The Manly Sea Eagles delivered an impressive performance against the defending premiers, the Penrith Panthers, as Daly Cherry-Evans marked his record-breaking 310th NRL game. Cherry-Evans made history for the Sea Eagles by surpassing club legend Cliff Lyons to become the most capped player for Manly. However, despite Manly’s 32-18 victory, controversy marred the match.
The crucial moment occurred in the 34th minute when Tolutau Koula seized on a Panthers error, intercepting a wayward pass and racing 90 meters to score a contentious try. Referee Gerard Sutton’s decision to allow the play to continue, missed by bunker official Peter Gough, sparked disbelief among spectators. “It was one of about five or six intercepts we threw so it was a bad play by us in the first place,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary admitted, although he couldn’t conceal his frustration. “Everyone in the stadium knew it was a knock-on.”
Panthers captain Isaah Yeo echoed Cleary’s sentiments, acknowledging the team’s expectation of a knock-on call. “I guess the feeling was that we thought it was a knock on,” Yeo remarked. “But like Ivan touched on, even our reaction off the back of that. They scored a try which was disappointing, but after that, there was no control for us, we didn’t hold our hands up for long periods of time.”
The NSW and Australian representative suggested that the controversial decision was not the sole reason for their defeat. “Every time we started to get back into the arm wrestle, we’d make an error or give away a penalty. That [decision] wasn’t why we lost,” Yeo admitted.