James Maloney and Jack Bird produce mixed showings as Sharks draw with Sea Eagles in NRL trial

JAMES Maloney recovered from a horror start, while Jack Bird had a mixed audition for the No.1 jumper in Cronulla’s draw with the Sea Eagles.

NRL Trial - Cronulla v Manly

JAMES Maloney recovered from a horror start in his first match for Cronulla to steer the Sharks to a 24-24 draw in an NRL trial match against Manly on Sunday.

In just the third minute in hot conditions at Shark Park, Maloney threw an intercept pass for Fabian Goodall who raced 30 metres to get Manly on the scoreboard.

The Sharks five-eighth, who moved from the Sydney Roosters in the off-season, bounced back to help his side to an 18-10 half-time lead before being given an early shower.

James Maloney of the Sharks gives instruction to his players.

Maloney’s kicking game was outstanding and he combined well with new halves partner Chad Townsend - who has returned to the club after a stint with the Warriors - and fullback Jack Bird.

The Sharks got their first points when Sam Tagatese powered over from short range. Tagatese was among the Sharks’ best, making two first-half breaks - the second of which led to a Bird try.

Bird had a mixed audition for the No.1 jumper - he was beaten badly by Brayden Wiliame in the lead-up to the Sea Eagles fullback’s try however made up for it when he did well to hold up prop Brenton Lawrence early in the second half.

He also came up with a massive blunder when he spilled a bomb in the in-goal but dodged a bullet when he managed to ground it with the Sea Eagles chasers closing in on him.

Blake Leary of the Eagles is tackled by Junior Roqica of the Sharks.

The Sea Eagles hit the front through Daniel Vasek and Halauafu Lavaka for a 20-18 lead to Manly only for Valentine Holmes, who was shifted to fullback for Cronulla in the second half, to punch through a hole and score under the posts and put his side ahead again.

However Lavaka got his double with 90 seconds on the clock to level the scores but hooker Hugh Pratt missed the sideline conversion.

POSITION	NSW	QLD
1 FULLBACK	Josh Dugan: Tough night but was among the Blues’ better players. 7	Greg Inglis: Loved the extra freedom and was always a threat at the back. 8
2 RIGHT WING	Will Hopoate: Looked like a boy among men. Be lucky to ever play Origin again. 2.5	Darius Boyd: Scored his customary Origin try but involvement limited. 7
3 RIGHT CENTRE	Michael Jennings: Made the most of the few opportunities that came his way. 7	Will Chambers: Capped off a great series with another fine game. 8
4LEFT CENTRE	Josh Morris: Next to no influence with or without the footy. 5.5	Justin Hodges: Perfect send-off for the player the Blues love to hate. 6.5
5 LEFT WING	Brett Morris: Hardly sighted in the game apart from spilling a bomb in first half. 4.5	Dane Gagai: Great debut. Didn’t put a foot wrong and easily handled the big occasion. 7.5
6 FIVE-EIGHTH	Mitchell Pearce: Six missed tackles on a night where he saw plenty of traffic. 4.5	Johnathan Thurston: Sensational. Ran the show to perfection and virtually did as he liked. 9
7 HALF BACK	Trent Hodkinson: Stood up defensively but had next to no footy to work with. 6.5	Cooper Cronk: Played the perfect support role to Thurston without overplaying things. 7
8 PROP	Aaron Woods: Solid again but the couple of penalties he gave away hurt the Blues. 7	Matt Scott: Was average in Game Two but back to near his best in this one. 8
9 HOOKER	Michael Ennis: Tackled everything and was his usual in-your-face self. 7	Cameron Smith: Under pressure going in but has ice in his veins. Hardly took a wrong option. 8
10 PROP	James Tamou: Was several rungs below his performance in Game Two. 5	Nate Myles: As you would expect, he played tough with and without the ball. 7.5
11 SECOND ROW	Beau Scott: Not his usual intimidating self defensively. 5	Aidan Guerra: His best game at Origin level. Always a handful on the left edge. 7.5
12 SECOND ROW	Ryan Hoffman: Didn’t last long before being forced off with injury. 2	Sam Thaiday: Form down in Game Two but the enthusiasm was back in this one. 7
13 LOCK	Paul Gallen: Was a machine again with and without the footy. Never stopped. 8	Corey Parker: Great series for the Maroons. Just so hard to contain. 8.5
14 INTERCHANGE	Trent Merrin: Has played for the Kangaroos but is yet to impose himself at Origin level. 4	Michael Morgan: Bit part but had some good touches while he was out there. 6.5
15 INTERCHANGE	Boyd Cordner: Defence was solid but limited minutes. 4.5	Josh Papalii: Showed exactly why Mal Meninga picked him. 7.5
16 INTERCHANGE	David Klemmer: Might have been guilty of trying too hard. Great future at this level. 6	Matt Gillett: Had his best game in Maroon colours. 7
17 INTERCHANGE	Josh Jackson: Watched most of the carnage from the bench. Probably a good thing. 4	Jacob Lillyman: Outstanding from the bench. Close to Maroons best. 8.5
TOTAL	90	129

####

Originally published as James Maloney and Jack Bird produce mixed showings as Sharks draw with Sea Eagles in NRL trial