The Sea Eagles have notched their first win of the season after skipper Daly Cherry-Evans knocked through the game-winning field goal to hand Manly a 13-12 win over the Bulldogs.
In wet and slippery conditions at Brookvale Oval, life was made extra tough for the home side after they conceded in the opening minute courtesy of back-to-back handling errors.
The golden start for the Bulldogs turned into a two-try-to-none lead when Braidon Burns crossed over to make it a blistering opening 15 minutes for Canterbury.
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However, Canterbury’s fast start was short-lived when Manly winger Reuben Garrick made a big break to set up reigning Dally M Medal winner Tom Trbojevic for the Sea Eagles’ first reply.
And in the shadows of half-time, Manly hit the front when Garrick produced a stunning finish in the corner for the Sea Eagles’ second try.
Poor kicking in the first half from Bulldogs playmaker Matt Burton, who was unable to convert on both of his side’s tries, meant Manly held a two-point lead at the main break.
While Burton converted on two penalty goals, including one late in the match to level scores at 12-all, Cherry-Evans had the last laugh.
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On fifth tackle with three minutes remaining, Cherry-Evans took a more unorthodox approach to his field goal when instead of sitting behind play to line up for the attempt, he stood just a few metres away from the play-the-ball before walking into his shot.
He made no mistake from 20 metres out directly in front.
Meanwhile, the loss for the Bulldogs keeps them at one win from three games.
“It was a tough night, they’ve really come a long way Canterbury. It’s impressive,” Manly lock Jake Trbojevic said after the match.