Manly v Warringah
Manly triumphed in the battle of the Northern Beaches, running in 42-24 victors over local rivals the Rats.
Having been evenly matched for the first five rounds, the stands were packed out as the two local rivals battled it out on Manly Oval, with the Marlins gaining the upper hand in the second half to seal victory.
An early long range penalty from flyhalf BJ Hartmann put Manly on the scoreboard first, before powerful front rower Eddie Aholelei added a try to take the Marlins out to an 8-0 lead.
Warringah hit straight back with a try of their own before Manly lock Ryan Melrose split the Rats’ defence with a beautiful rolling maul which led to their second try. Thanks to some outstanding teamwork and ball retention, the home side helped themselves to a 20-12 half-time lead.
In front of a packed house, which included Wallabies legend Nick Farr-Jones, Manly added another try after the break to further extend their margin. Some clever lineout work allowed Hartmann to run in untouched under the sticks for yet another five-pointer but this was soon followed by a Rats’ try, fullback David Feltscheer showing some fancy footwork to help bring the scoreline back to 32-24.
But it was all one-way traffic from then on in, with Manly dominating the closing exchanges to secure an impressive home win.
Manly 42 (Eddie Aholelei, Pat Leofa, Ryan Melrose, Adam Crerar, BJ Hartman, Richard Hooper tries, Marshall Milroy 3 cons, pen, BJ Hartman pen) d Warringah 24 (Joshua Holmes, David Harvey, Brad Dixon, David Feltscheer tries, David Harvey 2 cons). Referee: Ian Smith
