On The Record: Sea Eagles vs Sharks

Today, we take a look back at Manly Warringah’s successful history against the Cronulla Sharks.

The Sea Eagles and the Sharks were due to meet at Netstrata Stadium, Kogarah, on Thursday night but with the match postponed due to COVID-19, it’s time to look back at our history since 1967.

Head to Head

Played 104: Manly 73, Cronulla 26, Draws 5. All games include pre-season and midweek matches.

Brookvale Oval was the venue for the first ever premiership match between the two clubs in 1967. Manly won the first 10 matches between the two clubs with Cronulla’s first win coming in 1971.

Grand Finals

The Sea Eagles claimed their second premiership title with a 10-7 victory over the Sharks in the 1973 Grand Final.

Two superb tries to brilliant centre Bob Fulton proved the difference in a match that will always be remembered for its vicious brawls.

It was a case of two grand finals in three days for both clubs after they played out an 11-all draw in the original 1978 Grand Final.

Fortunately, the Sea Eagles proved victorious with a 16-0 victory in the Grand Final replay.

Centre Russel Gartner scored two tries in the Grand Final win.

Most tries vs Sharks

Immortal Bob Fulton heads the tryscoring list against the Sharks with 12. Fulton grabbed a hat-trick against Cronulla in a 32-5 win at Endeavour Field in 1968. He also scored two doubles in 1973.

12 Bob Fulton; 11 Steve Menzies; 10 Des Hasler, Brett Stewart; 9 Anthony Watmough; 8 Les Hanigan, Phil Blake; 7 Graham Eadie, Simon Booth; 6 Alan Thompson, Tom Mooney, John Gibbs, Michael Robertson; 5 Max Brown, Michael O’Connor, Craig Hancock, Steve Matai, Jorge Taufua*; 4 Bill Bradstreet, Noel Cleal, Col Dreier, Dale Shearer, Glenn Stewart, Kieran Foran, Jamie Lyon, Tom Trbojevic*.

Hanigan’s Hot Run

Winger Les Hanigan scored five tries in the first ever premiership match against Cronulla at Brookvale in 1967. It remains a club record to this very day for most tries in a match for Manly.

Hat-trick Heroes

Eight players have scored hat-tricks against the Sharks but only one has scored two hat-tricks.

That honour goes to former half-back and current Manly Coach Des Hasler who achieved the feat in 1984 and 1985, both at Brookvale.

There were also two hat-tricks recorded in the one game. Winger Col Dreier and Hasler scored three tries each in the 50-14 win at Brookvale in 1984.

Hat-tricks list: Bob Fulton (1968), Simon Booth (1978), Phil Blake (1983), Col Dreier (1984), Des Hasler (1984/85) Michael Monaghan (2005), Anthony Watmough (2010), Jorge Taufua (2015)

Ten Big Wins 

50-14, Rd 6, 1984

Winger Col Dreier and Hasler walked off Brookvale to the roar of jubilant Manly fans after bagging three tries each. Full-back Phil Sigsworth scored two tries and prop Geoff Gerard one. Winger Steve Hegarty kicked seven goals.

48-18, Rd 19, 2010

The Sea Eagles ran riot at Endeavour Field in an impressive first half performance that saw them lead 36-0 at the break. Second-rower Anthony Watmough scored three tries and winger Tony Williams two.Chris Bailey, Kieran Foran, Jamie Lyon and Michael Robertson also crossed.

46-20, Rd 2, 2005

Half-back Michael Monaghan scored a hat-trick in Manly’s first home game of the season. Second-rower Anthony Watmough grabbed a double on a Sunday afternoon in front of more than 14,000 happy Sea Eagles fans.

40-12, Rd 5, 2010

Centre and captain Jamie Lyon scored 20 of Manly’s 40 points in this big Sunday afternoon win at home in front of over 16,000 fans. Lyon scored two tries and kicked six goals. Winger Michael Robertson also crossed for a double.

39-5, Rd 8, 1967.

A crowd of 6,726 saw Manly winger Les Hanigan score five tries in the first ever premiership match against Cronulla. In his first year at the Sea Eagles, Hanigan finished the season as the game’s leading tryscorer with 16 tries.

38-12, Rd 1, 1983

Exciting half-back and master of the chip and chase, Phil Blake, put on a show for the home fans with a hat-trick at Brookvale. Full-back Graham Eadie kicked seven from nine goals.

38-10, Rd 20, 1994

The Sea Eagles ran in six tries to two on a Saturday night at Brookvale. Full-back Matthew Ridge scored a try and kicked seven from eight goals for a personal haul of 18 points.

34-6, Rd 18, 2008

Skillfull lock Glenn Stewart scored two of Manly’s six tries. Brother Brett Stewart, Matt Ballin, Josh Perry and Michael Robertson also crossed for four pointers.

32-5, Rd 21, 1968

Australian Test centre Bob Fulton put on a show at Cronulla’s home ground with a hat-trick of tries. Bill Bradstreet, Bill Hamilton, and Les Hanigan also scored.

32-4, Rd 19, 1986

The Sea Eagles ran in six tries to one to send the Sharks fans home disappointed. Phil Blake, Noel Cleal, Chris Close, Peter Cullum, Stuart Davis and Des Hasler were Manly’s tryscorers.

Golden Point thriller

A left foot field goal saw by half-back and captain Daly Cherry-Evans saw Manly win 33-32 at Shark Park in 2018 in the only Golden Point clash between the two clubs. The victory in extra-time made it 15 wins from the last 17 games against Cronulla.

A winning decade

From 2010 to 2019, Manly won 14 of the 16 premiership matches between the two clubs. Cronulla’s last win came in 2016.

Trophy Kings

Since 2006, Manly and Cronulla have played for the Steve Rogers Memorial Trophy in recognition of the Sharks’ Immortal who had many good friends at the Sea Eagles in Bob Fulton and Max Krilich through the Kangaroos tours.

Of the 22 matches played for the trophy, Manly have won it 18 times.