MANLY had a day out with success in both the 2020 NSW Junior State Cup under-18 boys and girls grand finals in Port Macquarie on Sunday.
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Sea Eagles under-18 girls coach Edith Nathan steered her side to their third tournament deciding success in the last four years when they cruised past Nelson Bay five tries to one.
The maroon and whites then held off a gallant Beresfield to win the under-18 boys northern conference title with a two tries to one win.
But it was their under-18 girls semi-final win over Port Macquarie that Nathan attributed as the key to their comfortable win in the final.
"We had a bit of a scare against Port," she said.
"They're a great team, are always tough and make us work hard for our wins so it's never an easy game against them."
The scare the Manly coach referred to was a surprise two-tries-to-one lead the Makos held midway through the match.
"The crowd was behind them and we panicked for a few minutes, but then got our composure and started running again," she said.
The ability to get themselves out of that sticky situation provided the team with the confidence to always have the final in their keeping.
They always appeared to have the match under control after Sailor Perrett latched onto an errant pass to score the all-important first try, but the coach said they were always wary of their opponents.
"Nelson Bay is our nemesis," she said.
"We lost to them three years ago in the under-16 semi-final, so every time we play them it's really tough."
A dryer playing surface in the final compared to the heavier outside fields they played on during the weekend at Tuffins Lane suited the Sea Eagles direct, running style of play.
"We're a running team," Nathan said.
"We like to have to get a clean exit and a great entry and we just about score off every set if we have a clean exit."
Sara Ryan and Perrett scored doubles for the Sea Eagles with Grace Carpenter also crossing the line.
"We have a lot of strength in our team, they all have their role and are happy to do the hard work for our ball players," Nathan said.
"We've got workers, we've got ball players and we have our wingers who finish so it was a great team effort."
The top eight teams in each division will now head to Penrith in three weeks for the state championships.
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