Teen half stars on debut but Panthers end Sea Eagles’ winning run

Manly’s bid for five straight wins under Kieran Foran since the sacking of Anthony Seibold fell woefully short on Sunday evening; Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary engineered a hard-fought victory to secure an absolute lead in the competition.

Manly’s lauded halfback Joey Walsh was superb on his debut, scoring two tries in a gutsy 18-16 defeat that offered a tantalizing glimpse of the club’s future without the powerful Daly Cherry-Evans at the helm.

The 19-year-old’s stunning behind-the-back, no-look pass to Haumole Olakau’atu before Ethan Bullemor’s try was the kind of moment that could ignite a career and underlined why the former schoolboy rugby prodigy was so excited.

“This is a first-class ball game,” first-place halfback Cooper Cronk said on Fox Sports commentary. “He gets the ball… and tells an absolute lie with his eyes and his hips. That’s a very good play by Joey Walsh.”

Walsh thrived in the absence of regular No.7 Jamal Fogarty, but Penrith found a way past Manly after falling behind 16-12 with 20 minutes remaining at CommBank Stadium. Walsh attempted a two-point shot with just over a minute left, but it fell well short.

Panthers winger Brian To’o gets his claws into Manly’s Ben Trbojevic.Getty Images

Manly’s glorious April didn’t translate well into May; The four-game winning streak was halted because the Panthers were far from perfect and turned the ball over an uncharacteristic amount.

The Sea Eagles look to be in a completely different outfit compared to the slow start to March. It remains to be seen whether Foran will be able to sustain his initial impact throughout the winter months, but trying the competitive benchmark deep into the competition is an encouraging sign.

A superb pass from Cleary just before half-time restored Penrith’s advantage and winger Brian To’o finished in the right corner to give the home side a 12-6 lead at half-time.

Foran took action in the coaching area as Manly struck first through Clayton Faulalo, but the lead was short-lived as Penrith responded with Blaize Talagi getting on the line and firing in the 10th minute.

Penrith’s only mistake of the season against the Bulldogs last month is now almost a distant memory; Ivan Cleary’s side are sharpening their focus as they head into the Origin period, sitting alone at the top of the ladder, two points ahead of the Warriors, who have five wins from seven starts.

In a weekend plagued by injury concerns for NSW coach Laurie Daley – which included Roosters duo Mark Nawaqanitawase (ankle) and Angus Crichton (knee) – Penrith’s stars emerged unscathed two weeks after the Blues squad was announced.

With high-scoring matches throughout the competition, it was refreshing to see the defensive determination shown by both sides for the most part.

There was drama early in the second half when Cleary claimed he blocked Faulalo ahead of Lehi Hopoate’s 52nd-minute try. Referee Wyatt Raymond acknowledged the contact but ruled it had no effect; Cleary, his teammates and Cronk were disappointed, declaring it a “100 percent no try.”

The moment threatened to derail Penrith in the second half before Izack Tago found the line and Cleary froze his third conversion after multiple attempts to take what proved to be a match-winning two-point lead.