NRL Round 1 Match Report
Manly-Warringah Sea-Eagles v South Sydney Rabbitohs
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.
Round 1 was finally upon us. The moment that all league fans wait for over summer was finally here and we were at the very odd but exciting location of Allegiant Stadium. Of course, I wasn’t there but plenty were and the supporters had done a fantastic job packing out the ground to create an almost Grand Final/Magic Round like atmosphere. I’m like everyone else – I can’t wait for the footy to start.
However, this year was a little different after our team’s shocking fadeout at the end of 2023. The anticipation was still there as it always will be but I was somewhat stung by recent Rabbitoh events.
Before kick-off, we had the Australian anthem performed, then the American one. Surreal stuff at a footy game! The media had a little desk in the corner in an NFL style set-up which looked pretty cool. Even Russell’s drummers from the reinstatement days made an appearance. Well, it wasn’t them but there were drummers – dressed in black, with white glasses that looked impossible to see out of… It was glitzy and professional, it was a definite good look for the game.
We Were Underway
Soon enough we were underway for the first match of Season 2024! Manly were on top early with some brutal defence, the Sea-Eagles definitely having the better of the early exchanges. A Richie Kennar break got us on the front foot and changed the momentum. It was our turn on the tough hits and some unfortunate Manly player got smothered in a Keppie/Tatola sandwich.
A crafty chip from Cody followed by some great attacking execution had us over for our first try of the year! Richie Kennar crashing over after a nice ball from Cookie. Richie never plays much first grade but he always seems to score tries! 6-0 Souths.
Souths continued their early dominance, forcing an error from Garrick. Unfortunately, Lachie returned the favour when it looked like we were about to score again. It was notable that the game was turning into a bit of a bloodbath – multiple players were needing to be patched or stitched up. In one of the many momentum shifts in the match, Jason Saab found himself in open space. Never a great sight for an opposition fan. Luckily, Lachie managed to get a touch on him, take him down and stop him scoring a certain try making up for his previous blunder.
Manly were starting to build though. We had a few close calls with a lot of their final passes not quite finding the mark. Our luck ended though when Olakau’atu cruised over from a scrum. 6-6.
Manly Gains Upperhand
Manly were starting to gain the upper hand and we were lucky not to go further behind when Luke Brooks dropped it over the line. As we all know though, things can turn very quickly in the NRL and a half break from Latrell and a 6 again call had us up the other end. Cody almost had AJ in – it would have been a try on the wider fields we’re used to! Never mind, the ball shifts to the other side quickly and Gagai goes over in the corner for a beautiful debut try courtesy of a Latrell bullet pass. 10-6 Souths.
Following this highlight, a dubious penalty had Manly on the attack. A certain knock-on by Saab was somehow missed which didn’t help our cause. Tommy Turbo looked a sure thing to score but Cookie saved the day by holding him up.
It was almost half-time, a time when we Souths fans get very nervous. Sure enough, a length of the field Jason Saab intercept try occurs 2 mins from the break. The horrible trend continues… A disappointing finish to the first stanza especially as we were probably slightly better than our opposition. Manly 12-10.
The 2nd Half
Onto the second half and in a complete reversal of fortunes Jason Saab comes up with an early error close to the Manly line. In another stunning turn-around, Mitchell makes up for his intercept pass by bulldozing over for a vital try. Unfortunately another missed goal, Souths 14-12. Shortly after this, Luke Brooks put a ball over the sideline, warming the hearts of Wests Tigers fans sitting at home. Latrell then puts AJ over in the corner and kicks the goal. 20-12. Things were looking good, could we go on with it??
A Rough Ride
Well no. Things rarely go smoothly as a Souths fan these days and a Davvy Moale error gifted the ball back to Manly resulting in Lachlan Croker scoring off a crash ball fairly easily. 20-18 Souths. Another ordinary error, this time from Kennar, ended up in Ben Turbo scoring out on the edge. Garrick slots it over again… Manly 24-20.
Things went from bad to worse as the Sea-Eagles received a penalty for an unlucky crusher tackle from Jai. Almost immediately, Cherry-Evans had Garrick over from a short kick. Manly 30-20.
Manly remained on top from this point, Souths having little to no impact. Our first penalty of the match finally gave us a bit of a chance but a promising passage was halted after another error, this time from Tatola. Manly responded with Luke Brooks scoring to put the game to bed. Souths fans and Wests fans back in Sydney hung their heads together…. A consolation try from Kennar made the scoreline slightly better but that’s all it did.
A Disappointing Loss
So there we have it, another disappointing loss from our boys. I know it’s the only first game and there’s plenty of time to improve but that loss reminded me an awful lot of the back end of last season. Sure there were some passages of brilliance but there were also some very crucial errors which made it almost impossible to compete.
Our makeshift backline struggled with the speed of the Manly outside men and our forwards finished 2nd again. I thought our leaders lacked a little bit of composure too whereas Manly’s were good in the tough moments, I’m hoping Jack Wighton can help in this area…
Still, it’s great to have the footy back. You have to say the whole Las Vegas thing was a massive success despite the loss to our Rabbitohs. Time to have a little break then work hard to correct our issues so we’re ready for Brisbane in Round 2. That’s right… it doesn’t get any easier but we know we have a top side here, we’ve just got to get behind them so they can realise their sky-high potential….
NRL Round 1 Match Report.
By Greg Allan for Bunnies TV.
A well written summary Greg, hopefully we get a round 2 win.