The Manly Sea Eagles have pulled off a huge upset win over the Melbourne Storm in a game that came down to a few key moments at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy was far from impressed as the Sea Eagles punished his ill-disciplined and error-prone Melbourne outfit with an 18-16 defeat.
Winger Xavier Coates tried to rescue the Storm, scoring a hat-trick, but the late flurry was not enough after Harry Grant was penalised in front of the goal at the death.
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It was a heated clash between the Manly Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm. Graham Denholm via Getty Images
An incident in the first half saw the Storm docked a try after Nelson Asofa-Solomona was punished for foul play.
Asofa-Solomona was penalised and placed on report for making dangerous contact after he elbowed Jake Simpkin in the face as he played the ball in the lead-up to a Grant try.
While Asofa-Solomona avoided the sin bin for the act, Simpkin was subsequently ruled out of the match with a category one concussion.
“I think it could be costly,” NRL Hall-of-Famer Cooper Cronk said in commentary for Fox League.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona was penalised for throwing an elbow. Fox League
“I agree, that’s a penalty.
“He throws that elbow out, hits Simpkin, and he might be in some trouble with the match review committee.”
Adding to the drama, Fox League’s sideline reporter Eloise Sohier said Manly was outraged, believing Simpkin was showing category two concussion symptoms and was OK to continue playing.
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Reuben Garrick added Manly’s first points in the third minute of the match after Jahrome Hughes was penalised for a strip.
Desperately needing to get the jump on the hosts, Garrick stepped up and slotted the two-point penalty shot to give the Sea Eagles an early advantage.
However, the serenity was short-lived with Coates put over in the corner with a quick cut-out pass from Cameron Munster.
Grant Anderson knocked on the ball when contesting a kick bomb, landing heavily on his shoulder in the process, and gifting the opposition a full set on Melbourne’s line.
The Sea Eagles returned serve, with a late pass from Tom Trbojevic sending over Jason Saab.
With Garrick hooking the conversion, scores were locked at six apiece.
Clearly rattled, the Storm allowed the last-tackle kick to bounce, with the Sea Eagles swarming Hughes and forcing a dropout.
At this point, it appeared Bellamy had seen enough, storming out of the box.
Manly were soon in again through Tolutau Koula and then Garrick to make it three on the trot.
Adding to the Storms’ woes, Anderson was collected high by Simpkin.
Anderson was forced off for a HIA while Simpkin was put on report for a dangerous tackle.
Manly prop Toafofoa Sipley also came from the field for a HIA late in the first half.
With the Storm’s second try disallowed, the Sea Eagles took a 16-6 lead into the break.
Both Anderson and Sipley passed their HIA’s and were injected back into the match after half time.
Coates added his second, finishing off an end-to-end effort from the Storm.
First, Garrick tried to chase down Hughes — who pocketed a Koula offload — and then Anderson before a cross-field pass bounced into Coates’ lap and he finished off in the corner.
Seven minutes later, Coates was in again before Meaney added the extras to lock up the score.
In dramatic scenes, Grant was penalised and placed on report for making contact with Luke Brooks’ leg as he kicked for a hail mary goal.
While Brooks missed the initial one-point field goal, Garrick made the subsequent penalty goal count.
With the win, the Sea Eagles launch themselves back into the league’s top eight.