Manly slumps to horrific low as season from hell gets worse

The Sea Eagles’ season from hell got a whole lot worse on Thursday night as the Panthers handed the side their worst ever defeat at Lottoland.

Viliame Kikau scored the third double of his career on Thursday night.

Manly’s dismal start to 2021 continues, with the club slumping to a fourth straight loss at Lottoland on Thursday night.

Penrith cruised to a 46-6 defeat over the Sea Eagles, who have endured their equal worst start to a season since 1999.

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Penrith’s left edge punished the home team throughout the night, with Brian To’o and Viliame Kikau crossing for two tries each.

The Panthers got off to a flying start, coasting to a 22-0 lead after 25 minutes. The Sea Eagles managed to swing the momentum away from Penrith late in the first term, and a crafty try to Cade Cust gave the visitors a sniff, but a Penrith capitulation was never on the cards.

Second half tries to Kikau, Kurt Capewell, Paul Momirovski and future Bulldog Matt Burton sealed the deal in emphatic fashion.

The 46-6 drubbing was Manly’s biggest ever defeat at Lottoland. To make matters worse, Sea Eagles forward Morgan Boyle dislocated his shoulder in the loss, while Moses Suli suffered what looked to be a back injury.

Penrith ran riot on the northern beaches.

In his post-match press conference, Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler highlighted his side’s ball handling as particularly poor.

“You’re just not in the game with that kind of discipline with the ball,” he said.

“You’d like to have the first 20 minutes over again.”

The defeat will likely keep the Sea Eagles at the bottom of the ladder, marking just the second time since 2015 they have finished a round in 16th spot.

The Sea Eagles will be hope star fullback Tom Trbojevic can ignite the side’s sluggish attack when he returns from injury in the coming weeks.

It’s unlikely “Turbo” will fix all of the side’s problems though, with serious questions looming over the Sea Eagles’ forward pack just weeks into the season.

Hasler remained optimistic in his press conference despite his side’s performance.

“We’ll keep turning up and we’ll keep aiming up and that’s all we can do,” he said.

The good times are continuing to roll for the Panthers, who remain undefeated in 2021. They will look to build on their impressive 2020 campaign this year in a bid to hoist the premiership trophy for the third time in club history.