Daly Cherry-Evans got involved in the try-scoring action on the night in which he became the Sea Eagles' most capped player, as Manly downed the Panthers 32-18 at 4 Pines Park.
The 310-gamer scored the first of the Sea Eagles' three second-half tries as they powered past Penrith with a spirited effort in the second 40 minutes that ended a two-game winless run for the club.
Cherry-Evans also had a try assist and booted a perfect six from six off the tee, after taking over kicking duties following the loss of Reuben Garrick to a head knock on three minutes.
At the end of a closely contested first period it was a length-of-the-field runaway from Tolutau Koula, after the Bunker cleared an early spilled ball of being knocked on, that created breathing space on the scoreboard at half-time for the Sea Eagles at 14-6.
Tolutau Koula Try
Earlier Brad Schneider got things going on six minutes before Tom Trbojevic hit back and Cherry-Evans added a penalty just after the half hour.
A full-field effort of their own got Penrith back into the contest soon after the break, with Dylan Edwards picking off a Cherry-Evans attacking kick to reduce the gap to two points.
Dylan Edwards Try
But over the next 20 minutes the Sea Eagles ran in three tries, with Cherry-Evans' effort being followed by strikes from Corey Waddell and Jaxson Paulo which stretched the home side's advantage out to 20.
With 11 to play a second effort from Edwards – which capped a fine individual performance that included 15 runs for 239 metres – gave the Panthers a sniff, but they weren't able to go on with it, as the Sea Eagles came up with some big defensive plays late on to seal the result.
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Match Snapshot
- The Sea Eagles made eight line breaks to Penrith's three.
- The Sea Eagles have won five of their past seven games at 4 Pines Park.
- Jarome Luai was taken from the field as a precaution with 13 minutes to play after picking up a knock to his knee earlier in the game.
- The result snapped a previous eight-game losing streak for the Sea Eagles against the Panthers.
- Manly lost Reuben Garrick in the third minute, while Penrith lost forward Liam Martin on 33 minutes, with both players suffering head knocks in which they were deemed to have displayed Category 1 HIA symptoms.
- Sea Eagles centre Tolutau Koula has now scored four tries in his past three games at 4 Pines Park.
Play of the Game
The moment almost everyone at a packed 4 Pines Park had been waiting for. After backing up Tom Trbojevic on a break and recovering from an initial juggle, Cherry-Evans crossed to a backdrop of screaming Sea Eagles fans on a night in which he made club history.
Daly Cherry-Evans Try
What They Said
"'Chez' (Cherry-Evans) has been consistent over a long period of time for the club and it was really fitting that the boys produced a performance like that. It was a great occasion; the Northern Beaches community came to support the team and obviously celebrate Chez's milestone. Really proud of the group, really proud of Chez." – Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold.
Sea Eagles: Round 5
"We played poorly, in many different ways. Started off OK but lost control midway through that first half and never got it back. I haven't got all the answers tonight. Congratulations to Chez and Manly tonight." – Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.
Panthers: Round 5
What's Next
A trip to New Zealand to face the Warriors awaits the Sea Eagles, while the Panthers sit out Round 6 on a bye, with the expectation that star halfback Nathan Cleary and forward Scott Sorensen will be available again for their Round 7 clash with Wests Tigers.