Roosters Rue Error-Riddled Performance at Brookvale
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The Sea Eagles have won their opening two games of a season for the first time in over a decade, after getting the better of a sloppy Roosters side 21-14 on Sunday afternoon.
Following an opening-round win over the Rabbitohs in Las Vegas, Manly's forward pack set a solid platform at a sold-out 4 Pines Park, from which Tom Trbojevic, Luke Brooks and Daly Cherry-Evans were able to feed their dynamic edges with success.
Powerhouse back-rower Haumole Olakau'atu was targeted 19 times in attack and on another day could have had a couple of tries, while off the bench Ethan Bullemor and 150-game man Nathan Brown both racked up over 100 metres in running.
Their cause was helped by a Roosters side who shot themselves in the foot throughout the 80 minutes, in which they made 19 errors and subsequently had just 41 percent of the ball.
The sides traded four-pointers within the opening 10, as Lachlan Croker pounced on a James Tedesco drop close to the line and Danel Tupou crossed, with Reuben Garrick's boot giving Manly a slender advantage.
Lachlan Croker Try
Back-to-back errors in possession saw the Roosters hand the Sea Eagles field position in the lead up to Tolutau Koula scoring on 21 minutes, with the home side then assuming a chokehold on the contest for the remainder of the half.
After having try claims to Brooks and Olakau'atu ruled out, the Sea Eagles settled for a penalty on the siren to take a 12-10 lead into the sheds.
Tommy Talau finished a crisp left-side shift two minutes into the second period before Olakau'atu was in the thick of the action again, as he was tackled just short of the line, held up over the line and then denied by the NRL Bunker for a knock on all in the space of one set.
But for all their dominance Manly were struggling to convert it into points and were eventually made to pay when Dom Young tipped up a looping ball to a waiting James Tedesco, who took off and linked back up with his winger for a spectacular 90-metre try that saw the gap close to four.
Dominic Young Try
The Roosters had their chances to go on with it in the final quarter but were guilty of repeatedly making poor decisions on attack, and with seven to play the Sea Eagles took their chance to put the game beyond reach with a Cherry-Evans field goal.
Match: Sea Eagles v Roosters
Round 2 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
4th Position
away Team
Roosters
8th Position
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
Match Snapshot
- The Sea Eagles have started a season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2013.
- Manly had over 500 running metres more than the Roosters by full-time, on the back of 59 percent possession.
- A first half try from Daniel Tupou gave him his 13th try in his past 14 games against the Sea Eagles.
Daniel Tupou Try
- Tommy Talau underwent a HIA, which he passed, in the first half and then failed to finish the final 10 minutes after leaving the field with an ankle injury.
- Manly forward Nathan Brown made his 150th NRL appearance.
Play of the Game
The sign of a team who are right in tune with each other to start the year. Crisp quick hands, including a lovely touch-pass from Luke Brooks, put Tommy Talau into space and from there he danced back inside for his first try as a Sea Eagle.
Tommy Talau Try
What They Said
[The Sea Eagles] controlled the game for 80 minutes. I thought they were in control and we were playing catch up for most of the game. We took some opportunities to be close enough, but we were a long way from them for the game. I felt like the left hand wasn't speaking to the right hand at different times and we couldn't get any rhythm at any point." – Roosters coach Trent Robinson.
Roosters: Round 2
"I thought we did a really good job either side of half-time and that's an area where we have really grown in this week. I was just proud of how the boys handled the back end of the game, I thought we just stayed at it." – Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold.
Sea Eagles: Round 2
What's Next
A Friday night blockbuster against archrivals the Rabbitohs awaits the Roosters in Round 3, while the Sea Eagles are away to the Eels at CommBank Stadium. Back-rower Josh Schuster may come back into the selection frame after returning from injury in the NSW Cup this week.
