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Trbojevic leads Manly to huge 42-12 win over Cowboys in Round 1

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Manly Sea Eagles
Manly Sea Eagles put on a dominant display winning 40-12 against the North Queensland Cowboys.

The Manly Sea Eagles have sent a warning to the competition, launching their 2025 NRL season with a commanding 42-12 victory over the North Queensland Cowboys at 4 Pines Park.

A blistering start saw Manly Sea Eagles score three tries inside the opening 10 minutes, with their star playmakers firing in front of a packed home crowd.

Tom Trbojevic was at his devastating best, pulling the strings from fullback with his speed and vision, while captain Daly Cherry-Evans steered the $1.60 bookmaker favourites with precision.

New five-eighth Luke Brooks also slotted in seamlessly, helping Manly control the tempo from the outset.

The Cowboys had no answers early as the Sea Eagles ran riot, storming to a 24-0 lead by halftime.

Manly coach Anthony Seibold was thrilled with his side’s start to the season, particularly how well they executed their game plan.

“The first 60 minutes from the guys was outstanding tonight,” he said post-match.

“We prepared well in the pre-season, and I thought they were ready to play.”

The early onslaught began with Haumole Olakau’atu crossing in the third minute before Jason Saab and Ben Trbojevic added to the tally in quick succession.

Manly vs Cowboys NRL Round 1 Highlights

Trbojevic’s influence was on full display when he produced a stunning pass to set up Saab, drawing praise from commentators.

“The ball from Trbojevic is as good as you will ever see,” Fox League’s Greg Alexander said.

The Cowboys, reeling from Manly’s rapid-fire start, struggled to find any fluency in attack.

While they stemmed the flow momentarily, Ethan Bullemor added a fourth try before halftime, bursting through off the back of more brilliance from Trbojevic.

The second half started just as fiercely, with Toafofoa Sipley, Reuben Garrick, and Cherry-Evans all crossing to push the margin past 40.

The Cowboys did manage to salvage some pride late, with Scott Drinkwater and Braidon Burns crossing in the final 10 minutes to avoid a total wipeout.

Coach Todd Payten was blunt in his assessment, admitting his side wasn’t up to standard.

“I spoke about some of our individuals being off the mark, asked them to have a think about their prep, physically and mentally,” he said.

“We’ll put our heads down and stay together.”

For Manly, it was a dream way to start the season, but Cherry-Evans was quick to keep expectations in check.

“It’s nice to get the season off to a great start, but that’s all it is—it doesn’t guarantee anything later in the year,” he said.

“There’s a great foundation laid tonight, but we have to keep building on it.”

The electric performance from the Sea Eagles has their fans optimistic, especially with Trbojevic starting a season fully fit for the first time in years.

Seibold noted that playing for Australia at the end of 2024 gave the star fullback renewed confidence.

“I think he got a lot of confidence out of playing for Australia—it was the first time he’d played for the Kangaroos since 2018,” the coach said.

The Cowboys will now regroup ahead of a tough clash with Cronulla next week, while Manly will travel to New Zealand to face the Warriors, looking to build on what was arguably the best opening-round performance of the year.

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Topics: Manly Sea Eagles, North Queensland Cowboys, NRL, Rugby League

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