The NRL revisited the 1980s on Friday night, wild brawls and a captivating contest enthralling a capacity Brookvale Oval crowd as Manly beat Melbourne 18-4 in the top-of-the-table blockbuster.
In scenes reminiscent of Australian front-rower Greg Dowling's famous touchline fight with Kiwi hardman Kevin Tamati, Glenn Stewart and Adam Blair were both sent off and left in danger of missing the finals following an all-in fight.
With NRL chief executive David Gallop watching from the stands - the first time he has seen either side in 2011 following controversial incidents involving both clubs in recent years - benches were cleared as the fracas moved perilously close to the crowd.
The fight started as the pair made their way to the sin bin after both came in late to join a scuffle between Ryan Hinchcliffe and Darcy Lussick.
Stewart walked off after being the first to be binned but Blair soon chased after him when he too was given a spell, the pair exchanging words and then fists before they were joined by every one of their teammates.
Officials and those players on the bench will all come under investigation.
On the scoreboard the Sea Eagles flexed their vast premiership muscle to maintain their unbeaten year on home soil and bring an end to the Storm's 12-game winning run.
A worry for Hasler, though, is a double injury blow which could result in Brett Stewart (knee) and David Williams (neck) missing a large chunk, if not all, of the finals.
The win lifts Manly to 40 points just two points behind the table topping Storm.
