The Manly captain says Luke Brooks is not one to fire up over nothing.

Daly Cherry-Evans claims Jarome Luai did something dirty to get under the skin of Luke Brooks to spark a melee in the Sea Eagles’ 32-22 loss to Penrith on Sunday. After Luai was tackled by Manly back-rower Ben Trbojevic, the Panthers five-eighth became embroiled in a heated push and shove with his opposite number.

As the pair came to blows, Penrith spread the ball and went on to score as the pair continued to grapple with one another. When asked about the moment following the match Cherry-Evans and Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold said foul play had happened in the tackle that clearly upset Brooks.

“Brooks is not a renowned scrapper, so obviously something happened,” Seibold said. Cherry-Evans added: “I think he saw something there, I think he was looking after his teammates.

“So you can obviously read into it that you thought he might have got baited, but he obviously saw something there.” Following the try being awarded, both Cherry-Evans and Brooks ran up to referee Gerard Sutton to argue that Brooks was being interfered with. But Sutton warned both players about their behaviour and the game moved on.

When asked after the match if Brooks’ melee cost Manly, Cherry-Evans defended his halves partners actions saying he did the right thing, “He was just sticking up for his teammates, I like what he did there,” the Manly captain said. “I don’t think he gave away a try, I think there was something there.”

Seibold added: “We had enough chances, obviously something happened on the floor with Ben Trbojevic so he’s sticking up for his teammates. If you really dig down a little bit deeper and look at what happened, Broosky is not a fighter and has been a really fair player for a long time. But ultimately they scored so they were too smart for us.” While the Manly coach and captain were quick to defend Brooks, the NRL world called out his scuffle for costing the Sea Eagles a crucial try.

Manly prop Josh Aloiai is facing the NRL’s longest ban for a tripping charge in almost four years after being slapped with a two-game suspension for an incident Daine Laurie. Aloiai was handed a grade-two dangerous contact charge on Monday after replays showed him deliberately sticking his leg out and tripping the Penrith fullback on Sunday.

Laurie was not in possession of the ball at the time and was looming as a support runner after Izack Tago made a break late in the match when Aloiai ran after the fullback to trip him. The Manly front-rower is only the second player to face a ban for tripping in the past three seasons, with Isaiah Papali’i also suspended for one game earlier this year.

Aloiai can take a two-match ban with an early guilty plea, or risk extending the suspension to three matches if he unsuccessfully challenges the charge. Fellow Sea Eagles prop Nathan Brown was also charged by the match review committee on Monday for a hair pull on Jarome Luai. If he pleads guilty he will cop an $1800 fine but will escape a suspension.