Melbourne Storm 40–12 Manly-Warringah — Qualifying Final, 2021 NRL Finals Series
10 Sep 2021 · Sunshine Coast Stadium, Bokarina, QLD · Attendance: 9,120
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Qualifying Final, 2021 NRL finals series: Melbourne Storm 40–12 Manly-Warringah, at Sunshine Coast Stadium, Bokarina, QLD on 10 Sep 2021.
Sourcing caveat: The exact minute of Papenhuyzen's second try and his field goal were not identified in sources found. No official player-of-the-match award was found for this fixture.
Scoring timeline
| 2′ | Melbourne Storm — try, Lumelume |
| 9′ | Melbourne Storm — try, Bromwich |
| 13′ | Melbourne Storm — try, Welch |
| 30′ | Manly-Warringah — try, Saab |
| 44′ | Melbourne Storm — try, Papenhuyzen |
| 50′ | Manly-Warringah — try, Saab |
| 75′ | Melbourne Storm — try, Olam |
Tries with a sourced minute, in order scored, with the conversion kicked/missed alongside each one where source data lets us match a kicker to that specific try. Tries whose exact minute isn't recorded in available sources appear in the Scorers table below but not here; goal tallies we can't attribute to one specific try are shown as descriptive text in Scorers rather than guessed into this timeline.
Scorers
| Melbourne Storm | Tries: Lumelume 2'; Bromwich 9'; Welch 13'; Papenhuyzen 44'; Papenhuyzen; Olam 75' Goals: Papenhuyzen (7/8 conversions/penalty goals combined) Drop goals: Papenhuyzen (club's first two-point field goal) |
| Manly-Warringah | Tries: Saab 30'; Saab 50' Goals: Garrick (2/2 conversions) |
Team sheets
| Melbourne Storm | Manly-Warringah | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Papenhuyzen | Fullback | Tom Trbojevic | 1 |
| 2 | George Jennings | Wing | Jason Saab | 2 |
| 3 | Reimis Smith | Centre | Brad Parker | 3 |
| 4 | Justin Olam | Centre | Morgan Harper | 4 |
| 5 | Isaac Lumelume | Wing | Reuben Garrick | 5 |
| 6 | Cameron Munster | Five-eighth | Kieran Foran | 6 |
| 7 | Jahrome Hughes | Halfback | Daly Cherry-Evans | 7 |
| 8 | Jesse Bromwich | Prop | Josh Aloiai | 8 |
| 9 | Brandon Smith | Hooker | Karl Lawton | 15 |
| 10 | Christian Welch | Prop | Martin Taupau | 10 |
| 11 | Felise Kaufusi | Second Row | Haumole Olakau'atu | 11 |
| 12 | Kenneath Bromwich | Second Row | Josh Schuster | 12 |
| 13 | Dale Finucane | Lock | Jake Trbojevic | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Harry Grant | Dylan Walker | 14 | |
| 15 | Tui Kamikamica | Sean Keppie | 16 | |
| 16 | Nelson Asofa-Solomona | Taniela Paseka | 17 | |
| 17 | Nicholas Hynes | Curtis Sironen | 20 | |
| Craig Bellamy | Coach | Des Hasler | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Grant Atkins |
Match report
Played at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina, Queensland, this Qualifying Final was part of the 2021 NRL finals series, relocated entirely to Queensland because of COVID-19 lockdowns in New South Wales and Victoria. Minor premiers Melbourne Storm produced a dominant first-half performance to lead 24-6 at the break against a Manly Sea Eagles side missing injured superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic. Isaac Lumelume, Kenny Bromwich and Christian Welch all crossed inside the opening quarter, and Ryan Papenhuyzen added two tries either side of half-time along with seven goals and a long-range field goal for a personal haul of 24 points. Manly's only response came through winger Jason Saab, who scored twice from kicks, with Reuben Garrick adding two conversions. The 40-12 result confirmed Melbourne's status as premiership favourites, sending the Storm through with a week off to the Preliminary Final, while Manly were forced into the second-chance semi-final the following week.