by Paul Cook –

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THE WARM-UP:

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This clash was somewhat of an achievement in itself for both clubs as Manly (3rd) and Easts (5th) had overcome the top two – Sydney University and Eastwood respectively – on the ladder in the finals series in order to book their place on the biggest stage. Their two clashes in the regular season offered little in the way of a form guide, the Beasties having smashed Manly 22-0 in round three, only for the Marlins to return the favour 11 weeks later, with a 13-0 margin of victory.

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THE BREAKDOWN:

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It was the Beasties that settled first, no doubt buoyed by their finals series success, they carried the fight early on and struck the first blow when openside Marcos Insau was driven over and Will Maddocks converted.

Maddocks then missed a chance to extend the lead when he pushed a long range penalty past the tallest uprights in the Southern Hemisphere, and it proved to be Easts’ last opportunity for points for quite a while.

Momentum shifted a few minutes later when Easts flyhalf Josh Harris went to the bin for a high shot and Manly seized their opportunity, matching their opponents’ previous efforts with lock James Watson driven over off a lineout maul.

Kicker, Cam Duffus, couldn’t level the scores with the conversion, but did give Manly an 8-7 lead on 23 minutes with a penalty.

Cue the Scott Clemmett show.

The popular winger was on 99 tries for the club when he received the ball in the 33rd minute, and, faced with a retreating backline and room to manoeuvre, he didn’t disappoint. Illustrating the finishing nous that has led to that impressive tally, he duly delivered try no.100 with a dart to slice through the heart of the Beasties’ line, before exhibiting too much gas for the chasers.

Marlin Scott Clemmett tries to fend off the attentions of Easts’ Marcos Insau. The veteran winger claimed his 100th & 101st tries for the club – Photo: J.B Photography

Duffus added the extras for a 15-7 advantage and you got the feeling that Easts needed something before the break to stem the Manly tide. And they almost got it when a neat move put winger Guy Robinson away down the left flank but with the touchline begging, he was felled just short, the collision forcing both a knock-on and the half-time hiatus.

Rather than view the near miss before oranges as a negative, the Beasties appeared to regroup after the break, determined to forge more opportunities and a way back into the contest. And five minutes into the second stanza, Maddocks duly slotted a penalty to make it 15-10 and keep the pressure on their opponents.

The boys from Woollahra began to build some possession and territory and had arguably the better of the next 15 minutes. But the Manly rearguard held firm, and, having soaked up the Beasties’ best shots, they struck the decisive blow with a touch under 10 minutes to go. And it was that man Clemmett who was on hand once again to seal the title.

A deft chip in behind had Easts scrambling but it was a fortuitous bounce and some deft hands that combined to put Clemmett away down the touchline for his second to confirm the result, despite Duffus’ subsequent missed conversion.

The Beasties’ all-time record appearance holder, Rhys Ward – better known as ‘The Saucier’ – saw red in the closing minutes as his frustrations got the better of him. But his unfortunate early exit bore little impact on a game that had long gone the way of a jubilant Manly side.

Easts’ hooker Luke Wilson takes control – Photo: J.B Photography

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THE WASH-UP:

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Manly skipper Anthony Bergelin:

“We beat Uni last week on the bell in the semi-final so we had a lot of belief in the squad and the coaches have done an excellent job and really set us up well. It’s been hard to concentrate this week because of all the excitement around 1st grade but we kept our eye on the job and came through.

“Last week against Uni we struggled at set-piece and we did a bit again today but it just showed the belief we have that we found a way. We knew if we could get our hands on the ball that our movement would probably make life hard for them and we showed with the tries that we scored that we’ve got a lot of ability, it was just good to take our opportunities when they came.

“We made a really important try saving tackle just on half-time, which might have been a momentum changer if they’d scored but was a momentum changer for us thankfully. I stressed to the guys not to be complacent in the second half and really go out and try to attack the lead but you’ve still got to play it a little bit safe. We plugged the corners early and stuck it back to them but it all came off today.

“We’ve been working really hard all year and we’ve had a really good feeling and we knew we’d be in pretty good shape because we had a few experienced heads and a few up-and-comers, so it was a good balance for a 4th grade side.

“I think the star today was Scotty Clemmett. He’s played over 90 1st grade games, he’s 34-years-old and he gets his 100th and 101st tries for the club today, which is terrific. I think you need experience like that to help the up-and-comers and I’m sure there’s some young guys in this squad that can push up into the higher grades for Manly in the future so yeah, all round, we’re stoked.”

Carlos Plate-Stanley leads the charge for Manly – Photo: J.B Photography

Easts’ skipper Nathan Carroll:

“Unfortunately, we went down today. Our set-piece has been our strength all year but we struggled today and obviously, a yellow card in the first half and a red card in the second doesn’t help – but what can you do? The boys tried their hearts out and it’s been the same all year so I’m proud of them.

“I’m sure we’ll have a few beers tonight anyway to celebrate making the Grand Final, it’s still been a successful season for us and a successful finals series, where we knocked over Eastwood. We’ve got a lot of good young colts coming through so I think we’re looking good for the next few years and should have plenty of strength in the lower grades, which is good for the club.”

MANLY 20 (Scott Clemmett 2, James Watson tries; Cam Duffus con, pen) defeated EASTERN SUBURBS 10 (Marcos Insau try; Will Maddocks con, pen)

Manly: 1. Viliami Vaka; 2. Dane Le Rougetel; 3. Jimmy Gentle; 4. Carlos Plate-Stanley; 5. James Watson; 6.  Mark Watson; 7. Joshua Littlewood; 8. Manuel Castagnet; 9. Nic Smart; 10. Anthony Bergelin (capt); 11. Scott Clemmett; 12. Cameron Duffus; 13. Diego Argana; 14. Jack Eades; 15. Joe Metuisela -Reserves: 16. Jack Wilson; Daniel Dressler; Daniel Boland; Sullivan Jones; Sosaia Soane; Jordan Conaghan; James Young; Maika Fakai; George Hitchcock; Gota Wykamp

Eastern Suburbs: 1. Rhys Ward; 2. Luke Wilson; 3. Thomas Kolo; 4. Oliver Daly; 5. Michael Ross; 6. Nathan Carroll (capt); 7. Marcos Insau; 8. Alexander Edmonds; 9. Steven Shapland; 10. Josh Harris; 11. Guy Robinson; 12. Matt Eaton; 13. Samuel Devlin; 14. Scott Ferris; 15. Will Maddocks – Reserves: Alexander Boronkay; Jake Rutherford; Rory Mcmullen; Henry Holden; Rob Shanley