Manly have beaten South Sydney 30-20 to reach their fourth National Rugby League grand final in seven years, as the Rabbitohs stumbled at the penultimate hurdle for the second straight season.
Souths raced out to a 14-0 lead at better than a point a minute and the 42-year wait to reach the decider seemed a formality, but somehow it slipped through their fingers to a Sea Eagles side building one of the NRL's great dynasties.
They piled on 30 straight points to silence the Souths faithful who made up the majority of the 44,546 crowd at ANZ Stadium.
The heartbreaking NRL preliminary final loss capped a devastating day for Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire, whose mother passed away earlier in the day after a battle with illness.
Glenn Stewart could be an unlikely grand final starter even if the Sea Eagles progress, with a high tackle on Sam Burgess landing him on report in the fourth minute.
