Round 18
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 6 l. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 34

2008 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

Early blitz sees Manly to outright first
Mon July 14, 2008
Can Manly win their first premiership since 1996? With eight rounds to play before the Finals the Sea Eagles sit in outright first position and Des Hasler has them playing a style of football that is going to malke them very hard to beat.

The Sea Eagles took on Cronulla last Saturday night and for the opening 20 minutes the Sharks barely saw the ball as the big crowd at Toyota Park was in stunned silence as Manly raced to a 22-0 point lead following tries to Matt Ballin, Josh Perry, Brett Stewart and Glenn Stewart.

Cronulla had no answer to the Manly onslaught as they played the perfect football to seal the match before it effectively got going.

It wasn't until the final moments before half-time that Cronulla got into the match with Paul Gallen crossing over with the Sea Eagles up 22-6 at the break.

Michael Robertson put any hopes of a Sharks comeback to rest when he scored 14 minutes into the second half and Glenn Stewart's second try seven minutes later sealed an easy victory for the Manly boys.

The outstanding performance by Manly and the signs of falter from the Roosters and Storm certainly has many Sea Eagles supporters full of confidence that Hasler can deliver the Silvertails their first title since 1996.

Cronulla had a lot to prove before the match as a big crowd was expected and level on 26 points each. The Sharks have had a reputation of falling apart in the games that matter and they needed to prove they could handle the pressure, which the scoreline suggests they failed to do so.

Who can challenge Manly for the title in 2008?

LIVE SCORES & STATS
NRL: Sharks 6 v Sea Eagles 34
NYC: Sharks 9 v Sea Eagles 8
Sharks v Sea Eagles Discussion Thread

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