Cronulla Sharks kept scoreless for third straight game as Manly Sea Eagles soar to victory
CRONULLA have set the record for the longest scoreless streak in NRL history after failing to break their duck for the third straight game.
NRL
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HAPLESS Cronulla haven’t scored a point in 270 minutes — or four-and-a-half hours — of football.
It is the longest scoreless streak ever, with no team losing three games to nil in one season, let alone consecutively.
Manly, who moved top of the ladder with their win, became the third team in as many matches — joining South Sydney and St George Illawarra — to deny the Sharks a point.
The Sharks’ last try came in the 50th minute against Wests Tigers in Round 10.
For Manly, their only concern is a report on five-eighth Kieran Foran for a high shot on Sharks fullback Nathan Gardner in the second half, but Toovey was unfazed.
He said he was pleased by his side’s effort to keep the Sharks scoreless while stressing any talk of the Sea Eagles being competition favourites was premature.
“It was a great effort by us to keep them to zero, which I’m very pleased about,” Toovey said. “There’s a long way to go, though, and I think we meet the favourites next week.”
It was much less buoyant in the other room.
However, Sharks coach Peter Sharp said his side’s poor form and lack of points was not through poor application.
“We’re massively down on confidence and massively down on cohesion in our play — everything that could go wrong is going wrong,” Sharp said. “We’re trying hard, but for me, we just need to get personnel back on the training park, which is not happening on a regular basis.”
The Sea Eagles gained the ascendancy after four minutes.
Foran linked with fullback Brett Stewart, who waltzed past Cronulla centre Blake Ayshford before turning the ball inside for back-rower Justin Horo to score.
In the 19th minute, Stewart combined with centre Steve Matai, who stepped inside Ayshford and then did enough to plant the ball down.
When they finally went right, a scything run from halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and some quick hands handing Jamie Lyon Manly’s third try.
Replacement Tom Symonds bagged a second-half double, including a stunning effort started by a Lyon kick to centre field.
The Sharks’ best chance to break their duck came just a minute from the break when five-eighth Todd Carney shifted the ball left to centre Ricky Leutele, who slipped a silky ball to Sosaia Feki.
The Sharks’ left winger launched himself at the tryline and appeared to touch down, but the video referees ruled Feki had dropped the ball, much to the disgust of Sharks captain Paul Gallen.
It was a disappointing night after seven regulars returned to the Sharks line-up.
A frustrated Gallen said not having any refereeing decisions go the Sharks’ way was no excuse for the heavy defeat.
“It was 26-0,’’ he said.
“We’re trying hard, but the amount of injuries we’ve had this year has been unprecedented really.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in my career.
“It’s just very tough and it looks like that on the field. I can’t imagine what the fans think because it feels like a rabble out there and I can’t imagine what it looks like.’’
MANLY 26 (T Symonds 2 J Horo J Lyon S Matai tries J Lyon 3 goals) bt CRONULLA 0 at Remondis Stadium. Referee: Gavin Morris, Gavin Reynolds. Crowd: 13,383.
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Originally published as Cronulla Sharks kept scoreless for third straight game as Manly Sea Eagles soar to victory
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