Although obviously disappointed in their performance I thought Manly were very gracious in defeat. Watching the players shake hands after the match I got the sense that the boys acknowledged they were not the best side of the night and were genuine in wishing the storm players the best. Often players can have a sook after losing a big match (ala Cowboys) but I thought the boys were a credit to their club dealing with their post game disappointment.
Far too friendly if you ask me. Our team seem unenthusiastic all game until it came time to shake hands and then they suddenly came to life. Go back to some fierce rivallry and healthy dislike for the opposition and we might get a better effort from them.
Sometimes as a team you get these "inexplicable" performances whether it's park footy or NRL. Last night was one of those nights, the harder some tried, the worse it got. They would've known a long way from home that it wasn't their night and the realisation that the season was over. At least they didn't get that feeling in Rd 15 or whatever.
