Sea Eagles slide continues after Bulldogs claim upset 30-16 win

AFTER two shock losses the Sea Eagles are suddenly eighth on the NRL ladder and at risk of missing out on the finals with just two games remaining.

Daly Cherry-Evans and Manly players look on during their loss to the Bulldogs. Picture. Phil Hillyard

LAST time anyone sank this badly at Homebush, it was Eric the Eel.

Sydney 2000 Olympics.

A splashing, gasping, disappearing performance that, yesterday afternoon, was bested by the Manly Sea Eagles.

A team that not only dropped its hype, premiership hope and fourth game in five weeks, but also lost to a Canterbury outfit nobody thought would win again, ever.

“We’re in a hole, yeah,’’ Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett said.

“And everybody, including myself, will have to man up if we’re to get ourselves out.”

Daly Cherry-Evans and Manly players look on during their loss to the Bulldogs. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Genuine premiership contenders as recently as last month, the Sea Eagles suddenly find themselves in a dogfight for the playoffs.

Success in their final round games against the Warriors and Penrith is now crucial.

A fortnight ago, this run would have been considered easy work. But not anymore.

No, because against the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium, Manly were a team without answers. Or grit.

Particularly on that defensive left edge where, over 80 minutes, the Bulldogs sliced them up more times than an abattoir carcass.

And, yes, we do mean the Bulldogs. That outfit whose attacking woes have been so well documented this year, even the coach Des Hasler joked afterwards about “scoring more than two tries”.

Honestly, how was this the same Manly side that beat the Roosters a fortnight ago?

Or that sat third coming into round 20?

“Yeah, I know,’’ Barrett shrugged, seated alongside Blake Green in the post-match press conference.

Canterbury's Brett and Josh Morris tackle Manly's Dylan Walker. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“That’s what we were just talking about then. How does it happen?

“If everyone knew that you’d have some very successful coaches. But it’s something I have to work out and work out quickly, as have the players.”

Performing before a crowd of only 8912, the Sea Eagles also went MIA.

“Our performance was like the atmosphere out there,’’ Barrett agreed.

“Very lacklustre considering what we had to play for.

“So now we are in a fight for eighth. That’s the reality of it and we certainly won’t shy away from that.

“We’ve got some things to work out before we go into a semi-final, otherwise we won’t last long.”

Marcelo Montoya celebrates a try with his Bulldogs teammates.

Asked where it was all going wrong for the Sea Eagles, who were already coming off an unlikely loss against Wests Tigers, five-eighth Green said: “That look in everyone’s eye, it’s not there.”

Barrett conceded he too had noticed the same absence, admitting it could have been the fallout from heavy defeats to St George Illawarra and Melbourne.

“At half-time today we were shell-shocked,’’ he said.

“We got knocked around a bit against the Dragons and Storm.

“But we put a good half together against the Roosters and looked like we were on the way back. Then we put a good first half together against the Tigers and ... confidence is a funny thing.

“It comes and goes very quickly. And who knows where it goes. But we have to find it in a hurry.”

Green insisted, however, his side could bounce back against the Warriors in Auckland next Sunday.

“I don’t know why it disappeared but I also know it doesn’t take long to get back,” he said.

“We went from a team that was gritty, tough, resilient, worked really hard.”

CANTERBURY 30 (M Montoya 2 B Morris 2 B Lee J Morris tries M Mbye 3 goals) bt MANLY 16 (L Brown B Kelly J Trbojevic tries D Cherry-Evans M Wright goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Gavin Badger, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 8,912