Manly-Warringah 26–14 Brisbane Broncos — Preliminary Final, 2011 NRL Finals Series
23 Sep 2011 · Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW · Attendance: 31,894
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Preliminary Final, 2011 NRL finals series: Manly-Warringah 26–14 Brisbane Broncos, at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW on 23 Sep 2011.
Sourcing caveat: No source provided try-scoring minutes. Brisbane's third try-scorer is recorded as 'P. Wallace' / 'Wallace' in the sources checked, without a fully confirmed given name; Petero Wallace is used as the best-supported match from the 2011 Broncos roster.
Scorers
| Manly-Warringah | Tries: William Hopoate; William Hopoate; Matt Ballin; Kieran Foran; Brett Stewart Goals: Jamie Lyon (3/5 conversions) |
| Brisbane Broncos | Tries: Dale Copley; Petero Wallace; Jharal Yow Yeh Goals: Corey Parker (1/3 conversions) |
Team sheets
| Manly-Warringah | Brisbane Broncos | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Stewart | Fullback | Gerard Beale | 1 |
| 2 | Michael Robertson | Wing | Dale Copley | 2 |
| 3 | Jamie Lyon (c) | Centre | Jack Reed | 3 |
| 4 | Steve Matai | Centre | Justin Hodges | 4 |
| 5 | William Hopoate | Wing | Jharal Yow Yeh | 5 |
| 6 | Kieran Foran | Five-Eighth | Matt Gillett | 6 |
| 7 | Daly Cherry-Evans | Halfback | Peter Wallace | 7 |
| 8 | Joe Galuvao | Prop | Josh McGuire | 8 |
| 9 | Matt Ballin | Hooker | Andrew McCullough | 9 |
| 10 | Brent Kite | Prop | Ben Hannant | 10 |
| 11 | Anthony Watmough | Second-Row | Alex Glenn | 11 |
| 12 | Tony Williams | Second-Row | Sam Thaiday (c) | 12 |
| 13 | Shane Rodney | Lock | Corey Parker | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Tim Robinson | Ben Hunt | 15 | |
| 15 | Jamie Buhrer | Scott Anderson | 16 | |
| 16 | Vic Mauro | Ben Te'o | 17 | |
| 17 | George Rose | David Hala | 18 | |
| Des Hasler | Coach | Anthony Griffin | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Shayne Hayne and Jared Maxwell (two-referee system) |
Match report
With a Grand Final berth on the line, Manly entered as firm favourites after Brisbane's inspirational skipper Darren Lockyer was ruled out with a fractured cheekbone suffered in the semi-final, with Sam Thaiday shifting to second row and Matt Gillett filling in at five-eighth. The Sea Eagles made the most of the opportunity, racing to a commanding 16-4 halftime lead and never looking back. Fullback William Hopoate was the standout, crossing twice as Manly's outside backs cut Brisbane apart, while forwards Matt Ballin and Kieran Foran, plus winger Brett Stewart, added further tries to complete a five-try haul. Jamie Lyon was reliable off the tee, slotting three of five conversions. Brisbane fought hard without their talisman, with Dale Copley, Petero Wallace and Jharal Yow Yeh crossing for tries and Corey Parker converting one, but they could never peg back Manly's early advantage. The 26-14 win sent Des Hasler's Sea Eagles through to their second Grand Final in three years, where they would go on to defeat the New Zealand Warriors, while Brisbane's campaign — and Lockyer's storied career — ended in disappointment.