experienced players were the ones who were guilty and we need to fix that,” McGregor said.
SIMS IN HOT WATER
Tariq Sims is facing his second suspension of the season after he was placed on report for a high shot on Kieran Foran that forced the five-eighth off for an HIA just before halftime. In just his second game back from injury, the firebrand hit the star playmaker late with a tackle that is sure to attract interest from the MRC. Teammate Euan Aitken was also placed on report for a crusher tackle on Josh Jackson. Foran did not return in the second half.
“It’s not great. He hasn’t played a lot of footy this year. You don’t want those players unavailable for the team,” McGregor said.
DRAGONS 28 (Tries: Dufty 2, Aitken, Saab, Norman) & Goals: Lomax 4/5) beat BULLDOGS 22 (Tries: Marshall-King, Meaney, Faitala-Mariner & Goals: Meaney 5/5) at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.