Manly surges into the top four

HERE come the Sea Eagles.

With hat-trick hero Tom Trbojevic returning from a cheek injury, right on cue Manly climbed into the top four for the first time this year with an unconvincing 36-18 win over the Bulldogs.

They were made to work for it at Redcliffe and won’t want to repeat their diabolical first half display, but whatever Des Hasler said at halftime did the trick.

There was fire and brimstone with Manly firebrand Josh Aloai binned for lashing out with a boot to the face of Josh Jackson as tempers flared.

Talk about perfect timing. The Sea Eagles will stay in the top four so long as they beat the Cowboys in Townsville next week and will get the vital two bites at the cherry in the finals series.

All three teams above them will be looking over their shoulders at Hasler’s team, but they must be way better than what they dished up against the Dogs.

The fact remains that the Sea Eagles were last after four rounds and have found a way to get themselves in the premiership fight.

Daly Cherry-evans was born just up the road at Redcliffe Hospital but the Bulldogs were not respecting any birthright and stunned a shoddy Manly to take a 12-10 lead into halftime.

Tom Trbojevic went in for three in the second half to get Manly home, but without him they would have struggled.

Manly keep notching individual and team records.

Jason Saab, Garrick and Trbojevic are having their own internal competition for club leading try scorer.

Trbojevic (pictured) has 22, Saab (22) and Garrick (20). It is the first time a team will finish with three players in the same team having scored 20 or more tries in a season.