Tommy Turbo can’t come back quickly enough.
Manly has been without the injured Tom Trbojevic for three matches and lost them all. Two of them have been at home.
For much of the latest loss, to St George Illawarra during a see-sawing affair at a sold-out 4 Pines Park, they were also without Jake Trbojevic. The NSW captain was ruled out of the game – and the next one against Penrith – after being diagnosed with a category-one concussion.
It was a tale of three Trbojevics. After his head injury, Jake joined Tom – who is hoping to return from a groin injury against the premiers – on the sidelines. It was left for another sibling, Ben, to cross for a try that seemingly gave Manly all of the momentum.
Tyrell Sloan (left) bagged a double for the Dragons.Credit: Getty Images
But in a crazy, topsy-turvy game, where the pendulum swung from one side to the other, it finished in favour of the visitors. Deservedly so.
This is a game that the Dragons had to win multiple times. Their lead, at one stage as large as 14 points, was whittled away while the Sea Eagles had a man in the sin-bin. It was that type of night.
The arrival of Clint Gutherson at fullback may have helped, rather than hindered, the career of Tyrell Sloan. Shifted to the wing, Sloan twice showcased his blistering speed to score crucial tries.
Yet given the Red V had already twice blown what seemed match-winning leads this year, there was tension to the very end.
With only two minutes left on the clock, Daly Cherry-Evans attempted a long-range, two-point field-goal attempt. When it missed the mark, the better team escaped with their own two points.
