Sharks captain Paul Gallen led his team valiantly against Manly Photo: NAPARAZZI
The NRL semi-finals provided some fantastic entertainment over the weekend as the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Newcastle Knights booked themselves a spot in the Preliminary Finals after an impressive display of physicality against the Cronulla Sharks and the Melbourne Storm respectively.
Defying incredible fatigue from their game against the Sydney Roosters, Manly had to endure another energy sapping effort against the Cronulla Sharks at Allianz Stadium on Friday night in a hard fought 24-18 win.
Manly were dominant for large periods of the match thanks to a superior kicking game. Their efforts saw them score the first try of the game before Cronulla scored a converted try to make it 8-6 to Manly. Another Manly try just before halftime saw them with a 14-6 lead at the break.
That halftime lead was extended to 24-12 midway through the second period, but some relentless attacking from the Sharks saw the score reduced to 24-18. Sharks skipper Paul Gallen appeared to have tied the scores in the 75th minute after he crashed through the Manly defence to score a try but replays showed John Morris impeding Matt Ballin, forcing the officials to disallow the try.
That was the last major play of the game as a resilient if not physically depleted Manly held out for a showdown with the South Sydney Rabbitohs next week for a spot in the Grand Final.
Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights match
The second semi-final saw the Melbourne Storm lose 18-16 to a well drilled Newcastle Knights in what was the upset of the season at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The opening period started with Newcastle on the front foot as they made their intentions known immediately through repetitive line breaks that eventually led to the opening try of the match. However a mistake off the re-start by the Knights invited Melbourne back into the game to score a try of their own, making it 6-4 to the Knights.
The rest of the half saw non-stop, end-to-end action that was played at an origin type pace. Two minutes out from the half time hooter and some relentless Newcastle pressure got them over the line again, giving them a 12-4 lead at half time.
The second half continued with more attacking from both sides. A high kick just in front of the Melbourne sticks saw Billy Slater drop the ball which allowed the Knights attack to scoop it up and score, stretching their lead out to 18-4.
However, it wasn’t long before Melbourne were back up the other end of the field putting Newcastle under pressure which eventually led to them scoring. The score was now 18-10 to Newcastle. Melbourne scored again to make it 18-16 with 13 minutes to go, setting up a frantic finale.
Some desperate defending by the Newcastle Knights kept the Storm at bay right up until the end, earning them a showdown with the Sydney Roosters next week, with the winner advancing to the Grand Final.
Semi-Finals
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 Cronulla Sharks 18
Melbourne Storm 16 Newcastle Knights 18
Preliminary Finals
South Sydney Rabbitohs v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Sydney Roosters v Newcastle Knights
