Dogs crash at Brookvale
A field goal off the boot of Manly captain Matt Orford, two minutes from full-time, was enough to hand the
Sea Eagles a thrilling one-point victory over Canterbury at Brookvale oval on Friday night.
The field goal from Orford came in the 78th minute, only after the skipper left the field earlier in the
second half with a suspected leg injury.
Manly began the highly anticipated clash with a bang, sliding over for two tries inside the first seven
minutes.
The visitors paid the price for allowing an Orford bomb to hit the turf, with the half-back recovering his
own kick before racing 20m to score the opener. He than added the extras and the hosts held a
six-point buffer.
Five minutes later Manly were in again, with winger Michael Robertson touching down in the corner. Orford
slotted the sideline conversion, and Manly held a 12-0 lead.
The Bulldogs then produced an emphatic reply, crossing for two consecutive four-pointers through Nate Myles
and Andrew Ryan to have the scores locked at 12-a-piece following two successful El Masri conversions.
|
NRL Premiership - Round 25 |
| MANLY SEA EAGLES |
21 |
| Tries: | Goals: |
| Matt Orford | Matt Orford 4/5 |
| Michael Robertson | Field Goals: |
| Shayne Dunley | Matt Orford |
|
| BULLDOGS |
20 |
| Tries: | Goals: |
| Nate Myles | Hazem El Masri 4/4 |
| Andrew Ryan | |
| Andrew Emelio | |
|
@ Brookvale Oval, Sydney
Referee: Sean Hampstead
Crowd: 20,163 |
Hooker Shayne Dunley managed to find his way to the line just before half-time for the Sea Eagles, handing
the home side an 18-12 advantage at the break.
Canterbury were in arrears for only a short period of time, with Andrew Emelio leveling the scores only
four minutes into the second half with a converted try.
Orford and El Masri then exchanged penalties for their respective sides whilst the rain fell, and the
scores were locked at 20-20.
Orford then sunk the Sea Eagles more fancied opponents with two minutes of the match remaining with his
third field goal of the year, to claim a 21-20 win.
“It was a very important win and one we had to work very hard for,” delighted Manly coach Des Hasler
said.
“Our aim all along was a top four and we've achieved that.”
Next week, the Bulldogs go head to head with Penrith at CUA stadium on Sunday afternoon, while Manly travel
to Melbourne to take on Melbourne at Olympic Park on Saturday night.
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