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A Tom Trbojevic masterclass has seen Manly thump North Queensland 46-18 and secure the Sea Eagles fourth place on the NRL ladder.

Manly have secured fourth place for the NRL's finals series after a second-half whitewash delivered them a 46-18 win over North Queensland.

The victory sees the Sea Eagles set up a tantalising matchup with minor premiers Melbourne in the opening week of the finals and a second chance in the postseason.

Manly were heavily favoured to run amok in their trip to Townsville but were made to work hard before running away with the win in the final 15 minutes.

The Sea Eagles scored five tries in the final quarter of the match as a gassed Cowboys outfit were cut to shreds by Tom Trbojevic.

The pick of the crop was their eighth and final try of the night, when Reuben Garrick tip-toed in his in-goal before his side went the length of the field for Trbojevic to bag his hat-trick.

Disappointed coach Todd Payten said his side had given up by then, as Manly's try iced a forgettable season for the 15th-placed Cowboys.

Manly's final minute dagger capped off a stellar night for Trbojevic, who finished with three tries, two try assists, 14 tackle busts, three linebreaks and 246 running metres.

Brother Jake also featured heavily in the scoring, bagging two tries of his own.

Reuben Garrick became the first player ever to score 300 points in the regular season, kicking seven of his eight conversions and scoring a try of his own.

Coach Des Hasler paid tribute to the 24-year-old Garrick, whose regular season total of 304 points eclipsed that of wooden-spoon Canterbury's (302) entire team in 2021.

"He's worked really hard at his game, really hard at his craft, and he's had lots of good support around him," Hasler said after the game.

"He's very appreciative of where it's gone and where it's taken him.

"This is only the beginning, so, we get ready and we gear up for Melbourne now. Nothing counts."

The talismanic Tom Trbojevic continued his scintillating 2021 form in front of the Townsville crowd, much like he did in NSW's State of Origin game one thumping in the city.

He shrugged off nine would-be defenders in the 72nd minute, stepping, jinking and breaking tackles before diving over to silence the home crowd.

Manly's five second-half tries flipped the switch on an opening stanza where they struggled to complete their sets due to poor handling.

Hasler said post game they've sought improvement in their ball control in the tail-end of the regular season, and will need to be at their best when they clash with the Storm.

"It'll be a real challenge. (They're) minor premiers, they're a quality side ... and they've got plenty of experience," he said.

"There's enough experience and enough points in this team to trouble anyone.

"It'll be a good contest."