Tom has blinder in return
TOM Trbojevic’s scintillating return to the NRL has kickstarted Manly’s season with a 46-12 dismantling of the Warriors in Christchurch.
In his first match since shaking off a pre-season hamstring injury, Trbojevic bagged two tries yesterday and set up two more for Daly Cherry-Evans to hand the Sea Eagles an emphatic first win in Des Hasler’s second coming as coach.
The Warriors couldn’t respond to the occasion in the first major sporting event in Christchurch since the mosque shootings, succumbing to a second-successive heavy loss.
They lacked attacking spark and were unable to contain NSW State of Origin star Trbojevic, who made nine tackle breaks, three line breaks and was involved in five of the eight Sea Eagles tries.
Hasler predicted Trbojevic’s return would lift his teammates and that proved the case for halfback Cherry-Evans, who backed the fullback up to bag two tries and landed seven goals in a 22-point haul.
The result left both teams with a win and two losses. The Warriors face serious problems after a defensive display that matched last week’s disjointed showing against the Wests Tigers.
New Zealand props Martin Taupau and Addin FonuaBlake led an impressive Manly forward effort, allowing their star teammates to shine and cap a week in which they endeared themselves to Christchurch by engaging with the community. It was an inauspicious start for Trbojevic who was partly to blame for the Warriors’ opening try, palming a grubber kick into the path of the chasing Isaiah Papali’i.
The classy fullback made amends soon afterwards, giving early momentum to a seven-tackle set and finishing it by barging through a stranded Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Trbojevic set up CherryEvans when he burst on to a Fonua-Blake offload and the halfback turned provider with a grubber kick for Joel Thompson. Issac Luke stopped the rot with a Warriors try but Manase Fainu put the Sea Eagles 24-12 up at the break with a stepping try from dummy-half.
After absorbing Warriors’ pressure, Trbojevic and Cherry-Evans completed their doubles before wingers Jorge Taufua and Reuben Garrick rounded out the scoring.