Renowned for struggling without their rested superstar, Manly's attack unleashed on the Cowboys to comprehensively overturn a 12-0 deficit after just nine minutes.

The win marked just the Sea Eagles' 10th in 33 games without Trbojevic since the start of 2019, and moved them two points clear of North Queensland in sixth place.

Such was their turnaround compared to the start of the season without Trbojevic, Manly only scored 47 points without him in the first five rounds of the year.

The 50 points on Friday evening was the most they have scored without the star fullback since his 2015 NRL debut.

The margin of victory surpassed their previous biggest win without Trbojevic, which stood at just 20 points.

"There's still a bit of a stigma around that we're not a team without Tom," captain Daly Cherry-Evans said.

"I don't know what more you need from us, but this was a good night in terms of trying to shake that tag.

"We are a better side with Tom in it, make no mistake of it.

"Anyone who watched Wednesday night knows how good Tom is and we have been crowing about it for a while now.

"But we have put ourselves in a position now that when Tom is out we are a bit clearer on how we can support each other, and tonight was a good example of that."

The Cowboys in comparison were horrible.

The visitors completed just 21 sets for the game, holding just 42 per cent of possession and missing 38 tackles.

Scott Drinkwater provided the only real highlights when he kicked for their first try and threw a two-man cut-out ball for their second.

But their right-edge defence was torn to shreds, with halfback Tom Dearden missing six tackles, in his first game as a Cowboys player, and Justin O'Neill four.

Manly's points rush began when Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran combined to put Brad Parker over on that edge.

Another came down that side when Parker earned a quick play-the-ball and Karl Lawton capitalised out of dummy-half.

Parker scored another try from a long Cherry-Evans ball in the 77th.

On another occasion Lachlan Croker caught the Cowboys short on their right to put Moses Suli through a gap, backing up himself inside.

Cherry-Evans, meanwhile, was superb on the night Manly honoured the late Bob Fulton.

The captain finished with four try-assists, kicking once for a chasing Dylan Walker, another time for Foran as well as for Haumole Olakau'atu.

Incredibly, the big second-rower Olakau'atu scored twice from kicks, collecting another from Croker.

Even Trbojevic's replacement at fullback Reuben Garrick did Trbojevic-like things, producing on a 95-metre solo-effort after scooping up a Dearden grubber close to his own line.

Australian Associated Press