Manly Leagues have clinched their first Sydney Shield Premiership after an epic Grand Final against a gallant Wentworthville United at Leichhardt Oval today, that wasn’t decided until interchange player Tamoko Berryman landed a field goal in the 96th minute of golden point for a 25-24 win.
Both teams deserved to take a bow for their performance with Manly Leagues surging to a 16-4 lead at half-time before Wentworthville rallied in the second half to have their noses in front 22-16 in the 71st minute.
Manly scored again to lock the scores up at 22-all before Wentworthville landed a two-point field goal to have one hand on the trophy at 24-22. A late penalty provided Manly with the chance to lock the scores up again and they landed the goal after the full-time siren to send the match into extra time.
Both sides gave everything they could but still couldn’t be separated after 10 minutes of extra time to send the game into golden point.
“From a neutral point of view that was probably the most entertaining game of Sydney Shield ever, but it was nerve-racking for me, I can tell you that much,” Manly Leagues captain Nick Bilsborough said.
“To be honest we were pretty nervous, I’m not going to lie. Wenty are a very good side, we knew we were making a lot of errors and when you do that against a good team it’s hard to come back.
“We had a look at ourselves and we knew we had to play hard and I think that’s what it came down to. We knew we had to keep going and when we were done, we weren’t done and just play on that next play. It’s the best feeling in the world, the best feeling ever.”
A glorious Saturday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval set the stage for the Grand Final showdown between Minor Premiers, Wentworthville Magpies, and the second-placed Manly Leagues, who had to overcome a week one finals loss to secure a premiership play-off berth.
While Manly Leagues dominated the first half, it was the Wentworthville Magpies who found the try-line first in the eighth minute through skipper Dermot McKeever-King. A shift to the right before coming back though the middle saw halfback Darcy Brettle produce a perfectly timed cut-out pass to his winger and McKeever-King found the try-line in the corner. With the conversion waved away, the Wentworthville Magpies led early, 4-0.
Manly Leagues finally found their opportunity to answer back in the 12th minute through trusted fullback Max Lehmann. Five-eighth Witika Rees-Hatu split the Magpies’ defence as Manly found some dangerous attacking field position. Looking right, Lehmann found a gap and ran straight through it to reach out over the line to level the scores. An unsuccessful conversion saw the score remain at 4-4.
Making their way down field again, Manly’s star finisher Lehmann found the line again to put his side in front as he secured a double for himself. Shifting out to the right, quick hands from Witika Rees-Hatu saw Lehmann work his way to the try-line through a sea of Magpies defenders. Another unsuccessful conversion saw Manly Leagues lead 4-8.
Just six minutes later a huge effort from Manly’s second-rower, saw them extend their lead. A brilliant kick chase from Manly’s No.11, Khan Symonds-Magee, saw him regain possession of the ball. He found winger Lachlan Burt on his outside who took the ball over the line to take Manly Leagues to an eight-point lead. Unable to convert his own try, Manly Leagues led the Magpies 12-4.
Right on the cusp of half-time, Manly found another try to put them in a strong position heading into the break. A subtle dummy pass from Rees-Hatu caught the Wentworthville defence off-guard as he crossed the line for a four-pointer. With another conversion unsuccessful, Manly Leagues headed into the sheds leading 16-4.
A fired-up Wentworthville Magpies crashed over the try-line five minutes after the break to get back into the contest. A brilliant run up the left-hand side of the field from Emosi Alamoti set up the field position as they began to shift to the right. A loopy cut-out pass to winger Elias Abou-Mrad saw him crash over the line. With the conversion unsuccessful, Manly still led 16-8.
Just five minutes later, the Magpies found their way upfield again after a stunning 40/20. Attacking close to the line the ball swung out to the right to find Abou-Mrad out on his wing, going over for his second try, back-to-back. After a tough afternoon with the boot, the first successful conversion by Darcy Brettle got the Magpies within two points, 14-16.
An illegal steal by Manly right in front of the posts saw the Magpies level the scores with a successful penalty goal by Brettle with 20 minutes remaining.
An incredible break down the field from Manly’s Justin Burt saw a desperate defensive display from Magpies fullback Liam Davidson. Preventing the quick play-the-ball, Davidson was then sent to the sin bin for a professional foul giving Manly the perfect field position to kick a penalty goal. Burt missed the kick and the opportunity to take the lead back.
Wentworthville Magpies, down to 12 men, regained the lead in the 69th minute. A run down the left edge from five-eighth Zachary Hunter saw the Magpies rack up some great field position. It was lock forward Denzal Tonise who found the line through an old-fashioned dummy-half crash play. A successful conversion from Brettle saw the Magpies with a 22-16 lead.
With time ticking away, Manly found a miracle to get themselves back level. A penalty saw Manly on the attack 15 metres from the try-line. An offload out the back saw Braith Alexander quickly pass the ball to fullback Lehmann who ran straight over the line. A successful conversion right in front of the posts levelled the scores at 22-all.
As the Grand Final clock ticked closer to full-time, the field goal attempts began. With under two minutes to go, a monster kick from Brettle saw him slot a two-point field goal to give the Magpies the lead. But this thrilling grand final was not done yet.
A determined Manly Leagues team charged their way up the field with less than a minute to go. A high shot gave them a penalty and their last chance to stay in the game as the siren rang at full-time. A successful penalty goal Berryman saw Manly hang on as they entered extra time 24-all.
After a full 10 minutes of extra time, both sides held their ground as the score remain unchanged. Five minutes and 44 seconds into golden point, Berryman sealed an epic 96-minute Grand Final with a field goal taking the final score to 25-24.
Full-time: Manly Leagues 25 (Lehmann 3, L Burt, Rees-Hatu tries; L Burt, Berryman goals; Berryman field goal) Wentworthville United 24 (Abou-Mrad 3, Tonise tries; Brettle 3 goals; Brettle two-point field goal).
