NRL 2022: Manly Sea Eagles win 36-22 over Wests Tigers | Match Report
It may have been the Tommy Turbo comeback, but it was another Trbojevic brother who stole the show, as Manly surged past the Tigers in front of a sold out crowd.
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Mother’s Day came early for Melissa Trbojevic as she proudly watched her three sons tear it up as the Sea Eagles returned to winning ways with a 36-22 victory over the Wests Tigers who will be rueing a couple of costly calls.
In the first sell-out at 4 Pines Park since the infamous Battle of Brookvale back in 2011, the Sea Eagles were forced to survive a short-lived second-half comeback as the Trbojevic trio all had their moments on a super sunny afternoon in Sydney.
This was the first time the brothers had played together at the ground they spent most of their childhood watching their heroes play, but it was their turn to play the role of entertainers in front of a whopping crowd of 17,385.
In a rare start for his beloved Sea Eagles, Ben Trbojevic was the star of the show in the back row and got the party started when he crashed over for the opening try and then added another highlight when he set up a try on the stroke of half-time.
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“It’s a game that Benny will remember for a long, long time,” Des Hasler said.
“It’s usually that the man of the match goes to the other bloke (his brother Tom) but Benny got the spoils today. He’ll get an enormous amount of confidence out of today. I’m very happy for him and I’m very proud.”
Tom was solid in his first game back from a knee injury, throwing the last pass for Reuben Garrick’s first try and finishing with a game-high 198 metres, but he was beaten on the outside by Luke Garner who scored a stunning solo try in the second half.
“It was great to see him back today, and he’ll be much better for today’s run,” Hasler said of his star fullback.
That started a fightback from the Tigers who went from 18-0 down to within six points in the space of a few minutes, but that was quickly extinguished when Jake Trbojevic forced an error from the kick-off with a trademark tackle around the ball.
The Sea Eagles regained control when Josh Aloiai scored a try against his former team and let them know about it before Ben capped an afternoon his family will never forget when he touched down in the right corner to seal the result.
TERRIBLE TWOS
Bad things usually come in threes, but it was a case of double trouble for the Tigers who will be haunted by the number two for the next few nights.
It looked ominous from the moment Daly Cherry-Evans caught them napping with a short restart from the opening kick-off, and it went downhill from there.
They lost Ken Maumalo in the opening two minutes to a head knock, and he was later joined in the casualty ward when Thomas Mikaele became the second Tiger to be ruled out.
That saw Stefano Utoikamanu come on to make his long-awaited return from injury, but he too lasted two minutes before he was sent to the sin bin as a result of his side’s repeated infringements in the ruck.
“The tough part for us was when Stefano was sent off,” Michael Maguire said, adding he thought other teams were getting away with the same tactics against his side.
“We ended up having some tries scored against us, and those are massive calls.”
They also had a try to No.2 Asu Kepaoa ruled out for obstruction which was immediately punished by a four-pointer at the other end.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, Kelma Tuilagi forced a shocking offload with two minutes to go which was punished by the ruthless Sea Eagles who crossed through Christian Tuipulotu.
The second half wasn’t much better with Tyrone Peachey and Tuilagi on the wrong end of two tough calls that saw crucial tries disallowed.
“We just needed a fair share of the ball,” Maguire said.
CHERRY KOULA
The beers were flowing on the hill at 4 Pines Park, but the fans would’ve happily swapped their ales for some soft drink after a young gun and veteran combined for one of the tries of the season.
We’ve all been waiting to see speedster Tolu Koula in the clear, and he showed in the second half just how elusive he can be when he gets some room.
The rookie toyed with the Tigers when he got the ball on the right edge, made a half-break and then offloaded to his skipper who wound back the clock to turn Starford To’a inside out with some fancy footwork. Drink it up Manly fans.
TRIPLE TREAT: TURBO’S ADVICE FOR YOUNGEST TRBOJEVIC
—Brent Read
Tom Trbojevic will have a word to brother Ben on Saturday morning.
As the Trbojevic brothers prepare to start a match together for the first time — against the Wests Tigers at 4 Pines Park — Tom will let his younger brother know that he deserves to be here.
Injuries may have created the opportunity, but Tom will remind his brother that hard work and dedication ensured he was ready to answer the call when it came from coach Des Hasler.
Ben Trbojevic will start in the centres against the Tigers, the first time he has begun a match in his nascent first grade career.
The timing is impeccable. As he slots into the starting side for the first time, Tom makes his return from a knee injury. Jake has been the mainstay, the ever-reliable presence in the pack.
“It is very exciting,” Tom said.
“Ben has trained very hard to be here. He deserves it. Very proud. A lot of those players haven’t played much footy over the last couple of years (due to Covid).
“It’s nice to see him get rewarded for the hard work. Through injury he gets his shot. I’ll have a chat to him tomorrow, let him know he deserves to be here and not to get too nervous.”
The Trbojevic clan are more important than ever for the Sea Eagles heading into the Tigers game. The club has been struck down by injuries to their backline but Tom’s return is a huge boost to Manly.
His presence should also help Ben acquit to starting for the first time in his young career.
“He is a leader, he is a good talker,” Ben said of Tom.
“He is very loud so you know where you have to go. It’s pretty special, just for myself and my brother and the family. They will be pretty proud.”
Ben has been knocking on the door for more than a year. He played four games last year and one this, all off the interchange bench. Ask him wether he prefers the centre or back row and he is ambivalent. He just wants to play. The position scarcely matters.
“I have been switching between (centre and back row), I will do my best,” Ben said.
“You just have to bide your time and when the opportunity presents itself … you have to grab that opportunity and see where it takes you.
“It has been a difficult few years with Covid, not playing reserve grade. It has been hard to get game time.”
He gets his chance on Saturday afternoon at a sold-out 4 Pines Park. The family will no doubt be on hand as Ben stakes his claim for a regular place in the starting side.
His time is now, although he insists in his parent’s eyes he has always been the favourite.
“I reckon I get treated the best,” Ben shoots back with a smile.
“I give it to Tom. He gets rattled.”
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Originally published as NRL 2022: Manly Sea Eagles win 36-22 over Wests Tigers | Match Report
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