The St George Illawarra Dragons secured a narrow 20-18 victory over the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval on Thursday night, marking Manly’s third straight defeat. Winger Tyrell Sloan played a pivotal role for the Dragons, scoring two tries, but the match was marred by injuries as Hamish Stewart (concussion) and Mathew Feagai (ankle) could not finish the game for St George.
Commentator Phil Gould described the match as “bizarre,” highlighting the unusual events that unfolded. Both teams faced early challenges; Jake Trbojevic left the field due to a category one concussion from a collision with David Klemmer, while the Dragons worked hard to penetrate Manly’s defence, finally scoring in the 18th minute when Sloan touched down in the corner, assisted by an overhead pass from Clint Gutherson.
Manly suffered further setbacks when Jazz Tevaga briefly left for a head injury assessment, though he returned to the field for the second half. A penalty goal from Valentine Holmes extended the Dragons’ lead to 8-0 just before half-time.
The second half began with renewed fervour from Manly, but disaster struck for them when Tevaga was sidelined again after a significant tackle. Sloan capitalised on a dropped ball by Ben Trbojevic to score his second try, sprinting 90 metres down the field. Manly eventually got on the scoreboard with a try from Tolutau Koula.
Controversially, Toafofoa Sipley was sin-binned for a hip-drop tackle on Feagai, who had been injured in the sequence leading to the penalty. This turned the tide in favour of the Dragons, allowing Jacob Liddle to score another try while Sipley was off the field. Despite the setback, Manly fought back, and Reuben Garrick’s successful penalty goal narrowed the gap before Trbojevic scored again to level the match.
With the momentum shifting, Manly attempted to regain the lead. However, they missed a critical conversion, and Cherry-Evans’ attempt at a two-point field goal fell short. Discipline issues compounded Manly’s woes, with Luke Brooks being reported for a high tackle and Haumole Olakau’atu narrowly escaping a sin-bin for a similar infraction.
Looking ahead, the Dragons will face the Roosters at Allianz Stadium next week, while Manly will be up against the Panthers, hoping to turn their fortunes around.