Round 9 Sea Eagles vs Raiders - Brookvale Oval

It was a beautiful day down at Brookvale, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and there were over 15000 people there, most of which were Manly supporters. It was hard to spot the few Raiders supporters that were there amongst the sea of maroon and white. The crowd was in a brilliant mood and the air was almost electric leading up to the game.


The first half saw a fair few handling errors in critical points of the game, several tries may have been scored if it had not been for the fumbled offloads and poor passes that escaped many a hand. Nevertheless we were able to get one over the line in the opening 10 minutes. Glenn Stewart took the ball to the line then lobbed it over towards Dean Whare on the wing, and you should have heard the crowd! Let's just say it was loud!

The mighty Manly chant was heard echoing through the crowds several times throughout the game, and at some points it felt as though the entire crowd were partaking in the chant. It was magic! Every time we would get close to the line, or break through the Raiders defence, the crowd would be standing, cheering, chanting, shouting and fist-pumping, ok maybe the only one fist-pumping out there was me....





It was a tough first half and although we seemed to defend our line fairly well, we did let one slide through before half time. Josh McCrone attracted several defenders before passing the ball to Josh Papalii who managed to slip through the hole. The first half was not easy and there were several moments when either side could have scored once more but both sides defended well leaving the score 6-6 at the half time break.


Coming out for the second half the crowd was looking to see some good football and a win, and the Manly Sea eagles delivered just that. The first 16 minutes of the second half saw three tries as well as several try attempts. Liam Foran took on several defenders just metres from the line and carried the ball - and the defenders - well over the line before the ball was stripped by Josh Dugan and then grounded by Raiders Shaun Berrigan. Then moments later, another outstanding pass, this time from Brett Stewart to Jamie Lyon then to Dean Whare, saw Whare over the line once more right in the corner. An unsuccessful kick brought the score to an uncomfortable 4 point lead of 10-6.



Several sets later and Josh Dugan wriggles his arm free from about four defenders to put the ball down for a try. A Successful conversion by Jared Croker and the Raiders take the lead for the first time this game. It is now 10-12. In true Manly form the boys decide that they do NOT like being behind, especially at Fortress Brookvale and manage to get a try in a very entertaining fashion. Steve Matai brilliantly breaks through the line for what must be at least the third time in the game and goes for a run down the paddock, he manages to side-step around the lone Raider and then offloads to Whare, who then tries to pass it back but it hits Josh Dugan, then somehow manages to come off the boot of Daly Cherry-Evans who then chases it to the in goal area but Dugan doesn't let him near the ball, BUT THEN Jamie Lyon comes charging down and manages to put the ball down. It was an exciting play to watch, and with a successful conversion the Manly Sea Eagles were in front once more with a 16-12 lead.

The 4 point lead was not enough to calm the nerves of the edgy supporters. With still over 20 minutes to go we knew that anything could happen, and it did. For those who were on the Western Concourse it was clear that the ball had been taken into touch but the refs let it play on. We were in hysterics while the ball was still in play, then it looked as though the Raiders had scored a try from it all. Nobody could believe their eyes. Fortunately after a very thorough look by the video ref, the decision was no try. The crowd went wild, but we still had 18 minutes left.



Back and forth went the ball for almost 10 minutes before Manly was awarded a penalty due to a strip. We decide to take a penalty field goal ensuring the difference between the two sides would be one try, 6 points. Still not comfortable but at least the Raiders could not win with just one more try. The next 10 minutes passed painstakingly slow but when the siren sounded - just after an attempted field goal from Daly Cherry-Evans - we had won. Victory was ours and we were excited. We managed to pull together in a tough game and come through with the win, two wins in a row, we are on a roll!

Photos from the game 

Courtesy Jasiah Ulbricht Photography