Manly's Michael Monaghan filled in seamlessly for injured halfback Matt Orford, creating two tries and potted a field goal in a 19-8 NRL win over the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

A renowned mud-runner, former No.7 Monaghan cleverly switched the attack to send Anthony Watmough over in just the sixth minute and, in the final minute of the first half, kicked for winger Michael Robertson to score.

His performance was complimented by a strong debut from stand-in hooker Matt Ballin, who scored the Sea Eagles' third try in the 47th minute.

A storm hit Leichhardt 10 minutes before kick-off and rain bucketed down on the players and the crowd of 15,185 during the warm-up and for periods during the match.

"It probably helped me, the fact that it was my first game at halfback for a long time, the conditions probably did make it a little bit easier," Monaghan said.

"The pace of the game was down a little bit so I was able to get back into stride there a little bit."

Centre Jamie Lyon added three goals for Manly and coach Des Hasler agreed the Sea Eagles' second win, without injured stars Matt Orford, Steve Menzies and Steve Matai, was gutsy.

"Courage was certainly one of the things that was displayed out there today, coming here to Leichhardt's always difficult.

"The side's certainly matured a lot over the last 18 months." The flashy Tigers were always going to struggle in a slug-fest with the grinders from the peninsula and a high error count meat they spent the second half camped in their own half.

Coach Tim Sheens signalled changes to his side, who have now lost their first two games.

"We were probably half as bad as them again if not twice as bad," Sheens said.

"We're going to have to have a good look now at some interchange from the premier league who've won their last couple of games and first grade have lost."

After Robertson's try had given Manly a 10-8 lead at the break, a big southerly arrived at just the right time for the Sea Eagles who began the second half with the wind at their backs.

Watmough was denied a second try in just the fifth minute of the second half when video referee Chris Ward came up with a controversial obstruction ruling.

Manly replacement Glenn Hall was adjudged to have held Tigers hooker Robbie Farah out of the defence but the incident appeared to have little impact on the play as another clever Monaghan ball sent Watmough over.

But Manly got their try two minutes later when stand-in hooker Matt Ballin dived through some ordinary defence and Lyon converted to take Manly's lead out to 16-8.

The Tigers' only four-pointer came in the 31st minute through Farah when the hooker brilliantly gathered in a Marshall chip and scooted past two Manly defenders.

Marshall's conversion gave the Tigers the lead for the only time in the match at 8-6.

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