Manly totally collapse as Penrith score four tries in seven minutes to score 28-24 comeback win
MANLY have pulled off one of the worst collapses of the season as Penrith run in four tries in seven minutes, turning a 24-6 deficit into a 28-24 victory.
Sea Eagles
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WITH 15 minutes to go, Panthers fans could be seen leaving Lottoland to drown their sorrows at the Brookvale Hotel.
Their side was down 24-6, about to lose their fifth game in six starts, and their once secure spot in the finals was suddenly in doubt.
But when the full-time siren sounded, those same fans were in hysterics back on the hill as their team stormed home to claim a 28-24 win to pull off one of the greatest comebacks you’ll ever see.
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On the back of four tries in the space of seven minutes, Penrith stunned the 6,134 in attendance to jump back into fifth spot with five rounds remaining. Josh Mansour kicked things off with a try in the corner, and following four-pointers to Isaah Yeo and Waqa Blake, young gun Nathan Cleary sealed the thrilling result after he latched onto an error from Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic.
“It’s a great lift for the boys. Obviously we haven’t been at our best, so to be able to peel that off at the end, it’ll give us a bit of confidence,” Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said.
“It’s a credit to them to be that positive that they could keep chasing the game at the end because it was slipping away from us. Once we got that first try, we got a bit of confidence and we really went after them after that.
“We dug ourselves a hole, but to the players’ credit, they lifted tremendously at the end.”
Penrith’s late surge was the quickest 18-point comeback in NRL history, and according to Josh Mansour, Cleary was one of the key leaders with the game in the balance.
“It just shows what kind of person he is,” Mansour told the Sunday Telegraph when asked about his halfback’s influence.
“He’s been a big performer for us all year, and he’s got a massive future ahead of him. He’s so level-headed, and when you see a talkative halfback rally the troops, it gives everyone — especially the senior guys — a lift.”
The loss leaves the Sea Eagles in a four-way dogfight for the dreaded wooden spoon. It’s a brutal scenario given they were the better side for the majority of the contest.
“It’s just a cruel game. They worked that hard to get themselves in that position on the back of last week,” coach Trent Barrett said in relation to their 56-24 loss at home to the Roosters.
“They picked themselves up after last week, they worked hard and they didn’t deserve that.”
PENRITH 28 (W Blake N Cleary J Mansour D Whare I Yeo tries N Cleary 4 goals) bt MANLY 24 (B Kelly 2 D Cherry-Evans M Fainu tries D Cherry-Evans 4 goals) at Lottoland. Referee: Gavin Badger, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 6,134