Manly captain Matt Orford has nailed a 30-metre field goal with just over three minutes on the clock to hand the Sea Eagles a 13-12 NRL win over Melbourne in a top of the table thriller at Brookvale Oval.
Orford struck the field goal attempt straight between the posts to end the 12-all stalemate after Melbourne had fought back from a 12-6 half-time deficit in front of 18,640 fans.
Melbourne hooker Cameron Smith missed one attempted field goal while halfback Cooper Cronk missed two earlier attempts, his first charged down by the head of Manly hooker Michael Monaghan and his other sailing wide.
Monaghan had his own attempt from 35m also waved away.
In a game which is sure to see Manly lumped with the premiership favourites tag, the game started like a battle of the cellar-dwellers with three successive dropped balls from Melbourne's Dallas Johnson, Manly's Luke Williamson and then Storm centre Matt King straight off a scrum.
Manly settled first, with Chris Hicks barging over in the corner on four minutes off a play started by Monaghan, who was again outstanding for the home side.
Back-rower Anthony Watmough pushed Manly's advantage out to 10-0 after 14 minutes when he scored a fortuitous try when Israel Folau fumbled Orford's bomb and the Eagles secondrower dived on the loose ball, with Jamie Lyon adding the conversion.
Lyon converted a penalty shot from 10m out in the 19th minute for a 12-0 lead.
Melbourne fullback Billy Slater was denied by superb cover defence from Orford and Williamson in the 29th minute when he was held up over the line.
Folau made amends shortly before the break when he plucked Cronk's bomb from well above his head, leaping over Michael Robertson and then with two defenders on his back managed to surge over and touch down one-handed.
Cameron Smith's conversion just seconds before the half-time siren ensured a 12-6 scoreline in favour of Manly at the break.
Melbourne dominated after the break and Cronk's pinpont cross-field kicking led to Matt King's try in the 52nd minute, with Smith nailing the conversion to level scores 12-all.
The match then turned into an absolute bash-a-thon, with Watmough and Jason King put on report for a dangerous throw on Steve Turner in the 44th minute.
Slater left the field in the 48th with concussion, a fractured cheekbone and badly cut right eye from a heavy collision with teammate Sam Tagatese when trying to tackle Orford.
Manly substitute George Rose suffered a sickening broken right leg in the 63rd minute which will more than likely end his NRL season.
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