Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic was lethal on Friday night at Brookvale.Credit:Getty
The floodgates opened for Manly,who needed the win to push them back inside the top eight,and the Dolphins’ defensive issues continued on the team’s first visit to Sydney.
A try from Trbojevic,after an error from rookie Valynce Te Whare,reminded the crowd that the star fullback still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
Trbojevic had tried to push through the middle of the Dolphins’ defence all night and,stepping off his left foot to the inside,was able to use his speed to land his first try.
The Dolphins had a number of troubles heading into Friday’s game,with Felise Kaufusi,Jarrod Wallace and Anthony Milford suspended. And the visitors’ problems continued when they lost Brenko Lee early to an ankle injury and Jeremy Marshall-King to a shoulder injury.
The Dolphins scored their first try after 20 minutes when an exquisite pass from Kodi Nikorima found its way to Jamayne Isaako,who pinned his ears back and put his team on the board.
But the damage had already been done and the Dolphins continued their reputation of being the team to concede the most points in the opening 20 minutes of a match.
Tolutau Koula picked up a double in the second half,including one that came off an early kick from the in-form Josh Schuster.
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Skipper Daly Cherry-Evans showed off his kicking game with his own chip over the top early in a set,which resulted in Trbojevic’s second try.
When veteran coach Wayne Bennett spoke after the game,he had few words to describe his team’s performance.
“We didn’t play well,it’s pretty simple,you don’t need to be a coach to work that one out,” Bennett said. “We’ve handled so much so well. I didn’t expect us to play like that.”
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