Contests between the Parramatta Eels and the Manly Sea Eagles are always full of spice, tension, and animosity, and this one was no different.
In the end, it went down to the wire, as Mitchell Moses, calm as you like and in wet conditions, slotted a sideline conversion to win the game.
Perhaps the bigger talking point from the game was a dislocated shoulder for Manly and NSW star Tom Trbojevic.
Although he does require scans to confirm the severity of the injury, the early consensus is that he could be out for the rest of the season.
The opening passages of play were smooth enough without any real penetration into either line.
Manly would open the scoring just before the fifteen-minute mark when Josh Schuster was able to intercept a Moses’ pass.
On the back of that, the ball was quickly shifted to the left and Reuben Garrick was able to score his first.
The Eels hit back quickly, however, as quick hands from Moses, Dylan Brown and Tom Opacic, found Hayze Perham in the corner.
Not to be outdone, Manly extended their lead as Daly Cherry-Evans delivered a rainbow-like 20 metre cut-out pass for Christian Tuipolutu to score.
Clint Gutherson then showed off cut-out ball skills of his own, firing a laser-like pass for Perham to score his second before the break.
Manly would go into the second half in the lead and with an extra man, after Moses was sin-binned for holding back Tom Trbojevic in some lead-up play.
Manly capitalised on the extra man and produced an overlap for Morgan Harper to coast over for an easy try.
A rare error from Ryan Matterson saw Manly extend their lead further, as Garrick was quickest to react to a Kieran Foran grubber.
Not a team to put their heads down anymore, the Eels would hit back with a nice passage of play.
Shaun Lane took the line on, got his arm free and found Tom Opacic who looped back around to bustle his way over to score.
The game then took a turn when Sean Keppie was sent to the sin-bin for a lifting tackle.
With just two minutes on the clock, a shift to the right by the Eels eventually saw them score via Will Penisini.
From the sideline, Moses, his calm and collected self, slotted the conversion, his emotion clearly on show after slotting it.
NRL News Player of the Game
3. Ryan Matterson (PAR)
2. Reuben Garrick (MAN)
1. Will Penisini (PAR)
