Match Report | Round 4

Turbo charged: Skipper Tom Trbojevic did everything in his power to get Manly on the board in 2026. Turbo had 24 runs for 212 metres and broke five tackles while also pulling off plenty of safe catches under the high ball.

Complete performance: The Roosters defied tough conditions to finish with an astonishing 96 per cent completion rate (51 of 53 sets). The Roosters made 2017 metres to Manly's 1691 and did not concede a penalty for the entire 80 minutes.

Full-time: Daly Cherry-Evans savour his 86th win at Brookvale Oval and first as a Rooster as he plays a leading role in the 33-16 triumph with a try assist, two line break assists and 530 kick metres. Rob Toia bags a double and ran for 130 metres while James Tedesco chalked up 218 run metres and Nat Butcher churned out 19 runs for 201 metres.

80 min: Icing on the cake from Sam Walker as he cooly pilots a 35-metre field goal to make the final margin 17 points.

77 min: Rob Toia caps a fine game with a second try as he chases a Daly Cherry-Evans high ball and outleaps Tom Trbojevic to score. Sam Walker converts. Roosters 32-16.

73 min: The Roosters elect to take the tap and keep the pressure on from the high tackle penalty but Siua Wong spills it.

72 min: Jason Saab flies in off his wing and his shoulder makes contact with Hugo Savala's head. Big impact and it's night over for Saab as he goes on report and into the bin. 

70 min: Tom Trbojevic looks dangerous again and slips a pass for Jason Saab who had open space in front of him but the winger can't take the catch and the Roosters take possession.

66 min: Luke Brooks goes to the short side and picks up Tom Trbojevic who sends Tolu Koula down the wing and then backs up to take a return pass to score his second. Jamal Fogarty converts. Roosters 26-16.

60 min: Jamal Fogarty goes close as he takes the line on but the last-tackle kick from Luke Brooks is poor and Siua Wong covers up.

59 min: Lindsay Collins makes an error in the ruck and Manly get a chance to turn the tide.

57 min: PENALTY TRY. Daniel Tupou grubbers ahead for himself and gets to the ball first but his legs go out as he grounds it. Reuben Garrick is ruled to have tackled Tupou and denied him a fair shot at the ball so the bunker awards a penalty try. Tupou now has 185 tries for his career. Sam Walker gets the conversion from in front. Roosters 26-10.

56 min: Young giant Simione Laiafi enters the field for his NRL debut as Jake Trbojevic heads up the tunnel and reports emerge that Ethan Bullemor had hurt his ankle in the warm-up.

55 min: A double strike for the Roosters with Reece Robson coming up with a clever grubber for Connor Watson to follow through and score. Sam Walker adds the extras. Roosters 20-10.

52 min: On the back of a one-on-one steal by Connor Watson the Roosters go inside the red zone and Rob Toia bamboozles Luke Brooks with footwork and dots down for the Roosters' third try. Sam Walker converts. Roosters 14-10.

49 min: Sam Walker grubbers, the ball hits the upright, Tom Trbojevic beats Nat Butcher to the ball and grounds it. Jamal Fogarty goes long with the dropout and picks up 65 metres.

48 min: Manly work on a short side again and look crisp until Ben Trbojevic comes up with a simple error and the Roosters come away.

46 min: A good run from Lehi Hopoate puts Manly on the front foot and Jamal Fogarty has time but his kick goes straight to Daniel Tupou on the full.

41 min: Sam Walker and Salesi Foketi have both passed their HIA and take the field at the start of the second half. Centre Billy Smith has not come out for the second half as he is struggling with a knee injury.

Speed to burn: Tolu Koula and Jason Saab combined for 14 runs and 249 metres as Manly got the ball to the edges and stretched the Roosters' defence to the limit. James Tedesco and Mark Nawaqanitawase had 25 runs and 259 metres between them for the visitors.

Half-time: The Roosters had more possession and completed 22 of 22 sets but still find themselves trailing as Manly produced two stunning long-range tries through Tom Trbojevic and Tolu Koula to lead 10-8. With only one penalty in the opening 40 minutes there was plenty of ball in play and both sides showed great control in the conditions.

38 min: Sam Walker and Salesi Foketi both leave the field for a HIA after clashing heads as they attempted to make a tackle. Hugo Savala enters the field of play for his first NRL action of the season.

35 min: Manly sneak up the short side on the last tackle and Mark Nawaqanitawase is forced to come from behind Lehi Hopoate to make a last-ditch tackle and knock the ball loose.

29 min: Electric speed and footwork from Tolu Koula as he goes 85 metres to score a stunning solo try leaving Rob Toia, Siua Wong and James Tedesco in his wake. Jamal Fogarty fails to convert. Sea Eagles 10-8

23 min: The Roosters play 'hot potato' to keep the ball alive before James Tedesco chip kicks into the in goal where Tom Trbojevic cleans up and is taken in goal. Jamal Fogarty goes long with the dropout.

21 min: Jamal Fogarty's bomb comes down right on the tryline, James Tedesco spills it, Brandon Wakeham picks up the loose ball and burrows over but the bunker disallows the try for Haumole Olakau'atu shoving Billy Smith who crashed into Tedesco and stopped him getting a fair catch on the ball.

18 min: Tom Trbojevic spills a high ball and the Roosters clean the ball up and get the ball to the right wing where Rob Toia shows good skills to open space for Mark Nawaqanitawase who dives into the corner and controls the put-down. Sam Walker again misses from touch. Roosters 8-6.

14 min: Daly Cherry-Evans goes to the air for Mark Nawaqanitawase to chase but Tom Trbojevic is rock solid under the high ball.

7 min: Great skill by the Roosters in the slippery conditions with Daly Cherry-Evans, James Tedesco, Siua Wong and Rob Toia handling before Mark Nawaqanitawase finishes it off in the corner. Sam Walker misses the conversion. Sea Eagles 6-4.

5 min: A chorus of boos for Daly Cherry-Evans as he handles twice in a set that finishes with Reuben Garrick knocking down a pass to hand the Roosters a new set.

3 min: More trouble for the Roosters as Egan Butcher cops a knock to the head as he tries to tackle Taniela Paseka head on. Butcher leaves the field for a HIA and is deemed a Category 1 so he won't return.

1 min: A stunning start by Manly who run the ball from inside their own 10m and Reuben Garrick puts Jason Saab away down the right. Saab races 60 metres and picks up Tom Trbojevic in support for a try within 30 seconds. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 6-0.

7.15pm The clash between the Sea Eagles and Roosters is expected to kick off on time at 8.00pm. The ground was hit by a storm and lightning and the floodlights were turned off as a precaution but the lights are now back on and lightning is heading out to sea. Players will be able to go onto the field for their warm-up and kick-off should be on time at 8.00pm.

Late Mail

Sea Eagles: Brandon Wakeham starts the game at hooker and Jake Simpkin goes to the bench in a late switch. Teenage front-rower Simione Laiafi is part of the six-man bench and in the frame for an NRL debut. The prop's potential debut comes as Siua Taukeiaho's return from a calf injury was put on hold for another week, while Nathan Brown has also been struck down with illness. 

Roosters: No late changes for the Roosters. Daly Cherry-Evans will wear the No.6 jersey when he returns to 4 Pines Park for the first time as a Rooster, with Sam Walker starting at halfback. Billy Smith makes his return from concussion in the centres while emerging playmaker Hugo Savala is part of the six-man bench after making a successful comeback from an ankle injury in NSW Cup last week. 

Numbers Game

• The Sea Eagles have a 69 per cent winning record against the Roosters at 4 Pines Park.
• The Roosters have won six of their last eight games against the Sea Eagles.
• Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic has scored six tries in his last six games at 4 Pines Park.
• Roosters five-eighth Daly Cherry-Evans will move to outright fourth on the all-time appearances list.
• Sea Eagles centre Tolu Koula has scored 12 tries in his last 11 games at 4 Pines Park.