Manly have produced a gutsy performance to only just scrape home against the Sydney Roosters, but the talking point will be the possible ankle injury to Daly Cherry-Evans.
A crucial player for the Sea Eagles, he will undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury.
But despite that and a further thumb injury to Jamie Buhrer, it was a second win on the trot for Manly after their poor start to the season.
It is much the opposite for the Roosters, who have not won a game in their opening four, leaving them at the bottom of the premiership ladder.
There was one bright spark, though, with Shaun Kenny-Dowall – playing in his 200th game – excelling, as he scored two tries, recorded two line breaks and ran for 180+ metres in a quality performance.
It was an up and down game for both sides, as they enjoyed successful passages of play throughout, sometimes capitalising and sometimes struggling.
But with both teams needing the win, it was ultimately Manly who held on – just – to get it.
Ultimately, Manly’s 14-point run sealed the game for them but there was a contentious moment following that.
The Roosters had a try disallowed and it upset their fans, with the officials eventually ruling that Mitch Aubusson was offside and in front of the kicker, when he went over to score.
Losing two players throughout the game, Manly coach Trent Barrett praised his side’s mental toughness.
“It was certainly the bravest effort I’ve seen from the while I’ve been with the club,” Barrett said.
“They just kept hanging in and hanging in. We went in short of troops and lost two more during the game. I guess being on the backend of a 9-3 penalty count didn’t help.
“It was a great win on a five-day turnaround. We can build a lot on that. It was a great effort. It’s character building. We’re going to get so much of that.”
The Roosters no-try decision left coach Trent Robinson seething.
“It was a try. It was pretty obvious it was a bad call from the ref and it was a bad call from the Bunker. He was onside. We could all see it from the angle. If they’re there to make a call, then make the call,” Robinson said.
“I think we could all see that he was behind. You can’t draw a line on the screen. We know they got it wrong.”
Despite that, Robinson did admit that his side had numerous other chances to win the game.
“There was some good energy and some good hustle on a lot of stuff. I thought overall we held them fairly well, but a couple of little things let them back in that second half,” he said.
“It was pretty disappointing for us. We had other opportunities as well. We had an opportunity after that to go after the game and we missed that as well.”
Player of the Game:
3. Shaun Kenny-Dowall
2. Blake Ferguson
1. Tom Trbojevic
Sea Eagles 22 (Jorge Taufua, Dylan Walker, Jamie Lyon tries; Jamie Lyon 5 goals) defeated Roosters 20 (Shaun Kenny-Dowall 2, Blake Ferguson, Daniel Tupou tries; Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Jackson Hastings 1 goals) at Allianz Stadium. Half-time: 10-8 Roosters. Penalties: 9-4 Roosters. Crowd: 12,271. Injuries: Jamie Buhrer (broken hand) and Daly Cherry-Evans (foot).