A Tom Trbojevic-inspired Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles have thumped the Sydney Roosters in Mackay to march into their first NRL preliminary final since 2013.
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The Sea Eagles' superstar fullback fired back after his quiet night last week against Melbourne, scoring two tries and setting up another as Manly claimed a comprehensive 42-6 semi-final win over the Roosters - marking the end of the 325 game career of Kiama's Josh Morris.
The victory means Manly, spearheaded by Gerringong's Reuben Garrick, move on to face South Sydney next Friday in Brisbane in a grand final qualifier with their two-time premiership-winning coach Des Hasler up against seven-time grand final victor Wayne Bennett.
"Simple things, we just held onto the ball, completed well, we built pressure and we played with a good physicality and we're gonna need that against a good Souths side next week," a happy Hasler said.
"Some good parts there we can take forward."
Trbojevic took just six minutes to make his impact on the game, crossing over on the first play after winning his team a penalty for a late hit from Matt Ikuvalu for which the Roosters' winger was placed on report.
When Trbojevic combined with his brother Jake just five minutes later before sending five-eighth Kieran Foran into a wide-open gap, the Sea Eagles had bolted to a 12-nil lead.
Hometown product Daly Cherry-Evans was also having a good night out at BB Print Stadium, the north Queensland town hosting the first final in its history.
Cherry-Evans scored Manly's third try, busting through some weak Roosters defence with a left-foot step after a scrum, and had a key role in Manly's fourth try with a bullet pass sending Jason Saab free down the right before the winger passed inside to allow centre Morgan Harper to score.
The Roosters, who committed five errors in a sloppy first half, only had an Ikuvalu try and an Adam Keighran penalty conversion after the half-time siren to show for their efforts at the break.
Their sloppiness didn't stop in the second half with Trbojevic and then Dylan Walker extending the Sea Eagles' lead.
The victory was sealed when Saab sprinted 80 metres on the back of another Roosters' handling error, taking time to showboat with his teammates on the sideline before scoring.
Such was the ease of Manly's win, Trbojevic was already off the field at that stage, having been given an early mark by Hasler.
Trent Robinson's injury-hit team, playing without suspended hooker Sam Verrills, ended the game with a completion rate of 68 per cent in a disappointing end to their campaign.
"The signs were there that that could have happened tonight but we kept believing that there were signs we could really do something special," said Robinson, whose team also featured Albion Park-Oak Flats' Drew Hutchison.
"You have to believe in what's possible. We kept searching for it and putting the puzzle together and we just couldn't nail it."
Morris will join twin brother Brett, who missed the game with a knee injury, in retirement.
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