Sea Eagles bow out in Brisbane
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles NYC team was defeated by the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium tonight 24-10.
The build up to the 5:30pm kick off was intense with the away team looking to be in excellent form during their warm up session.
Excitement erupted onto the field with both teams in must win positions in order to stay in the competition.
Broncos fullback Todd Murphy caught a bomb from Sea Eagles halfback Daly Cherry-Evans in goal which resulted in the Broncos making it almost to the line with five-eighth Corey Norman. However, young-gun Kieran Foran came from nowhere to tackle his opponent and Lama Tasi ended up with the ball.
Manly looked promising before a kick meant the Broncos had the scrum feed.
Kurt Baptiste handed Manly possession and again the minor premiers looked to pose a threat.
Before ten minutes was up Sea Eagles fullback William Hopoate almost got the ball to the line and Cherry was held up metres before the line.
Foran made a beautiful kick which refused to go dead for the Broncos in the 13th minute.
Again and again the Broncos tested the defence of their opposition until at last winger Mitch Rivett put the ball down after a Ben Hunt kick.
Norman failed to convert when the ball rebounded of the uprights, leaving the score at 4-0 in the 17th minute.
Hopoate was caught in goal with the ball and the frustration from the Sea Eagles was beginning to show.
The Broncos looked dangerous in the 22nd minute before a try from centre Josh Williams who was too much for three Sea Eagles to bring down.
The second failed conversion from Norman meant 8-0 for the home team in the 24th minute.
Matt Grieve made a break and was supported down the field by Cherry-Evans, who in the end, provide nothing more than a distraction for the Broncos defenders. Grieve got the ball down under the posts and a conversion from Mitchell Porter meant that the Sea Eagles were back in the game with just two points the difference with 8-6 in the 26th minute.
The Broncos were not to be kept down with Dane Gagai scored out wide after a grubber from Ben Hunt just minutes later, extending the lead to 14-6 after Norman’s first successful conversion.
Just before the half-time whistle a pass to no one from Cherry-Evans was picked up by Jamie Buhrer, who kicked into the hands of a Bronco.
With just 36 per cent possession to the Sea Eagles in the first half the boys knew they had to step up to keep their finals hopes alive.
The Sea Eagles came out with a bang for the second half with the strong defence which saw them take out the title of 2009 minor premiers.
Manly looked set to score with a break from Kieran Foran down the side before the Broncos forced a loose ball in a hard tackle.
A penalty to the Sea Eagles after a grapple tackle from Brent Williams gave Lama Tasi the excuse he needed to make a signature charge into the opposition.
Sea Eagles captain Jamie Buhrer was taken out without the ball by a Broncos defender, causing some concern.
Two penalties within minutes to the away team and they looked to have put the ball down less than ten minutes into the second half with Kieran Foran fighting over the line before Broncos Hunt jumped on the ball and the referee called play on.
The Broncos seemed set to score with a bomb threatening the try line in the 52nd minute before the Sea Eagles ended up with the ball.
The danger was over but not for long, with Darcy Lussick looking sore and sorry after taking a hard tackle in Broncos territory.
Suncorp stadium was starting to fill and the support for the Broncos was becoming louder.
A penalty against NRL rookie Jared Warea-Hargeaves resulted in the visible frustration of the away side once again.
The Sea Eagles held out and the Manly forwards got into Broncos territory .
Foran used his speed to chase the ball from a kick and kept the Broncos within their ten in the 56th minute.
Warea-Hargreaves was looking dangerous in the second half, knowing that the game could well be his last in the Maroon and White after signing with the Roosters for 2010, however this resulted him giving away the second penalty within their half in minutes.
Broncos were within 10m of the Sea Eagles line in 60th minutes before a kick from Ben Hunt was taken out by Gagai under pressure from John Grey.
Foran led a charge into opposition territory with the team following his lead. It took three Broncos defenders to take down 17-year-old Hopoate in the 63rd minute.
A try from Grey out wide gave Manly the boost they needed however the missed conversion from Porter meant the score was 14-10 in 65th minute.
Foran’s brilliant defence continued when he forced the ball loose with Manly possession just 20 metres out.
The man they call the ‘Hyphenator’ charged into the Broncos line and it took four players to take him down just five metres out.
It was in the 71st minute that the Broncos ensured their success with a try to winger Gagai after the Sea Eagles left the sideline undefended. The successful conversion from Norman meant that with just eight minutes to go the Sea Eagles were in the lead with 20-10.
Darcy lussick and Lama Tasi and JWH all charged into the opposition – the Sea Eagles were not going down without a fight.
The Broncos got one last try in the dying seconds of the game when prop Josh McGuire scored from an Kurt Baptiste offload. The Broncos celebrated into the full-time siren with Manly’s disappointment clearly visible.
The final score was 24-10 with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2009 season over.
Sea Eagles Website
