Round 16, 2011
WIN Stadium
Despite missing captain Ben Hornby and centre Matt Cooper to injury the Dragons ran out strong 24-6 winners in Wollongong in Round 16 last year.
Kyle Stanley, playing in the centres for Cooper, bagged two tries. The Dragons led 12-nil at halftime despite having less possession than their opponents, with the Sea Eagles digging a hole for themselves with a whopping 18 missed tackles in the opening 40 minutes. A Brett Stewart try immediately after the resumption got the visitors back into the contest before tries to Stanley and Jamie Soward in the 67th and 70th minutes sealed the deal for the Red V.
It was a high-quality contest, with both sides completing their sets at 83 per cent and the Dragons winning the battle for overall territory by just 10 metres on the night. However, the home side made four line-breaks to the Sea Eagles’ one. Darius Boyd starred for the Dragons with 188 metres and eight tackle busts, while Manly were best served by halfback Daly Cherry-Evans (113 metres, seven tackle-breaks) and lock Glenn Stewart (135 metres, six tackle-breaks).
