Knights lose $2.7m of star power but still thump Manly as Dolphins produce great escape

Newcastle lost $2.7 million in playmaking talent in less than 10 minutes when Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown went down injured in an otherwise stirring 36-16 win over Manly, who were booed by sections of their own fans at Brookvale Oval.

The Knights’ two highest-paid players cut the Sea Eagles to ribbons early before being cut down themselves with respective hamstring and knee ligament issues, Ponga while scoring a try and Brown while setting up another against a thoroughly disappointing Manly outfit.

Ponga’s estimated $1.4 million salary and the $1.3 million Newcastle have outlaid for Brown in each season of an eye-watering 10-year deal means the Knights’ campaign effectively hinges on upcoming scan results, though the early expectation is Brown will miss 3-4 weeks with MCL damage.

The Knights led 18-10 when Ponga grabbed at his right hamstring after scoring and was eventually forced off. Brown joined him in the sheds and was sporting a knee brace after he was caught in an awkward Tom Trbojevic tackle while throwing the last pass for a Fletcher Hunt try.

“It was a bit of an overstride when I made that line break,” Ponga said, chuffed that Newcastle held their nerve without himself and Brown throughout the second half.

“The last time I did a hammy was 2018, I think. So I don’t really have anything to compare it to… I’ll get scans, go from there. Fingers crossed it’s best news. I want to be back out there next week, but we’ll see.”

Fletcher Sharpe is pushing to return from his own knee injury and is set to slot into the halves alongside utility Sandon Smith next week against the Warriors. Hunt impressed at fullback in Ponga’s place as the Knights defended a 30-10 half-time lead, while Phoenix Crossland also held his nerve shifting from dummy-half to halfback duties when Brown went down.

Newcastle’s attack was outstanding early on with Ponga and Brown calling the shots against Manly’s rickety defence, but new coach Justin Holbrook took even more out of the resolve his side showed without its two biggest names.

“We want to be that hard-working, gritty side from Newcastle, and I reckon all of our supporters will be really proud of that,” Holbrook said.

“Obviously to lose our two strike weapons, and I thought our attack was brilliant while they were on the field ... But [a 43rd-minute Haumole Olakau’atu four-pointer] was the only try we conceded. A lot of self-belief comes of that.”

In picturesque autumn sunshine and with points aplenty to match, Manly had ample time to reel in Newcastle’s lead. With strike weapons Trbojevic, Tolu Koula and Olakau’atu, they had the players to do it too.

But repeated handling errors – the Sea Eagles made 15 mistakes in all – meant they had no right to.

Two Luke Brooks kick-off fumbles, multiple knock-ons on play one, a scrum penalty for offside and Reuben Garrick playing the ball to no-one after a long break, allowing Newcastle to pinch possession, made for a miserable Manly afternoon.

The Garrick blunder was the final straw for numerous supporters as they then made an early exit.

The Sea Eagles are winless from two home games under Anthony Seibold this season, with the spotlight and pressure only set to increase on their coach after last year’s bottom-eight finish.

“We were way below the mark of what we expected of ourselves,” Seibold said.

“We didn’t give ourselves a chance execution-wise and we missed the mark with our contact and the physical part of it today. No one ever means to make an error, right? But our ability to then show resolve off the back of that is what we’re searching for.”

Manly will review Sunday’s clash before giving players their RLPA-mandated three days off in a bye week, with Seibold stressing that their poor start to the year won’t “panic or change our schedule.”

The Sea Eagles’ next outing in round four is once again at Brookvale and will be one of the most anticipated clashes of the season, given former captain Daly Cherry-Evans returns as a Rooster for the first time.

“The really good teams in the competition win at 60 per cent, the good teams win at 50 per cent, and so there’s another 22 games to go,” Seibold said.

“We need to show far more improvement than what we showed today. But I’ve got a lot of faith in the group. That doesn’t change. But we were well beaten today, so you’ve got to own that and work out why.”

Tabuai-Fidow engineers Dolphins great-escape win

The magic of Dolphins superstar Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow conjured a get-out-of-jail 18-14 comeback win over a brave Gold Coast outfit.

The talismanic fullback lived up to his “Hammer” moniker with a sensational try from an Isaiaya Katoa bomb and a scintillating run from his own quarter to set up another.

The Dolphins trailed 14-0 at Suncorp Stadium and were going nowhere before a Titans mistake opened the door.

A tap back by Titans centre Phil Sami from a line dropout went straight to Dolphins forward Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, who got his side’s first try in the 53rd minute.

Tabuai-Fidow’s scintillating 60m run led to centre Jake Averillo scoring in the 68th minute. The Dolphins’ match-winner then sealed victory with his flying leap as only he can.

The Dolphins, who lost Queensland prop Thomas Flegler in the 22nd minute to a rib injury, were fortunate to win this one.

The Titans, courtesy of a Jojo Fifita try, led 8-0 at half-time after a mistake-ridden display by the hosts.

This was the 74th match played by the Dolphins in their short history, and their first-half performance was by far the worst they have dished up.

Their 11 errors and 60 per cent completion rate told the tale.

The Titans had nothing thrown at them but they defended well, considering in the previous week’s 50-10 loss to Cronulla they had trailed 34-0 at half-time.

The standard of play in the opening half had to be seen to be believed. The Dolphins were shocking, making an assortment of errors, and the visitors did not have the class to put them away.

The Dolphins kept inviting the Titans into it and another bumbling mistake, this time by second-rower Connelly Lemuelu, led to Titans centre Fifita scoring in the corner.

Winger Sialetili Faeamani got over the line on the cusp of half-time, but a try-saver by Dolphins duo Tabuai-Fidow and Herbie Farnworth denied the rookie.

Comical goal-line defence by the Dolphins allowed barnstorming Titans forward Cooper Bai to run through a hole a convoy of trucks could have driven through to open the second half and give the Titans a 14-0 lead.

A brilliant try-saver by Titans fullback Keano Kini denied Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako in a sign of his absolute commitment.

It was then that the Dolphins clicked into gear with three tries in 20 minutes to clinch their great escape.

AAP