xs728 switch interconnect

Let's not go into the why I'm doing it this way, it is what it is.

I've got two xs728T switches. On both vlan1 has an IP address and is used for management. One port on each switch connects back to the distribution stack. This is used for management only.

Both switches also have vlans 101 and 102. Thes should not have any communication with the distribution switch, which does not have these vlans.

I need vlans 101 and 102 to communicate between the two xs728t switched, this can not go through the distribution switch.

Normally I'd create a trunk limited to just the 101 and 102 vlans and interconnect the switches. But despite limiting the ports to vlan 101 and 102, when it's connected something happens that looks like a loop and I lose access to the management IP of the second xs729t.

I have to admit I haven't worked with the Netgear much and the lack of a CLI to look at the actual configuration, has me thinking I'm missing something. I've tried a number of vlan and seurity/traffic flow option but nothing seems to make any difference.

Any help would be greatly appriciated.