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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Ben Trbojevic knows Manly were lucky to get away with a try during a crucial stage of Thursday night\u2019s clash against South Sydney.<\/p>\n The Sea Eagles triumphed 28-14 over South Sydney<\/a> to cap a memorable week for the club and coach Kieran Foran, who signed on as head coach until the end of 2029<\/a>.<\/p>\n There was a lot of love in the air for Foran, with the local KFC even ditching Colonel Sanders for a giant image of \u2018Foz\u2019 for the night. The Sea Eagles with Foran at the helm deserve to dream big, and are a serious hope of a top-four finish.<\/p>\n But they did get lucky when Trbojevic appeared to knock the ball on as he played it before fullback Clayton Faulolo scored in the 50th minute.<\/p>\n Replays showed Trbojevic place the ball on the ground, only for the ball to grip to his hand before it bobbled on to the 4 Pines Park turf.<\/p>\n Even referee Adam Gee told Souths players the \u201csticky spray\u201d on Trbojevic\u2019s hands was to blame, and how \u201che never loses control of it, he plants it down, and it comes up\u201d.<\/p>\n Trbojevic\u2019s hands were still sticky after the game, and this masthead had to delay our interview so we could retrieve the tape recorder from one of his palms.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what the actual rule is, but I went to play it, the ball stuck to my hand, then it fell off,\u201d Trbojevic said.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we scored, I knew it was a try because they [the bunker] couldn\u2019t go back and rule on it.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a bit worried. I think I went to Jake [Trbojevic] when we scored and asked what the ruling was because it bobbled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt literally stuck to my hand. I don\u2019t know what happened. But we got away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Souths coach Wayne Bennett wanted to know why referee Adam Gee never picked up the incident, nor the bunker. Under the rules, however, the bunker could only rule on any passage of play leading up to a try after the play the ball \u2013 not the play the ball itself.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t play it properly, did he?\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as simple as that. We pay all this money for the bunker, and we still don\u2019t get it right.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t playing well, so I won\u2019t use it as an excuse.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s an acceptable play the ball, the game is going to change enormously very quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game will have an excuse for it. You just have to live with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bennett said there was a similar drop a few weeks ago when Rob Toia was awarded a try for the Roosters against the Gold Coast<\/a>, even though the Titans were told they had been dudded by officials straight after the game.<\/p>\n While Foran and Manly are tracking north, and will welcome the return of Tom Trbojevic from a hamstring injury after the bye, Souths are in reverse.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe\u2019re nowhere near where we should be,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re well into the season, and we should be playing good football. We\u2019re not going forward at the moment \u2013 our performances are going backwards.<\/p>\n \u201cThe key mistakes are coming from the guys with 150 NRL games. I can cop it from the younger guys, but the older guys are better than that, and they need to take ownership of what their jobs are out there. They get well paid to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Foran won a premiership as a player in 2011, and has the locals believing history could repeat as early as this year.<\/p>\n As Jake Trbojevic said: \u201cWe\u2019re very excited and happy with the way everything is going.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Foz\u2019 will be our coach the next three years \u2013 hopefully forever. He\u2019s a great man, a great leader and everyone is getting behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the way here, everywhere I drove it was \u2018Fozball\u2019, \u2018Foz Pines Park\u2019, \u2018Kieran Foran Chicken\u2019. I thought, \u2018we better play good\u2019, and thank God we did.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Love](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5311cb49eb8cadcb50805acd84efdbd0f3ad079f5b265b5a77a35b3eb875a898.jpeg\")
Love is in the air at 4 Pines Park for Manly coach Kieran Foran.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5ec25f0b4811cbe8dc68e9179fc1ace11832f293073c4e8221783fd2eb35e28c.jpeg\")
Ben Trbojevic\u2019s hands were still sticky and covered in grass after the game.Christian Nicolussi<\/p>\n![\"\u2018Footy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780603874_133_e1fa964552406c5d856e0a702a1bd2824fc98d8a.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/090159f6748f742b4599fc79c3801c3fc91b2ea6.jpeg\")
A fan at 4 Pines Park on Thursday night.Getty Images<\/p>\n