Manly with a low percentage play down the right wing and it fails. They turn the ball over on halfway
Jake Trbojevic offloads out the back and Pearce intercepts, then runs 40m before being tackled 30m from the Manly line.
PENALTY MANLY - Crusher tackle. They find touch 10m shy of halfway
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Garricks restart goes out on the full.
Ponga converts and the Knights have the lead with 6 minutes left
Finally! Ponga takes the ball to the line then fires a flat ball to Tuala who steps back infield, beats 2 defenders and then reaches out to dunk the ball down for a try.
DCE's kick is too deep and To'a takes it on the full ingoal. 7 tackle set for the Knights
Knights this time go to the left side and some good passing gives To'a a run to the line. He dives over to score but drops the ball just before grassing it.
Off to the bunker to look at a Knights try.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Saifiti tackled without the ball.
PENALTY KNIGHTS Manly offside, defending their own line.
Knights bomb another opportunity on the right side with a Hymel Hunt knock on.
Ponga looked to have got a stunning ball quickly along to Hunt, who then dived over to score....BUT . . the pass was ruled forward again.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Manly with an illegal strip
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Pearce with a grubber but DCE stops it and very nearly catches it cleanly, but he fumbles it
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Manly off their line too quickly. Knights will start their set 10m inside Manly's half
SCRUM MANLY - forward pass from dummy half by Ponga.
Garrick converts from in front
A fantastic double inside passing play by Manly through the middle creates another try. Cust to the left of the posts, passes inside to Paseka and the big man flicks a stunning ball right to Croker backing up and he manages to get the ball down for a try despite the efforts of Ponga.
A nbice grubber is taken dead by Manly. Knights drop out
Set restart for Manly on the 4th and 2m from the Knights line.
Garrick swings the conversion through the sticks
DCE with a crafty little grubber behind the Knights goal line defence and Jack Gosiewski cleans up and scores on the left side.
PENALTY MANLY - Illegal strip, Manly find touch just 4m shy of halfway
SCRUM MANLY - Jacob Saifiti gets hit hard by Sironen and loses the ball.
Cust is down again, this time he looks to be in serious pain, right ankle
SCRUM MANLY - Knights find touch with a kick
Ponga from the right sideline just misses the conversion.
Jack Gosiewski catches a bomb, but Gehamat Shibasaki steals it fairly in the air, Parker's tackle forces the ball backwards. It strikes Guerra's foot, he then picks it up and passes out the back to Hunt who scores.
Off to the bunker for a possible Knights try
Knights get play restarted
Ponga from the left touchline is unable to convert
The kick goes up from Newcastle and To'a bats the ball back which is caught by Fitzgibbon, who is held up in a tackle, but he manages to get an offload out to Tuala who dives over the in left corner.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Croker with a bad pass and Cust stretches out in front of him to try and reach it, but he knocks on.
PENALTY MANLY - Tuala with a nice grubber at the end of the set. Parker cleans up and just gets back into the field of play, but the Knights defence with a second effort force him back ingoal.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Manly offside
Knights get a set restart
SCRUM MANLY - Ponga with a bad pass that goes forward and a Knights try goes begging.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Manly offside.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Garrick botches a play-the-ball
Ponga slots the goal
Mann at dummy half, 5m from the line, throws a dummy, waited for Manly to react - they did - then he darted between two stationary defenders to dive over for a try.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Ponga held down too long on the Manly line. Knights take the tap
Suli literally throws the ball away. Atrocious hands.
Manly get a set restart late in the set near halfway
Saifiti back up and trying to jog it out. He's still hobbling. Play resumes. Daniel comes off the field and Jacob replaces him.
Looks like Daniel Saifiti's knee has betrayed him. He's done in back play. Game comes to a stop now.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Manly's restart goes out on the full. Knights find touch 15m inside Manly's half
Ponga converts superbly from touch
Some second phase play results in Pearce firing a hard low long ball to Ponga, who catches it at full speed, before throwing a quick cut-out ball to To'a in space and the winger bounces out of one tackle before being tackled over the line, getting the ball down for a good try on the left side.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Manly with a hand on the ball in the ruck. Knights find touch 10m inside the Manly half
Pearce bomb is taken by Elliott who is then crunched by Fitzgibbon just as he comes to the ground. Play stopped as Elliott gets some treatment (ie - sprayed with water)
Elliott with a knee injury is being assisted off the field now.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Thompson with a knock on
Great defence from Manly drives back in defence to force a dropout.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Mann hit for an illegal strip. Pearce challenges it and just like his last pass, it fails.
Knights roll downfield and on the last Pearce fires a long cut out pass to the back of To'a and the ball goes into touch
Knights get another set restart close to halfway
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Cust finds touch with a kick
Knights get a set restart on the first tackle. Meh
Garrick converts from right in front.
Nice left side play results in Paseka hitting a gap and making a break, before drawing the fullback and then passing to DCE who races away to score a good try under the sticks.
And on the second tackle after the scrum, Ponga is handed a hospital ball and he gets admitted to outpatients, sans ball.
Play back on. Cust is playing on.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Cust with a sloppy play the ball. Play is now stopped as Cust receives treatment for his knee.
Garrick nails the conversion despite kicking into a stiff breeze
DCE's bomb is allowed to bounce near the left sideline. Parker leaps up over the sideline to swat the ball back into the field of play. Cust cleans up and gets a kick back in field miraculously without going into touch and then chases his own kick and plants it for a sensational try!
Off to the bunker to look at a possible Manly try
Manly gets us underway
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Ashley Klein
Touch Judges: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Liam Kennedy
Video Referee: Henry Perenara, Ben Galea
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS (26)
Tries: Starford To'a, Kurt Mann, Enari Tuala (2), Hymel Hunt
Field Goals:
Conversions: Kalyn Ponga (3/5)
Penalty Goals:
MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES (24)
Tries: Cade Cust, Daly Cherry-Evans, Jack Gosiewski, Lachlan Croker
Field Goals:
Conversions: Reuben Garrick (4/4)
Penalty Goals: