‘Embarrassing’: Dolphins humiliated by Sea Eagles in utter NRL massacre

Records tumbled on the northern beaches as the NRL’s surprise packets were put in their place in the most emphatic way possible.

It was a bloodbath on the Northern Beaches. Photo: Getty Images

Take the Dolphins out of the oven — they’re done in 2023.

The team that many tipped would come last in their maiden season have been the surprise packets of the season but it seems like the Dolphins have hit a wall.

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History will show that teams who have conceded 50 points in a match have never won the premiership and that is now the Dolphins who were blown off 4 Pines Park in a 58-18 loss by a rampant Manly Sea Eagles.

Doubles to Jason Saab, Tom Trbojevic and Tolutau Koula as well as a hat-trick for Reuben Garrick saw the Sea Eagles score 10 tries to three and wipe the floor with the Dolphins.

The visitors were never in the match, conceding four tries in the opening 15 minutes.

At 22-0 after 17 minutes, Andrew Voss said it was “alarm bells for the Dolphins like we’ve rarely seen before”.

That’s not the Dolphins we’ve got to know. Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Greg Alexander added that there were signs in their loss to the Warriors in New Zealand last week.

But after another try in the next set, the game was as good as over.

“It s a rugby league cliche but the Dolphins have just not turned up tonight,” Voss said.

It was the most points at what was previously known as Brookvale Oval in 30 years and Garrick’s 30 point tally equalled Manly’s club record.

For Wayne Bennett, he was try away from the worst loss of his coaching career and his face after the opening onslaught said it all.

After the game, Alexander said the Dolphins’ right side was torn apart and that there were “embarrassing” moments in the second half.

Put a line through them ladies and gentlemen. The Dolphins are done for 2023.

No side has conceded 50 points in a game and come back to win the premiership. #NRLManlyDolphins

— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) June 9, 2023

The bubble has well and truly burst for those Dolphins. That grit and determination they’ve showed for most of this season has disappeared over the past couple of weeks #NRLManlyDolphins#NRL

— Adam Hayward (@AdzSportz) June 9, 2023

The loss sees the Dolphins drop out of the top eight and down to 10th ahead of a bye heading into the week of State of Origin game two.

Manly loved it. Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images

But Broncos legend Corey Parker said the issue for the side was the club’s injury crisis finally catching up with them.

The Dolphins also lost Brenko Lee through an ankle injury and Jeremy Marshall-King with a shoulder injury.

They join Sean O’Sullivan, Anthony Milford, Jarrod Wallace and Tom Gilbert in the casualty ward, while Kaufusi is still serving a suspension.

“The Dolphins can’t welcome this bye quick enough so they can regroup, hopefully get some troops back — they’ll get Felise (Kaufusi) back next week — but it’s still a long season,” Parker said.

“They can definitely make the eight, based on the attributes that we’ve seen them build this season on. Obviously this is the worst of the lot but they’ll go back to the drawing board, they’ll turn up with a different mindset, different attitude, but they were quite simply blown off the park.”

Originally published as ‘Embarrassing’: Dolphins humiliated by Sea Eagles in utter NRL massacre