Andrew Webster SMH
Every round is Retro Round at Brookvale Oval but as the strains of Cold Chisel, Van Halen and Dexys Midnight Runners rocked Manly's spiritual suburban home, we were given a glorious preview of the future.
For the Sea Eagles. For NSW. For Australia. For all of us.
The future comes in the form of a lanky 20-year-old fullback who still has the face of a teenager but plays with a maturity well beyond his appearance.
The future was born long after most of the songs on the Sea Eagles playlist that were played after each brilliant try scored as Manly fought back from 18-4 behind to score 32 unanswered points.
The future scored two tries, set up others, took short kick-offs, ran the ball out of trouble and copped two knees in the ribs while pouncing on a grubber kick and still played on until the end when Daddy Cool's Eagle Rock underlined Manly's best performance of the season.
The future was playing his 50th match and his name is Tom Trbojevic. Tommy Turbo. Vroom-vroom.
"These are the games when we need all our best players to play well and I thought they all did," Manly coach Trent Barrett said, deflecting any specific praise of his young fullback. "We've got a young side and we give away a thousand games of experience, so it's important they all stand up."
Coming off two losses and 92 points scored against them, they all stood up for Manly.
Captain Daly Cherry-Evans was superb, his kicking game nailing the Roosters deep into their own quarter for most of the second half and his running game constantly putting them on the back foot.
Up front, massive Manly prop Marty Taupau went at massive Roosters prop Jared Waera-Hargreaves from the first set and by the time it was all over had finished well on top.
Rivals forwards have a theory on Taupau. They can tell from his first few touches what sort of game he's going to turn in. He charged through 203 metres from 18 runs in just 44 minutes. He was so damaging it felt like he'd been out there for much longer.
This result belonged to the whole team but it was Trbojevic's tries each side of half-time that set them on their way.
He was the beneficiary in the 38th minute of a frightening run from back-rower Frank Winterstein, who had trampled Joseph Manu earlier in the play. Cue Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Then, seven minutes after the break, he was on the end of an intricate set play around the ruck that saw the ball shift left, then right, then left again for a try under the posts. Press play on Billy Ocean's When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.
These were the flashy plays we all see. The scoreboard won't reflect Trbojevic's toughness when he was accidentally kneed in the ribs by Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell, who was rushing through on a Mitchell Pearce kick.
"I'm not sure if they're still in there," Trbojevic said of Mitchell's knees. "It's a little bit sore now but I've got a week to rest up … I was probably carrying on a little bit. I'm renowned for that. I didn't have much air in my lungs and that's what I wanted back."
Asked what he's learned during his 50 matches thus far, Trbojevic said: "Just how hard this competition is. If you're not on your game, you get found out."
These are interesting times for the Sea Eagles, who for the past decade have had to weather more off-field distractions than any other club. But they're still here.
Their beloved ground has been rebranded Lottoland to keep the money rolling in but on a Sunday afternoon this place serves as reminder to the NRL how it should be: a packed ground, kids running riot on the hill, cold beer flowing with Flock of Seagulls' I Ran (So Far Away) blaring from the loudspeakers.
Retro Round is a Fox Sports construct but head office should never forget its audience. Manly is its audience.
Accordingly, the Sea Eagles and Roosters produced a good old-fashioned bash-up in which they belted each other in the middle and then allowed their flashy outside backs to take advantage of all the grunt work.
Manly's right-hand defence was brittle early on, Aku Uate up to his old tricks of coming in off his wing.
Playing at left centre, Mitchell, who is also 20, was unstoppable in the first half.
He was "rested" earlier this year after a handful of indifferent performances but continually shows why he could feature in NSW teams next year alongside Trbojevic.
He had the presence of mind to steal the ball from Cherry-Evans in the first half to score, then unfurled a round-the-corner pass that led to a Luke Keary try.
That gave the Roosters an 18-4 lead. It should've been over right there but we'd only been going for 29 minutes. There were still many more tries and more WSFM Classic Hits to come.
The second half was very un-Roosters like. It certainly didn't look like the performance of a side about to challenge the Storm for the premiership.
"Yes, that's what it felt like," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
Was it their most disappointing game of the season?
"No."
Is it hard to play 80 minutes against this Manly team?
"No," he said bluntly again, ready to put this one into the distant past as soon as possible.
Every round is Retro Round at Brookvale Oval but as the strains of Cold Chisel, Van Halen and Dexys Midnight Runners rocked Manly's spiritual suburban home, we were given a glorious preview of the future.
For the Sea Eagles. For NSW. For Australia. For all of us.
The future comes in the form of a lanky 20-year-old fullback who still has the face of a teenager but plays with a maturity well beyond his appearance.
The future was born long after most of the songs on the Sea Eagles playlist that were played after each brilliant try scored as Manly fought back from 18-4 behind to score 32 unanswered points.
The future scored two tries, set up others, took short kick-offs, ran the ball out of trouble and copped two knees in the ribs while pouncing on a grubber kick and still played on until the end when Daddy Cool's Eagle Rock underlined Manly's best performance of the season.
The future was playing his 50th match and his name is Tom Trbojevic. Tommy Turbo. Vroom-vroom.
"These are the games when we need all our best players to play well and I thought they all did," Manly coach Trent Barrett said, deflecting any specific praise of his young fullback. "We've got a young side and we give away a thousand games of experience, so it's important they all stand up."
Coming off two losses and 92 points scored against them, they all stood up for Manly.
Captain Daly Cherry-Evans was superb, his kicking game nailing the Roosters deep into their own quarter for most of the second half and his running game constantly putting them on the back foot.
Up front, massive Manly prop Marty Taupau went at massive Roosters prop Jared Waera-Hargreaves from the first set and by the time it was all over had finished well on top.
Rivals forwards have a theory on Taupau. They can tell from his first few touches what sort of game he's going to turn in. He charged through 203 metres from 18 runs in just 44 minutes. He was so damaging it felt like he'd been out there for much longer.
This result belonged to the whole team but it was Trbojevic's tries each side of half-time that set them on their way.
He was the beneficiary in the 38th minute of a frightening run from back-rower Frank Winterstein, who had trampled Joseph Manu earlier in the play. Cue Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Then, seven minutes after the break, he was on the end of an intricate set play around the ruck that saw the ball shift left, then right, then left again for a try under the posts. Press play on Billy Ocean's When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.
These were the flashy plays we all see. The scoreboard won't reflect Trbojevic's toughness when he was accidentally kneed in the ribs by Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell, who was rushing through on a Mitchell Pearce kick.
"I'm not sure if they're still in there," Trbojevic said of Mitchell's knees. "It's a little bit sore now but I've got a week to rest up … I was probably carrying on a little bit. I'm renowned for that. I didn't have much air in my lungs and that's what I wanted back."
Asked what he's learned during his 50 matches thus far, Trbojevic said: "Just how hard this competition is. If you're not on your game, you get found out."
These are interesting times for the Sea Eagles, who for the past decade have had to weather more off-field distractions than any other club. But they're still here.
Their beloved ground has been rebranded Lottoland to keep the money rolling in but on a Sunday afternoon this place serves as reminder to the NRL how it should be: a packed ground, kids running riot on the hill, cold beer flowing with Flock of Seagulls' I Ran (So Far Away) blaring from the loudspeakers.
Retro Round is a Fox Sports construct but head office should never forget its audience. Manly is its audience.
Accordingly, the Sea Eagles and Roosters produced a good old-fashioned bash-up in which they belted each other in the middle and then allowed their flashy outside backs to take advantage of all the grunt work.
Manly's right-hand defence was brittle early on, Aku Uate up to his old tricks of coming in off his wing.
Playing at left centre, Mitchell, who is also 20, was unstoppable in the first half.
He was "rested" earlier this year after a handful of indifferent performances but continually shows why he could feature in NSW teams next year alongside Trbojevic.
He had the presence of mind to steal the ball from Cherry-Evans in the first half to score, then unfurled a round-the-corner pass that led to a Luke Keary try.
That gave the Roosters an 18-4 lead. It should've been over right there but we'd only been going for 29 minutes. There were still many more tries and more WSFM Classic Hits to come.
The second half was very un-Roosters like. It certainly didn't look like the performance of a side about to challenge the Storm for the premiership.
"Yes, that's what it felt like," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
Was it their most disappointing game of the season?
"No."
Is it hard to play 80 minutes against this Manly team?
"No," he said bluntly again, ready to put this one into the distant past as soon as possible.
