By Andrew Cupido.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles suffered a 38-12 loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the SG Ball Cup today.
The Sea Eagles got off to the perfect start when second-rower Josh Schuster crashed over for the first try before the Bulldogs hit back shortly after through James Valevatu.
The Bulldogs had a wave of possession in the following five minutes with Iverson Fuatimau slicing through the defence before showing brilliant pace to score an impressive 50m try. Jackson Topine converted the try as the Bulldogs held onto a handy 12-6 lead at half-time.
Talau showed his nifty footwork as he burst through the Sea Eagles goal-line defence to score a vital try straight after the break.
While the Eagles were valiant with some strong defensive efforts, they couldn’t stop hooker Ryan Gray from darting over after he evaded the full-back with a classy right-foot step.
Topine continued his perfect day with the boot as the Bulldogs ran out to a comfortable 24-6 lead with 20 minutes remaining.
A handling error out of their own end proved costly for Manly just a few tackles later with Talau grabbing his second try with a courageous effort – carrying four desperate defenders over the try-line for a brilliant solo effort.
Schuster scored a consolation try, putting his name on the scoresheet once again, before Bulldogs flyer Logan Dillon capped off a strong performance with a try in the closing stages.
Topine put the icing on the cake with a final try in the last minute for the 38-12 win.
The Sea Eagles have now won one of their first three matches in the SG Ball competition.
