Manly-Warringah 42–8 North Queensland Cowboys — Qualifying Final, 2011 NRL Finals Series
10 Sep 2011 · Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW · Attendance: 13,972
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Qualifying Final, 2011 NRL finals series: Manly-Warringah 42–8 North Queensland Cowboys, at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW on 10 Sep 2011.
Sourcing caveat: No source provided minute markers for individual tries; these are omitted rather than estimated. Thurston's two goals for the Cowboys are inferred to be one conversion plus one penalty goal based on score arithmetic (1 try + 2 goals = 8), not an explicit source breakdown.
Scorers
| Manly-Warringah | Tries: William Hopoate; William Hopoate; Brett Stewart; Brett Stewart; Matt Ballin; Jamie Buhrer; Anthony Watmough Goals: Jamie Lyon (6/6 conversions); Michael Robertson (1/1 conversions) |
| North Queensland Cowboys | Tries: Willie Tonga Goals: Johnathan Thurston (2/2 goals) |
Team sheets
| Manly-Warringah | North Queensland Cowboys | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Stewart | Fullback | Matt Bowen | 1 |
| 2 | Michael Robertson | Wing | Ashley Graham | 2 |
| 3 | Jamie Lyon (c) | Centre | Brent Tate | 3 |
| 4 | Steve Matai | Centre | Willie Tonga | 4 |
| 5 | William Hopoate | Wing | Kalifa Faifai Loa | 5 |
| 6 | Kieran Foran | Five-Eighth | Ray Thompson | 6 |
| 7 | Daly Cherry-Evans | Halfback | Johnathan Thurston (c) | 7 |
| 8 | Joe Galuvao | Prop | Matthew Scott | 8 |
| 9 | Matt Ballin | Hooker | James Segeyaro | 14 |
| 10 | Brent Kite | Prop | James Tamou | 10 |
| 11 | Anthony Watmough | Second-Row | Gavin Cooper | 11 |
| 17 | Tony Williams | Second-Row | Glenn Hall | 12 |
| 13 | Shane Rodney | Lock | Dallas Johnson | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 12 | Vic Mauro | Aaron Payne | 9 | |
| 14 | Tim Robinson | Scott Bolton | 15 | |
| 15 | Jamie Buhrer | Ashton Sims | 17 | |
| 16 | George Rose | Cory Paterson | 18 | |
| Des Hasler | Coach | Neil Henry | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Gavin Badger and Ben Cummins (two-referee system) |
Match report
Manly's reward for finishing the regular season in 2nd place was a home qualifying final against 7th-placed North Queensland, with a bye to the Preliminary Final on offer to the winner. The Cowboys made the Sea Eagles pay early, taking an 8-0 lead into halftime through a Willie Tonga try and two Johnathan Thurston goals, leaving Manly scoreless in the opening 40 minutes. But the Sea Eagles erupted after the break, scoring all 42 of their points in the second half to blow the contest apart. Winger William Hopoate and fullback Brett Stewart each crossed twice, while forwards Matt Ballin, Jamie Buhrer and Anthony Watmough added further tries as Manly's attack clicked into gear. Jamie Lyon was faultless off the tee with six from six conversions, and Michael Robertson chipped in with one more. The 34-point turnaround secured Manly a direct passage to the Preliminary Final and a fortnight's rest, while North Queensland dropped into the sudden-death Semi-Final the following week — an ominous statement of finals form for Manly, who went on to win the 2011 premiership.