The Jets end their NSW Cup home and away commitments with a disappointing loss to the Manly Sea Eagles

Newtown’s run of outs at 4 Pines Park (Brookvale Oval) continued on Sunday afternoon when the Jets went down 42-30 to Manly-Warringah.

This continued Newtown’s below average end of season form, having lost three and drawing one of their last four competition rounds, (plus gaining two points from a bye).

This was Manly’s last game for the 2025 season and they were determined to end with a flourish. While both teams gave away intercept tries in the first half, the Sea Eagles had the better of the first forty minutes, scoring four tries to two to lead 20-12 at halftime.

The Jets suffered a bad injury loss early in the second half, when their team captain, goal-kicker and playmaker halfback Niwhai Puru left the field with a pectoral muscle injury, which may well keep him out of the finals series.

Jets five-eighth Khaled Rajab had one of his best games in recent weeks, initiating several movements with the football and scoring a determined try early in the second half.

Second-rower Kyle Pickering also began the second half strongly, running off a crisp short pass from Rajab to score, taking Newtown out to a 24-20 lead fifteen minutes into the second half.

Manly took advantage of some ordinary Newtown defence, both through the midfield and on both edges. The Jets added one more try through front-rower Felix Faatili to pull the score back to 38-30, but the Sea Eagles had the final word by way of an unconverted try in the last minute to push the full-time score out to 42-30 in Manly-Warringah’s favour.

In terms of the final hit-out before entering the 2025 NSW Cup finals series, this was well short of a satisfactory performance by the Jets. The multi-talented Puru’s loss is going to be very difficult to cover.

Despite conceding eight tries in the final competition match, Jets coach George Ndaira was upbeat heading into next Saturday’s 4th place versus 5th place elimination semi-final against the Canberra Raiders.

Mr Ndaira pointed out that Newtown had led at different stages in both halves, and it is always hard  playing in a final competition round where the outcome was going to have no impact on where Newtown was going to finish on the competition table.

As he further added, it’s a whole new ball game taking on the Raiders in a sudden-death elimination semi-final, with the final makeup of the opposition Canberra team not known at this stage.

Newtown had finished in fourth place on the 2025 NSW Cup competition table, winning 13 games, losing ten and having had one drawn match. The Jets take on the Canberra Raiders next Saturday, 6th September, at the Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah at 2.00pm.

It needs to be borne in mind that the Raiders are coming off a seven-match winning run and regardless of their actual team line-up on Saturday, they will be formidable opposition.

Sunday’s match details were:

NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup
Round 26

Sunday, 31st August 2025

4 Pines Park, Brookvale

Manly-Warringah v Newtown

Kick-Off: 2.00pm.

This match was livestreamed on BarTV NSWRL

Weather: 19 degrees, sunny, strong breeze.
Playing surface: Excellent.

Referee: Daniel Luttringer.

Touch Judges: Tom Stindl, Brad Kiehne.

Match Result:

Manly-Warringah 42:
Joey Walsh 2, Zaidas Muagututia 2,

Hugo Hart 2, Navren Willett,

Semisi Kioa tries;

Brandon Wakeham 5 conversions

defeated

Newtown 30:
Chris Vea’ila, Sam Stonestreet,

Kyle Pickering, Khaled Rajab,

Felix Faatili tries;
Kristian Dixon 3, Niwhai Puru 2 conversions.

Half-Time: Manly-Warringah led 20-12.

Sunday’s teams were:

Newtown:
Fullback: Daniel Atkinson

Wingers: Kristian Dixon, Sam Stonestreet
Centres: Michael Gabrael, Chris Vea’ila

Halves: Khaled Rajab, Niwhai Puru
Lock: Brad Fearnley
Second-Rowers: Kyle Pickering, Dylan Coutts
Front-Rowers: Jordin Leiu, Felix Faatili

Hooker: Riley Jones.

Interchange:
Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa, Sam McCulloch,

Eli Clark, Kobie Wilson
18th Man: Joe Nadenic

Coach: George Ndaira.

Manly-Warringah:
Fullback: Blake Metcalfe
Wingers: Jordan Swann, Navren Willett

Centres: Max Hayley, Semisi Kioa
Halves: Brandon Wakeham, Joey Walsh
Lock: Jacob Sykes
Second-Rowers: Michael Chee Kam (Captain), Hugo Hart
Front-Rowers; Simioni Laiafi, D’Jazirhae Pua’avase

Hooker: Gordon Chan Kum Tong

Interchange:
Zaidas Muagututia, Chris Patolo

Kylan Mafoa, Ezekiel Paulo
18th Man: Oliver Lawry

Coach: Guy Williams.

Match Timeline:

First Half:
Newtown kicked off, running to the northern end.

7th minute: Chris Vea’ila try

Converted by Niwhai Puru. Newtown 6-0.
12th minute: Manly try.

Try converted. 6-all.

28th minute: Manly try.

Try converted. Manly 12-6.

31st minute: Manly try.

Not converted. Manly 16-6.

34th minute: Sam Stonestreet try.

Try converted by Niwhai Puru. Manly 16-12.

38th minute: Manly try.

Not converted. Manly 20-12.

Half-Time: Manly-Warringah 20 led Newtown 12.

Second Half:

Newtown running to the southern end.

Niwhai Puru injured and replaced by Daniel Atkinson.

48th minute: Kyle Pickering try.

Converted by Kristian Dixon. Manly led 20-18.

53rd minute: Khaled Rajab try.

Converted by Kristian Dixon. Newtown 24-20.

59th minute: Manly try.

Try converted. Manly led 26-24.

65th minute: Manly try.

Try converted. Manly led 32-24.

72nd minute: Manly try.

Try converted. Manly 38-24.

75th minute: Felix Faatili try.

Try converted by Kristian Dixon. Manly 38-30.

78th minute: Manly try.

Try not converted. Manly led 42-30.

Fulltime: Manly-Warringah 42 defeated Newtown 30.

Match Statistics:

Newtown player statistics:

Most tackles: Brad Fearnley: 27

Most metres run: Sam Stonestreet: 171 metres.

Most line breaks: Khaled Rajab: 2.

Team Statistics:
Possession: N 51%, MW 49%

Time in possession: N 22m00s, MW 20m45s.

Completion rate: N 74%, 23/31; MW 66%, 24/36

Metres run: MW 1492, N 1258
Post contact metres: MW 474, N 382
Line breaks: MW 9, N 3

Tackle breaks: MW 43, N 19

Kick return metres: MW 145, N 97

Offloads: MW 14, N 7

Total passes: MW 171, N 210

Kicks: MW 13, N 14

Kick metres: MW 262, N 295
Forced drop outs: MW 2, N 1

Kick defusal: MW 67%, N 40%

Bombs: MW 6, N 5
Grubbers: MW 1, N 3

Tackles made: MW 263, N 229

Missed tackles: MW 19, N 43
Intercepts: MW 2, N 2
Errors: MW 15, N 13

Penalties conceded: MW 5, N 0

Ruck infringements: MW 2, N 1

Interchanges: MW 7, N 8
HIA: MW 1, N 0.

Newtown’s next NSW Cup match details:

NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup

Elimination Semi-Final (4th place v 5th place)
Saturday, 6th September 2025

Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah

Newtown v Canberra Raiders

Kick-Off: 2.00pm.

(Jersey Flegg Semi-Final Curtain-Raiser:

Cronulla Sharks v Canberra Raiders: 12.00 Noon Kick-Off.)