Parramatta Eels 46–22 Manly-Warringah — Qualifying Final, 2005 NRL Finals Series
11 Sep 2005 · Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW · Attendance: 19,710
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Qualifying Final, 2005 NRL finals series: Parramatta Eels 46–22 Manly-Warringah, at Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW on 11 Sep 2005.
Sourcing caveat: An earlier research pass could only extract 2 of Parramatta's 8 tries and 2 of Manly's 4 tries from Rugby League Project's season-summary view; pulling the full individual match box score directly resolved all 12 try-scorers (Parramatta: Tahu x2, Burt, Grothe, Peek, Riddell, Robinson, Wagon; Manly: Kennedy x2, Watmough, Witt). No try-scoring minutes were given in the box score.
Scorers
| Parramatta Eels | Tries: Tahu; Tahu; Burt; Grothe; Peek; Riddell; Robinson; Wagon Goals: Burt (7/8 conversions) |
| Manly-Warringah | Tries: Kennedy; Kennedy; Watmough; Witt Goals: Williamson (2/2 conversions); Monaghan (1/1 conversion); Witt (0/2 conversions) |
Team sheets
| Parramatta Eels | Manly-Warringah | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wade McKinnon | Fullback | Brett Stewart | 1 |
| 2 | Luke Burt | Wing | Paul Stephenson | 2 |
| 3 | Ben Smith | Centre | Terry Hill | 3 |
| 4 | Timana Tahu | Centre | Steve Matai | 4 |
| 5 | Eric Grothe | Wing | Chris Hicks | 5 |
| 6 | John Morris | Five-Eighth | Michael Witt | 18 |
| 7 | Tim Smith | Halfback | Michael Monaghan (c) | 7 |
| 8 | Nathan Cayless (c) | Prop | Jason King | 8 |
| 9 | Mark Riddell | Hooker | Luke Williamson | 11 |
| 10 | Paul Stringer | Prop | Brent Kite | 17 |
| 11 | Daniel Wagon | Second Row | Steve Menzies | 6 |
| 12 | Glenn Morrison | Second Row | Anthony Watmough | 12 |
| 13 | Chad Robinson | Lock | Ben Kennedy | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | PJ Marsh | Shayne Dunley | 9 | |
| 15 | Dean Widders | Daniel Heckenberg | 10 | |
| 16 | Michael Vella | Kylie Leuluai | 14 | |
| 19 | Adam Peek | Sam Harris | 21 | |
| Brian Smith | Coach | Des Hasler | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Tim Mander |
Match report
Minor premiers Parramatta were ruthless in the opening 40 minutes, racing to a 28-0 halftime lead built on a then-record-setting performance from rookie halfback Tim Smith. Timana Tahu scored twice in the demolition, and Luke Burt was near-perfect off the tee. Manly, playing as 8th seeds, were outclassed for most of the match but showed some second-half pride through a Ben Kennedy double, ultimately losing by 24.