Adam SutcliffeCronulla Sharks upset Manly Sea Eagles in boilover
March 15th 2008 14:28
www.nrlnews.com
It was spiteful and it was Rugby League in the trenches, but the determined Cronulla Sharks under Ricky Stuarts instruction defended stoutly and stopped the fancied Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale in an epic first up win.
While only Round 1 of the NRL Premiership for 2008 - getting NRL Results early is crucial, it takes pressure of club and coach, making the latter season games less critical to finals calculations.
Manly who lost Michael Monaghan to the UK Super League at the end of 2007 certainly missed his services as the usual spark of the Eagles that took them to the Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm last year was gone. The game got off to a bang, with Ben Ross and Josh Perry clashing heads, Ross being knocked out and sent to hospital for scans. The big hits continued as the two footy sides felt each other out and tried to gain an advantage early on.
For Manly, with the ball in hand they struggled to put on the points they usually do. Especially at Brookvale Oval. Regularly flat footed and devoid of creativity, the Eagles toiled hard but ultimately got frustrated out of the game as the Sharks dragged them down into tight defence based Rugby League. For the Sharks; Brett Kearney impressed as did Brett Kimmorley with his kicking game and usual suspects Greg Bird and Paul Gallen.
In a low scoring affair with only 2 tries a piece, the goal kicking of Luke Covell proved the difference. The aging winger proving his value yet again and getting the Sharks home 16-10 even after a late Michael Bani try to Manly that sent a few nerves through the Sharks supporters.
Ricky Stuart will be elated with the first up win, keeping his coaching record in tact (having never lost a 1st round game in his NRL mentoring history)
For Des Hasler, it will be a slightly concerning start. Losing the Grand Final and several players may have knocked confidence around and a mental battle might need to be fought before the Eagles can fly high again.
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