That was a very strange performance

[NYEagle]

I wonder what will come to light in the next few days. That was a very very strange game. I don't think I have ever watched a Manly game where they have been a non event such as this.

You could praise Melbourne, sure, they were great, but all the structures Manly had played to all year just fell apart in unison tonight, and the team at no stage played any football. I mean 6 tackles in the Melbourne 20m in 80 minutes?. Wow.

Some theories:

(1) Matty Johns was right and the Stillnox comment disrupted the whole teams mentality?. I have no idea why that would, but Choc was absolutely diabolical. He went missing for big stretches, had no fire in his eyes. I could not even find him when they ran out!?.

Just like 2009, second tackle of the match he makes an error - you can't make it up. Set the tone.

(2) The were as busted as some people say they were.

Observations:

Glenn Stewart looked really bad. Completely different to last year. No spark, missed tackles, no fire. wow.

But ummmm Jamie Lyon was busted, and he was 90% of Manly today.

(3) They Psyched themselves out

All that talk all week by individual players, all the stories about Choc, Tafua, etc etc -

Just run through the horrors

No fire from Cherry
Foran went missing
King errors, even Kite
Watmough strangely horrible

Maybe in the wash they just forgot to play as a team. Melbourne on the other hand played brilliantly as a team - hate them as I might, they were impressive to watch.

(4) Something else?

The team were sick?
The players leaving?
The matchup? - Melbourne in Melbourne is just impossible?

Something at the end of the day must explain this. That was not Manly out there.

 

[COMMANDER]

There is something about Mary. Oops Manly.

Last night was diabolical; there are some blokes that played last night that should be taking a long hard look at themselves.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

- We lost Ballin in the first half.

- Despite the unforced errors and Storm dominating the entire 1st 40 as a result, it should have been only 8-6 at half time after we came back towards the break.

- However some Storm penalties to start the 2nd half seemed to deflate the team and they never recovered mentally.

- Diabolical, but not so hard to understand.

- Difference between success and humiliation at this level can be small.

- it was a bit humiliating, but that's football!

 

[QldEagle01]

They rattled us pure and simple, we were behind and struggling from the first drop ball and the storm never let us back into it, end of story pretty simple.

 

[MPC75]

Choc and Trex's knock on's set the tone. If Trex didn't knock on we could will have been finishing that set down in there half and the tempo of the game would have been totally different. But he knocked on and we got pounded from then on.

 

[weev]

Those two knock ons were incredible. I would almost beleive someone put something in the water in the dressing room. It was a self inflicted wounding in the opening minutes and the mental battle was lost.

However, the storm looked fresh. That week off really helps. I think the boys were knackered or carrying niggles.

But what makes you drop the ball is lack of focus. Late in the game for sure, but so early? I question the mental toughness. This season they have been a little flakey as a group.

The club has been flakey too. Coincidence? Look at the storm a couple of years ago. Cheating on and off the field. Perhaps there's something in it. Good management is usually behind good working groups.

 

[The Who]

Matai also was injured early and had a shocker. It calls into question the wisdom of having three props and a utility forward on the bench. Whenever one of our backs got hurt we struggled, such as when Jamie went off again the Berries. Last night we had to keep Matai on because there was no logical replacement.
Anyway, I agree, this was a performance that was so bad I'd like to believe there was something sinister at play. It was not a Manly-like performance.