Shute Shield: Easts continue path to finals with arm wrestle win over Manly

By MARK CASHMAN Eastern Suburbs travelled to Manly Oval expecting a bit of a smash up derby and that’s exactly what they got on Saturday. The Beasties won 22-5 to keep their hopes alive of a spot in the finals but as Easts coach Pauli Taumoepeau said in the wake of the game it was a real arm wrestle. “Momentum swung both ways and looking at it was only in the first quarter and the last quarter that we got any sort of pay,” Taumoepeau said. “Absolute credit to Manly and the way they pressured us in that second quarter of the match. Then in the third quarter their defence was water tight in front of their grandstand. “We just couldn’t get through despite having a real crack at their line a number of times. “But I was really happy with the patience that we showed. We threw quite a bit at them for not much return for quite long periods in the game.” The game saw Rob Leota play his first game for Easts and despite having played limited footy this year im

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