Manly Sea Eagles and their fans were left shattered when the Wests Tigers visited Lottoland and dominated the match, winning 38 points to 12.
MATCH DETAILS
The Tigers were dominant throughout the entire match, putting on a strong first half leaving Manly without any points on the board until the fifty-third minute. The first half statistics were heavily in favour of the Tigers, which left the home side without many opportunities to gain momentum. The halves partnership of Luke Brooks and Benji Marshall proved crucial in the Wests’ victory.
FOUR POINTERS
Masterclass Halves
The powerful performance from the Tigers is due to the efforts of all players, however, there is no doubt that the halves partnership of Luke Brooks and Benji Marshall was a crucial element to the match and to the success of the side. Both players, particularly Luke Brooks took complete control of the match and was invaluable to the Tigers in both their attack and defensive displays. Both Marshall and Brooks assisted with tries while scoring their own, leading Wests to their third straight victory.
On the Board Too Late
Perhaps if Manly had been given more opportunities earlier on in the match, the result of the match would be different. The Tigers had seventy-five percent of the possession in the first half, making it impossible for the home side to give the crowd something to cheer about. Joel Thompson finally crossed for the side early in the second half, which improved the overall performance of Manly, however, their opponents were too far in front for a comeback to be staged and properly executed.
Confident Tigers
From the kick-off right until the final siren, the Wests Tigers exuded confidence and proved themselves worthy of the convincing victory they claimed against Manly. The side’s confidence was evident particularly in the first half which gave them the boost they needed to carry on with the match and win as convincingly as they did. Throughout the entire eighty minutes, in both attack and defence, the side looked strong and proved themselves against Manly in front of a packed out Lottoland.
Errors Cause Heartache
The Manly Sea Eagles struggled with errors in this match, completing at just sixty percent. They made thirteen errors throughout the match, which didn’t help in terms of the lack of possession they maintained throughout the match – particularly the first half. While they showed more strength in the second half, the error count took a toll on the attacking performance of the side who only managed to score two tries in the second half of the match. To win future games, it is important for the Sea Eagles to work on errors.
THE RESULT
Manly Sea Eagles 12
Tries: Joel Thompson, Brad Parker
Goals: Daly Cherry-Evans 2
Wests Tigers 38
Tries: Chris Lawrence, Malakai-Watene-Zelezniak, Luke Brooks, Benji Marshall 2, Jacob Liddle
Goals: Esan Marsters 7
https://nothingbutleague.com/2017/12/22/manly-sea-eagles-snare-joel-thompson/
