It was a challenging season for Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles after they finished in 12th place, managing just two wins and 20 losses from their 2022 campaign.
Their wins came in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights, who they defeated 24-14 before a huge 22-16 upset against the North Sydney Bears in Round 13.
Highlight
An upset over premiership contenders North Sydney Bears in Round 13 was a moment to remember for the Sea Eagles. They headed into the match with a seven-game losing streak which included a heavy 56-18 loss to the Bears just three weeks earlier.
Raymond Vaega and Ethan Bullemor provided arguably the highlight of the season after a deft short ball from Jorge Taufua on the 30m line. Vaega bust through a gap running straight over the top of a Bears defender in the process. In open space, he beat three more would-be tacklers and found fullback Jake Toby who offloaded to Bullemor to cap off an unbelievable solo effort.
Top Five Tries | Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles
NRL veteran Taufua was one of the Sea Eagles best players, scoring a try of his own and providing much-needed yardage out of his own end to finish with a game high 207 metres.
By the numbers
The Sea Eagles after they finished the 2022 season with the least points scored (290) and the most points conceded (718). Despite their struggles on both sides of the ball, Blacktown’s roster largely lacked experience.
There’s no shortage of talent at the club although players such as Luke Hodge, Vaega, Ben Stevanovic and Lorenzo Mulitalo all got their first taste of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup in 2022. Coupled with the Sea Eagles NRL injury crisis at the back end of the year, NSW Cup regulars such as Kaeo Weekes, Vaega, Bullemor and Ben Trbojevic all found themselves on NRL duties.
Down on troops to finish the year, the Sea Eagles had an incredibly tough run home facing off against the Penrith Panthers, Parramatta Eels, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Newtown Jets and Canberra Raiders in their final five games.
NSW Cup Highlights | Bears v Sea Eagles Round 10
Simply the best
After serving time out of the game through suspension, James Segeyaro made his long-awaited return in Round One against the Panthers. Coming off the bench, Segeyaro added a much-needed spark out of dummy half and it was clear from the beginning of the year he’d be a handy pick up for Blacktown.
Throughout the season Segeyaro’s creativity and athleticism were evident, but it was his experience and game management that had the biggest impact on the Sea Eagles. The Papau New Guinean International filled in at hooker, five-eighth, lock and halfback throughout the year and his on-field communication and kicking game, especially from in attacking field position were an asset for the team.
Although Segeyaro remains unsigned for 2023, next year could be shaping up as a perfect storm for the 155-game veteran. Manly’s lack of depth at dummy-half, combined with a new coach coming in 2023, means he is a chance of playing more than one game should he stay with the club next year.
Segeyaro finished the season with 19 games, five tries, two try assists, eight forced drop outs, 19 offloads, 23 tackles per game and 58 running metres per game
