Manly thump Dragons, but fumble denies fans moment they were waiting for

4 Pines Park: The one thing Manly fans were looking forward did not happen on Friday evening.The Sea Eagles thumped a woeful St George Illawarra 44-10 to keep their slim finals hopes alive.Manly simply need to beat the New Zealand Warriors next weekend and rely on South Sydney or the Cowboys losing both of their final two games to qualify.The Sea Eagles have the firepower and confidence to cause some headaches should they make it to September.Who would want to stop Haumole Olakau’atu in full flight? Tom Trbojevic is two games back from a hamstring injury and also bound to strip fitter.And what about Clayton Faulolo, who bagged a try, set up another three and is proving arguably the best utility on the northern beaches?But the 13,957 supporters inside 4 Pines Park one last time this season, including members of the club’s 1996 premiership team, rose to their feet for the kick-off in the 74th minute when Nathan Brown was ready to launch himself off the back fence.Brown was playing his 200th NRL game and his last at home before finishing his career in the Super League next year.What Brown lacks in size he makes up for in heart, and quickly earned the reputation for his kick-off carries, not to mention the nickname “Back-fence Brown”.The TV cameras captured Brown’s eyes light up when the Dragons kicked to his side of the field. The Italian international started to steam on to the ball, got excited, then realised the pass from Jamal Fogarty was never coming because he had dropped the ball. Brown let out a giant sigh, as did the supporters.Departing Manly forward Nathan Brown celebrated his 200th NRL game with a big win.NRL Photos“I felt for him because I saw him wind up about three or four times, he wanted to have one of those carries,” coach Kieran Foran said.“He’s been such a warrior, to get to 200 games and the way he’s had to do it – he’s stayed in the fight a long time – it was great to see him go out a winner [at home] tonight.”It was a shame, but it was never going to change the result.As is the case every year, Manly are the one club teams above them probably do not want to meet in the finals.If they fall short, they will rue a few tight losses, including golden-point defeats to Canterbury and the Cowboys.It is still a success, considering they dropped their opening three games, sacked coach Anthony Seibold, then eventually appointed one of their favourite sons, Foran, to succeed him.Things will become a lot clearer about the September hopes in the next few days.The future looks bright, regardless, when you think of a player like Faulolo, as well as Onitoni Large, who made his debut with 20 minutes remaining, and was given a warm embrace by Trbojevic as he took the field.Large is just 19, was in the Wests Tigers system before signing a three-year deal with Manly, and was just as handy at rugby.Foran is confident he has a big future: “The thing I love about Onitoni [during] the last six weeks is the growth we’ve seen in his game; we felt like he was so ready if he was called upon. He’s going to be a special player. He’s young, raw, but he works hard on his game.”Josh Feledy keeps the points coming for the Sea Eagles on Friday night.Getty ImagesThe Sea Eagles were given a standing ovation when they led 26-0 at the break against a Dragons side that completed only 10 of their 15 sets. Things did not improve for the men wearing red and white in the second half.The Dragons will finish with the wooden spoon. At least they have recruited well and have plenty to get excited about in 2027. Still, they will want to finish on a high next week on home soil, and send out the likes of the departing Damien Cook on a high.Daniel Atkinson had a rough night at fullback, spilling a couple, and then being trampled over by Olakau’atu when he scored a brilliant solo try.Olakau’atu is a scary sight in full flight. So is Brown.More:NRL 2026Manly Sea EaglesSt George Illawarra DragonsFrom our partners