Manly’s bid for five straight wins under Kieran Foran since the sacking of Anthony Seibold fell agonisingly short on Sunday evening, as Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary orchestrated a hard-fought victory to secure the outright competition lead.
Highly touted Manly halfback Joey Walsh was superb on his starting debut, setting up two tries in a gallant 18-16 defeat that offered a promising glimpse into the club’s future without stalwart Daly Cherry-Evans at the helm.
The 19-year-old’s stunning out-the-back, no-look pass to Haumole Olakau’atu before Ethan Bullemor’s try was the kind of moment that can ignite a career, underlining why there is so much hype around the former schoolboy rugby prodigy.
“This is top-shelf ball play,” said premiership-winning halfback Cooper Cronk in commentary for Fox Sports. “He gets the ball … and tells an absolute lie with his eyes and his hips. That is a very good play by Joey Walsh.”
Walsh thrived in the absence of regular No.7 Jamal Fogarty, but Penrith found a way to surge past Manly after trailing 16-12 with 20 minutes remaining at CommBank Stadium. Walsh attempted a two-point field goal with just over a minute remaining but it fell well short.
Manly’s magnificent April has not quite carried into May, their four-game winning streak halted by a Panthers side that were far from perfect and turned over an uncharacteristic amount of ball.
The Sea Eagles look an entirely different outfit to the slow-starting side of March. Whether Foran can maintain his early impact through the winter months remains to be seen, but to be within a try of the competition benchmark deep into the contest is an encouraging sign.
A gorgeous cut-out pass from Cleary just before half-time restored Penrith’s advantage, with winger Brian To’o finishing in the right corner to hand the hosts a 12-6 lead at the break.
Foran was animated in the coaching box when Manly struck first through Clayton Faulalo, but the lead was short-lived as Penrith hit back through Blaize Talagi, who took the line on and delivered in the 10th minute.
Penrith’s only slip-up of the season, against the Bulldogs last month, is almost a distant memory now, with Ivan Cleary’s side sharpening their focus as they build towards the Origin period sitting alone atop the ladder, two points clear of the Warriors, who have five wins from seven starts.
On a weekend of injury concerns for NSW coach Laurie Daley — including Roosters duo Mark Nawaqanitawase (ankle) and Angus Crichton (knee) — Penrith’s stars emerged unscathed a fortnight out from the Blues squad announcement.
Amid a flurry of high-scoring matches across the competition, the defensive resolve shown from both sides for the most part was refreshing to see.
There was drama early in the second half when Cleary claimed obstruction against Faulalo in the lead-up to Lehi Hopoate’s 52nd-minute try. Referee Wyatt Raymond acknowledged the contact but ruled it had no impact, to the frustration of Cleary, his teammates and Cronk, who declared it was “100 per cent no try”.
The moment threatened to swerve Penrith off track in the second half before Izack Tago found the line and Cleary iced his third conversion from as many attempts to take what proved to be a match-winning two-point lead.
Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.