Hailing is side for their solid performance and win over the Cronulla Sharks, Manly Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey believes that after that win, his side can and should be classified as premiership contenders.
It was a 25-18 win in the end against a spirited Sharks side still dealing with the ongoing ASADA investigations in the back of their mind, but the contest was a good one by both sides.
With five wins and just one loss after 6 rounds, Manly are sitting in the upper echelons of the NRL ladder, with Toovey believing that when his side are at their best, they are a force to be reckoned with in the NRL.
“In periods I think we are as good as any in the competition,” Toovey said.
“But there are also periods when we drop away a bit. We just need to be a bit more consistent and in saying, I think that we are capable of that.
“It’s been a tough six weeks and we need to regroup and hopefully focus on the areas we need to improve on and improve on that consistency.”
For Manly captain Jamie Lyon, he believes the big-game experience of his players at crucial times, will continue to get them over the line in games that matter.
“We know what we are capable of here,” he said.
“We might have an aging squad but we definitely have some big experience here with blokes who have played those big finals games.”
The early periods saw Manly dominate, before the Sharks showed great resolve and wrestled back some momentum to get back into the contest – but it ultimately was not enough in the end.
The loss was the third straight for the Sharks and whilst the Sharks missed the direction and leadership of the injured Todd Carney, Flanagan said he was pleased with his side’s effort.
“They tried their butts off but things are just not quite going our way,” he said.
“It was a tough opening but we hung in there. It was encouraging.
“We need to stick to it and it will turn around for us.”
The only downer for Manly, was a potentially season-ending injury for forward Joe Galuvao who sustained a snapped achilles tendon.
3. Justin Horo
2. Tom Symonds
1. Kieran Foran