Parramatta have all but ended Manly’s season with an emphatic 36-20 victory at a sold-out Brookvale Oval on Friday night.
The win featured a try of the season contender and moved the Eels above the Broncos into fifth on the ladder with four rounds remaining.
MATCH CENTRE: Sea Eagles v Eels, stats, video, teams
The Eels burst out of the blocks with winger Maika Sivo scoring two tries in the opening eight minutes to stun a pumping home crowd.
Sivo crossed untouched for both tries and with Mitchell Moses sidelined the kicking duties fell to Clint Gutherson who missed the conversions.
But Manly then scored 14 unanswered points as the sides went into halftime all locked up at 14-14.
The Sea Eagles hit back against the run of play when Daly Cherry-Evans put in a kick for Toluatau Koula to fly above the pack and score in the 20th minute.
Manly then slotted a penalty to draw level, before Jason Saab finished sensationally in the corner and Reuben Garrick converted to make it 14-8.
“What an amazing turnaround after all the pressure the Eels put them under,” Greg Alexander said on Fox League.
Parramatta centre Tom Opacic finished a well-worked team try in the 33rd minute to lock the scores back up.
Manly struck first in the second half when Christian Tuipulotu burrowed his way over in the corner.
Garrick slotted a penalty in front of the sticks in the 54th minute to make it 20-14 before Eels winger Waqa Blake scored an incredible try.
Blake used every inch available to him to produce one of the best finishes of the season over the top of Morgan Harper.
“That’s an incredible try, he brought the ball well above his head, he was smashed by morgan harper but he still gets the ball down in that corner,” Alexander said.
“He is a blade of grass in from touch in goal,” Voss responded.
Eels skipper Clint Gutherson then scored from long-range after Shaun Lane broke the line and off-loaded to his skipper who raced away.
“Shaun Lane has had 10 try assists this year, it’s been a very effected year for him down that left edge,” Alexander said.
Eels centre Will Penisini scored after pouncing on a smart grubber from Jakob Arthur before Dylan Brown sealed the result in the 71st minute.
Here are three of the biggest talking points out of the match.
JAKOB ARTHUR SILENCES THE CRITICS
The son of the coach has copped plenty of criticism this season but with the game on the line against Manly, Jakob Arthur delivered.
Athur was booed by his own fans just two weeks ago he responded in emphatic fashion while filling on for the injured Mitch Moses.
The 19-year-old set up two crucial tries in the second half, including a try of the season contender scored by Waqa Blake.
“The pass that he gave Waqa Blake to score in the corner, to have the nerve and the confidence to throw that… you have to come up with a pin-perfect pass,” Corey Parker said on Fox League.
“To do that at that crucial time in the game was a superb confidence builder for him. If there was any doubt about Jakob Arthur then he’s put it to bed.”
Mick Ennis, who has spent time coaching at the Eels, echoed the sentiment and challenged any critics of Athur to go watch the work he puts in.
“I say to anyone sincerely, if you’ve got any question marks over Jakob Arthur, take yourself down to Kellyville throughout the week and watch Parramatta train,” Ennis said.
“Anyone can go down there and I guarantee you him and Will Penesini have to be dragged off the field every single day they have training. They are always out there working on their game.
“Jake is a champion kid and I’m really proud of him tonight.”
GUTHO AND BROWN STAND TALL
Clint Gutherson and Dylan Brown stepped up with aplomb with the side’s chief playmaker, Mitchell Moses, sidelined with a hand injury.
Gutherson ran for 179 metres, had three try assists, two linebreaks three tackle busts and scored a try, while Brown also crossed and guided the team around the park.
“He stepped up without Mitch there, he stepped up as the senior playmaker,” coach Brad Arthur said.
Greg Alexander was equally impressed while his co-commentator on Fox League Andrew Voss backed his form to carry into the World Cup at the end of the year.
“That’s his eighth try of the season, the improvement in Dylan Brown between 2021 and 2022 it’s dramatic,” Alexander said.
“When you have a look at what he’s done, the try assists, the linebreaks, he’s more than tripled his try assists this year. He’s a far more accomplished player this year.
“I just put it down to youth and experience, he hit the ground running this year, there was plenty of chat about where he was, we really hadn’t seen much of it until this year.”
Voss believes New Zealand can challenge with Brown steering the ship.
“I tell you what excites me about that, it’s a World Cup year, this guy in the No. 6 for New Zealand, playing like this, it could be good times for the Kiwis,” he said.
MANLY’S SEASON HANGING BY A THREAD
The Sea Eagles no longer control their own destiny and must win their remaining four games to have any chance of playing finals.
Manly are now four points and a significant points differential outside the top eight, with games against the Titans, Sharks, Raiders and Bulldogs left.
“We need to win four from four to give ourselves a chance,” coach Des Hasler said when asked what the loss meant for his side’s season.
“I haven’t done the maths but anything less is not going to work. We have the players to do it and we just have to find a way.
“We were in a position to win tonight and we didn’t and we can’t afford to do that.”
The Sea Eagles have now lost three in a row amid the pride jersey controversy that rocked the club last week.
“Yeah it’s been a taxing (week) but you’ve got to go out there and come up with the big play,” Hasler said.
“I thought a couple of times defensively we let ourselves down so taxing or not we’re not going to make any excuses.”
Fox League experts Corey Parker and Mick Ennis said the Sea Eagles finals prospects are “in trouble”.
RE-LIVE THE ACTION IN OUR BLOG BELOW. CAN’T SEE IT? CLICK HERE.