Menzies says okay for NRL season start AAP Manly veteran Steve Menzies says he will be right for the start of the NRL season in a fortnight despite lasting only a couple of minutes in Friday night's 26-16 trial win over the Warriors at Stockland Park on the Sunshine Coast. The 300-gamer had his neck twisted in a tackle and was taken from the field almost immediately. "It was just precautionary that I didn't go back on," the back-rower said. "If it was an NRL game, I would have got some treatment and gone back out, but it was just a trial and not worth the risk." Winger Michael Bani grabbed a hat-trick of tries for the Eagles, who enjoyed the majority support of the 8040-strong crowd. Last year's beaten grand finalists have established a partnership agreement with the Sunshine Coasts Queensland Rugby League FOGs Cup side, who are also now known as the Sea Eagles, and were making their second trip in as many years to their new second home. The Sydney club is in talks to play an official premiership match on the Coast in 2009. Bani, who didn't play in last season's grand final loss to Melbourne but seems a certain starter for round one against Cronulla on March 15, picked up a first-half double for the Eagles, who twice led before the Warriors went into halftime with a 12-10 lead.
