Penrith Panthers hand Manly Sea Eagles a reality check heading into the finals Manly hunting third place at Brookvale against Penrith, but it didn't go their way on the eve of the finals, the Panthers ending 2013 on a high. PENRITH 38 bt MANLY 26 at Brookvale Oval. IT was the loss that felt like a win. Manly's surprise 38-26 loss to Penrith at Brookvale Oval on Sunday was, in a sense, a blessing because nothing can beat rest for a tired body. The defeat pushed Manly's first semi-final back to Saturday night against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium, the second game of rugby league's historic double-header. Had Manly won, the Sea Eagles would have finished third and confronted Souths on Friday night - a turnaround of just four days. The extra 24 hours rest at this time of year will be pure gold. Manly's Jamie Lyon and teammates dejected after a Panthers try. ""It's been a long year,"" said Manly coach Geoff Toovey. Still, no team likes to lose going into the finals and Penrith was too good for Manly on Sunday. And Manly will have to overcome a Sonny Bill Williams-led Roosters side who dismantled rivals Souths on Friday night. It was a positive conclusion to the season for Penrith, who did manage to play Manly without Anthony Watmough, Jamie Buhrer, Brenton Lawrence, Jorge Taufua and Brett Stewart. But with these players back next week and the extra day's preparation, Manly looks ready to rip into their ninth successive semi-finals series. ""It (what day Manly played) had no bearing,"" said Sea Eagles skipper Jamie Lyon. ""We just wanted to play well and keep our momentum going. Unfortunately we were a bit flat - it wasn't our best performance. ""But this is an exciting time of year. You play all year to play in the big games. ""I know the boys are keen to get out and play a top side. The Roosters are very strong and very tough. ""We have to be better than what we were today. That's for sure."" Toovey was quick to praise the Roosters. ""The Roosters deserve the minor premiership - they are a quality side,"" Toovey said. ""They have a big pack that rolls down the field. Hopefully we can be a bit better than we were today. ""In today's comp, if you don't turn up ready to play then you will get beaten."" And beaten Manly were - by six tries to five. This, after the Sea Eagles raced out to what most thought would be a match-winning 16-0 lead. George Rose and Brent Kite farewell the Brookvale faithful. Despite their finals chances having gone south, Penrith showed plenty of determination and actually hit the front 18-16 three minutes into the second half. Both sides took the lead again in a see-sawing second half before the visitors scored two tries in the final four minutes to secure a win. After the game, Panthers skipper Kevin Kingston nominated Manly's opponents, the Roosters, as the team to beat. Asked who he thought would win the title, Kingston said: ""The Roosters. Both times we played them they were very strong."" Panthers coach Ivan Cleary then chipped in: ""I couldn't argue with that."" Penrith finished the season in 10th position. Sunday's win was a fun finish to the season, particularly for departing players Luke Walsh, Mose Masoe, Lachlan Coote and Clint Newton. ""It wasn't looking so good at 16-0,"" Cleary said. ""But I came here today thinking the boys were going to give their best so it was a good way to finish the year, a year where we made progress. ""We're not in the finals but we're not far off as well. I think we finished where we deserved."" Defeat was a sad end at Brookvale for three favourite sons - Brent Kite, Joe Galuvao and George Rose. Still, Manly has a semi-final series ahead of them so a fairytale farewell may still happen. ""It's pretty sad,"" Rose said. ""I love this place and I love playing at Brookvale Oval. ""I really didn't want to leave. It wasn't my decision."" Kite added: ""I'm lost for words."" All three left Brookvale through a guard of honour formed by emotional teammates. PENRITH 38 (J Mansour M Masoe C Newton J Segeyaro L Walsh D Whare tries L Walsh 6 C Newton goals) bt MANLY 26 (D Williams 2 D Cherry-Evans C Gutherson S Matai tries J Lyon 3 goals) at Brookvale Oval. Referee: Adam Devcich, Phil Haines. Crowd: 12,090.