Manly Sea Eagles in bizarre 82-point turnaround after Eels win
IT has been 14 years since Manly endured such a wild ride. This was the 82-point turnaround which clearly shows how quickly rugby league can cut you down.
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IT has been 14 years since Manly endured such a wild ride.
This was the 82-point turnaround which clearly shows how quickly rugby league can cut you down.
Just six days after a record-breaking 54-0 win over Parramatta, Manly collapsed to a whopping 34-6 loss to South Sydney on Saturday night.
It was difficult to believe a side could fall so quickly in less than a week.
This was the most dramatic rise and fall for Manly since way back in 2004.
In that season, Manly was belted 72-12 by Penrith before defeating Newcastle 48-10 the following week.
That was a 98 point turnaround. This was better — but only marginally.
Manly’s website read: “The Sea Eagles were off like expired milk left in the fridge for too long.”
Against Parramatta, Manly looked like champions. Against Souths, Manly was “flat” according to head coach Trent Barrett.
“It’s a very tough competition,” Barrett said.
It won’t get any easier for the Sea Eagles, who face a winless and desperate Canberra at Brookvale Oval this Saturday evening.
The Raiders have lost all three games this season by a total of just five points.
“We didn’t play smart enough to turn that game around,” said Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
“Momentum was definitely in their favour early on. Eighty minutes is a long time to turn things around and I certainly thought we could have done that.”
Barrett was bitterly disappointed at full-time.
“They bashed us through the middle of the ruck,” Barrett said. “At halftime, we were a bit quiet … a bit shell shocked. We were flat. They beat us in every department. They wanted it more. They were hungrier.”
Manly may have other issues too.
The NRL is expected to punish the club over salary cap indiscretions either today or tomorrow.
Reports suggest Manly could be fined $400,000 and have a similar amount deducted from their salary cap.
The harsh penalty would end Barrett’s hopes of signing any further players this season.
“It’s certainly a distraction. It would be nice to get a final ruling on it,” Barrett said. “A decision would be good.”
Souths led 10-0 after 13 minutes, the match was all but over in the wet conditions. Victory was Souths’ first of the season.