We were expecting a close, end-to-end battle ahead of the Thursday night meeting between the Sea Eagles and the Dolphins. The two sides did not prove us wrong, as Sea Eagles and Dolphins treated us to a hard-fought NRL spectacle.
In a thrilling comeback victory at Suncorp Stadium, the Dolphins overturned a 16-4 deficit to conquer Manly 30-24. The visitor's woes deepened as star player Tom Trbojevic suffered yet another suspected hamstring injury.
Trai Fuller Scores an Absolute Stunner
Dolphins fullback Trai Fuller stole the show with a contender for try of the season, further strengthening his claim for a first-grade starting berth ahead of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow's return.
Redcliffe were still chasing the game six minutes after the half-an-hour mark. The hosts needed to make up a six-point deficit to draw level, and Fuller provided just that with an equalising try. After escaping two tackles, the fullback chipped a deft kick over the head of his opposite number, Tom Trbojevic, before regathering the ball for a scintillating solo try.
Overall, it was a brilliant night for the former Brisbane Broncos rookie. He clocked a whopping 155 metres throughout the match and pulled off as many as four tackle breaks. This performance is sure to put pressure on coaching staff as they consider their options for the fullback position upon Tabuai-Fidow's return.
Double Injury Blow for Sea Eagles
Betting apps might feel the urge to reevaluate the Sea Eagles’ top eight chances after their recent injury setbacks.
Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic left the pitch before the final whistle with a suspected hamstring strain as he tried to thwart Jack Bostock's scoring attempt. The Sea Eagles’ medical team has diagnosed a grade two hamstring strain for Tom Trbojevic. The Australia international will go through scans on Friday to assess the full extent of the injury - the fifth hamstring issue he has picked up since 2019.
Flyer Jason Saab also added to the list of long-term absentees for the Sea Eagles. He could not complete the first half after sustaining a grade three AC joint injury. Both players are expected to miss at least a few weeks of NRL action.
Anthony Seibold Urges His Team to Maintain Performance Level for Longer Periods
Manly's frailties in maintaining performance throughout the entire 80 minutes were exposed again as they surrendered a significant early lead, slumping to their second consecutive defeat.
Cruising with a comfortable 12-point advantage late in the first half, the Sea Eagles inexplicably switched off, conceding a hat-trick of tries in just five minutes. Manly boss Anthony Seibold acknowledged the problem in his post-match statement:
"The five minutes before half-time was way off, they scored three tries from three consecutive sets so that was disappointing after we played some decent footy for about 30 minutes there," Seibold said.
"We had a few guys out already tonight and then with Saaby and Turbo going down it puts a pretty big dent in our squad but there is a group there that really care about the footy team and we'll put a team together next week and expect to come back here and put in a better performance for longer periods."
The Dolphins had to weather an early storm in front of their home fans, but ultimately came away victorious against Manly. The visitors relinquished an early lead, which is becoming a worrying trend for Anthony Seibold's men. They could not work their way back into the match as their night only got worse with two of their star players leaving the pitch prematurely due to injuries.
