I’ve been holding off writing this article to get some gauge on Manly’s form this season.
I’ve been pretty impressed with what the Eagles have achieved over the first four rounds, particularly in defence of course... and all without Glenn Stewart. To hold two quality attacking teams to zero is no mean feat.
Then there was that gutsy 1st Round come-from-behind win against the Broncos and a strange match against the Titans that we could easily have won. The win over Newcastle at home was fantastic… the shut out of the Tigers in Gosford less so, but the conditions that night must be taken into account.
While our defence remains brilliant, I do have a nagging question about our attack… or more to the point, the team’s ability to limit mistakes and ball handling errors when attacking. (Maybe I’m just still having nightmares about that performance in the Grand Final Qualifier against the Storm last year.)
What I have liked is the continued great form of our mainstays – Jamie ‘Killer’ Lyon, Steve Matai, Matt Balin, Brett Stewart, Foran and Cherry-Evans, etc. (Great to see the Wolfman back to his best too!) … and then there’s the really encouraging signs from some of our new recruits. His current suspension notwithstanding, Richie Fa’aoso looks a great pick-up. He’s always been a top worker and man can he hit!
Read On ...
