The South Sydney Rabbitohs have withstood a gallant performance from the Manly Sea Eagles to claim a spirited 40-22 victory at Central Coast Stadium.
Playing against 12 men for 70 minutes after Karl Lawton was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Cameron Murray in the opening stages, the Rabbitohs extended their dominance over the Sea Eagles to six consecutive wins in a match played before a crowd of 17,284 supporters.
Despite conceding first points via a Blake Taaffe penalty goal following Lawton's dismissal, the Sea Eagles showed tremendous resilience with Kieran Foran (16th minute) taking on the line through a run reminiscent of his younger self.
Taking a shock 10-2 lead midway through the first half, Jason Saab (19th minute) used his height to outleap Alex Johnston before narrowly getting the ball down before the dead ball line.
Struggling to capitalise on their one-man advantage early on in the half, the Rabbitohs found their attacking groove with Siliva Havili firing a short pass to Keaon Koloamatangi (27th minute) before Alex Johnston (32nd minute) used speed and footwork to collect his sixth try of the season.
Hitting back through Christian Tuipulotu (37th minute) following a skilful offload from returning utility Josh Schuster, an error from Martin Taupau off the kick-off invited Isaiah Tass (40th minute) to put the Rabbitohs up 18-16 at the change of ends
Returning from the sheds intent on keeping the points flowing, Tom Burgess (46th minute) barged over from close range before Cody Walker (50th minute) capped his his 150th first grade game with a try.
Determined to remain in the contest despite an injury toll that forced Brad Parker from the field, Daly Cherry-Evans (58th minute) was awarded a penalty try after Damien Cook was deemed to have impeded the Manly skipper in the act of scoring.
Putting the result beyond doubt through Cameron Murray (71st minute), Central Coast junior Taaffe (80th minute) delivered on home soil to secure the 18-point win.
Next week, the Rabbitohs host the Broncos at Accor Stadium on Thursday evening, while the Sea Eagles return home to Lottoland on Saturday afternoon to take on the Tigers.