Sea Eagles see off Melbourne Storm in brutal NRL contest

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Manly have outlasted Melbourne 18-8 to claim a wild Friday night NRL victory that revived memories of the famous Battle of Brookvale.

In a brutal contest, Lachlan Croker crossed late to snap a two-game losing streak for Manly and help them climb back into the top eight.

But the story of the game was the clear feeling and physicality between the teams, with five players facing an anxious wait for the charge sheet on Saturday morning.

Summing it up, more players were removed from the field than on that famous fight night on the same ground in 2011 when Glenn Stewart and Adam Blair were both sent off.

Daly Cherry-Evans bore the brunt of the pain on Friday, with Melbourne pair Justin Olam and Tui Kamikamica both sin-binned for late shots on the half.

Cameron Munster also copped some heat and Manly winger Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega was sin-binned for a late shot on the Storm five-eighth-turned-fullback.

The match was best encapsulated by a frantic 14-minute period after halftime, when Manly were denied tries twice by the bunker and had a penalty goal clatter into the posts.

With both sides down to 12 during the stint, each team emerged with a penalty goal after Jake Trbojevic was put on report for a lifting tackle on Munster and Melbourne’s Trent Loiero was put on report for a hip-drop.

Tom Trbojevic also spent time off the field for a HIA after contact from Loiero late in the first half, while Sea Eagles second-rower Kelma Tuilagi suffered a concussion..

Terrible in defence for the past two weeks against Newcastle and Penrith, Manly clearly made a point to come out with aggression.

One crunching hit from Haumole Olakau’atu and Josh Aloiai forced Olam off the field for a HIA after whiplash, while a scuffle broke out when Tuaimalo Vaega rattled Melbourne winger Will Warbrick.

The Sea Eagles led from the start, when Tom Trbojevic charged through on an early Cherry-Evans chip kick to beat Munster to the ball.

After his fitness was a point of conjecture all week, Trbojevic showed no sign of back, hip or hamstring pain as he charged back at the line with the most power he has exhibited all season.

Melbourne hit back when Warbrick scored untouched, but two first-half penalty goals for the Sea Eagles meant they were always in front on the scoresheet.

Croker’s four-pointer off a Taniela Paseka offload with six minutes to go eventually sealed the match, on a night where more players ended up on report than on the try-scorers’ list.

CRONULLA SHARKS BEAT SYDNEY ROOSTERS

Nicho Hynes has celebrated his new contract by steering Cronulla to a pulsating 20-12 NRL victory over an ill-disciplined Sydney Roosters outfit.

The reigning Dally M medallist last week agreed to terms with the Sharks until 2029 and he backed up coach Craig Fitzgibbon’s faith by breaking open Friday night’s game at Shark Park.

In a nip-and-tuck second half in which the scores were locked at 12-12 for a long period, it was Hynes who provided the breakthrough for Blayke Brailey’s decisive try.

The result gives the Sharks a 3-3 season start ahead of next week’s meeting with Canterbury, but they were helped by the Roosters’ own foolishness.

Trent Robinson’s men spent the last two minutes with just 11 men on the field after Brandon Smith and Victor Radley were sinbinned for a high shot and a professional foul respectively.

Backrower Nat Butcher was also sinbinned for a hip-drop tackle in the first half and the Roosters gave away 14 penalties and three set-restarts across the 80 minutes.

Butcher’s 14th minute sin-binning led to the first points of the game, with Hynes nudging an easy penalty over.

With the Roosters down to 12, the Sharks made the extra-man advantage count when Matt Moylan picked up a loose ball and darted over for his side’s first try.

The Roosters quickly responded when they were back to a full complement with Butcher’s younger brother Egan crashing over the line following a crafty run from Smith who followed him across for a try of his own to secure a 12-8 lead at the halftime break.

The Sharks could have gone into their shell after failing to crack the Roosters’ line either side of the interval, but through perseverance and a bit of magic they found a way.

Workaholic winger Ronaldo Mulitalo, who was one of the Sharks’ best, tip-toed his way down the sideline before sealing his seventh try of the season with an acrobatic finish in the corner.

The New Zealand international’s score got the Sharks level and what followed was a dogfight for possession and territory for the next 20 minutes.

As rain lashed the sellout crowd, neither side was able to capitalise until Hynes stepped up in the 71st minute.

The halfback’s show-and-go allowed him to pierce the Roosters’ line and he found a rushing Brailey who ran 40 metres to score.

When Smith was sinbinned for his high shot on Cameron McInnes the Sharks were able to turn the screw with a 77th minute try to Briton Nikora that wrapped up the win.

– ABC/AAP