Little-known playmaker stars as Manly ruin Hannay's big night
Cade Cust bagged a try and set up another as Manly ruined Josh Hannay's first night as a head coach.
The 21-year-old Sea Eagles' five-eighth played a huge role in his side's 24-12 victory as they leapt back into the top eight.
Addin Fonua-Blake ran for 200m in his return game from a two-match suspension for abusing referee Grant Atkins, but it was Cust who stood tallest in the maroon and white.
The Cowboys were given a huge hope of causing a Friday evening boilover given the arrival of caretaker coach Hannay.
Hannay was thrust into the top job after Paul Green walked away from the top job at the start of the week.
While the home side dominated at the start of the second half, their last-tackle options continued to let them down.
Another night, another loss for Cowboys superstar Jason Taumalolo.Credit:Getty
And it was Cust who blew the game open when he broke out of a tackle from Jake Clifford, stormed down field and threw the final pass for Daly Cherry-Evans to score.
Cherry-Evans looked set to be denied by Kyle Feldt, but was able to plant the ball down with his second effort.
A few minutes later Cust then barged his way over to make it 24-6 and all but put the result to bed.
Cust has looked better with every game, and coach Des Halser will have a good selection headache when regular five-eighth Dylan Walker returns from injury in coming weeks.
The only drama for Hasler was an injury to back-rower Joel Thompson, who pulled up short in the stride in the fourth minute when he chased hard after a Cust grubber.
Cade Cust (right) celebrates a try with Manly teammates on Friday night.Credit:NRL Photos
His replacement Jack Gosiewski had a few tough moments in the first half when he failed to grasp a Cherry-Evans grubber, then struggled to get the ball down on the ground over the try line when he stormed on to a lovely short ball from the halfback.
Gosiewski was unsure if he had got the ball down, and replays eventually proved his worries were warranted.
North Queensland turned a potential 18-point deficit into just six points when they went the ever-reliable aerial route for Feldt to score. The tryscorer adding the extras from out wide.
The Sea Eagles have won two on the trot and will do well to make it three if they can beat the high-flying Penrith at home next Saturday night.
The thing Hasler would have loved most was the desperation in defence in the final 90 seconds after Cowboys fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow made a burst down field, only for a wall of Manly defenders to scramble all the way back up the other end of the field.
Brendan Elliot did a good job again in Tom Trbojevic's No.1 jersey, but his habit of defusing bombs while leading with his feet is destined to land him in hot water. Coen Hess found out the hard way a couple of times and took it upon himself to remind Elliot he did not appreciate the catching style.
Any win without Tom Trbojevic is a bonus for Manly fans.
Fonua-Blake was a chance of being forced to skip the trip north because of the Queensland government's demands for NRL players to have the flu shot, and it was a good thing he received the jab at the start of the week. He is arguably among the top three props in the game, while his starting partner Marty Taupau was also outstanding.