Manly throw down gauntlet to Storm
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David Williams snagged a double as Manly downed the Panthers 34-16 (Getty Images: Ezra Shaw)
Manly claimed the minor premiership position for at least a night following a comfortable 34-16 defeat over the Panthers in Saturday evening's round 26 NRL match-up at CUA stadium in Penrith.
The Sea Eagles piled on six tries to three to move a win clear of both Melbourne and Cronulla at the top of the competition ladder, with the Storm now needing to beat South Sydney on Sunday night by 26 points to claim their third minor premiership in a row.
Whichever side ends up minor premiers take home the J.J. Giltinan Shield and $100,000 for their efforts, and face the eighth-placed side in a home final in week one of the finals, likely to be either Newcastle or the Warriors.
Manly took a slender 18-12 lead over the Panthers by half-time, but a Nathan Smith try three minutes into the second stanza closed the gap to just two points.
A try to second rower Glenn Stewart 11 minutes later restored the Sea Eagles' buffer, and when his brother Brett crossed in the right corner in the 68th minute after a simple second-man play the game was as good as over.
Knowing every point was vital in the chase for the number one spot, Des Hasler's side bagged one more four-pointer in the dying stages to Steven Bell to extend their points differential lead over Melbourne.
Earlier, David Williams crossed for two first-half tries, including an intercept against the run of play in the 25th minute, to hand the visitors an 18-6 lead after 25 minutes.
Penrith interchange Paul Aiton burrowed over four minutes from the break to get the Panthers back in the game, but Manly proved too strong in the second period against a Panther outfit hit by the withdrawal of half-back Luke Lewis prior to the game.
Manly 34 (D Williams 2, S Menzies, G Stewart, B Stewart, S Bell tries; M Orford 4 conversions, J Lyon conversion)
Penrith 16 (T Puletua, P Aiton, N Smith tries; M Gordon 2 conversions)
