Manly would have had Anthony Seibold tearing his hair out despite his assertions that this year it was all about remaining ‘neutral’ in the face of pressure.
The Sea Eagles started their clash against the Dragons in red-hot touch with Tom Trbojevic producing a magical offload for Tolutau Koula to score. However, that was as good as it got with the visitors descending into farce as they made 15 errors on their way to a 69 per cent set completion during their loss.
NRL tips: Manly vs. Penrith preview as Sea Eagles need to find a way to stop Dylan Edwards
Manly top the error count with 56 so far and will be in significant trouble if they can’t remedy their inability to hold onto the ball against Penrith this week.
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If they turn over possession at anywhere near the same rate as they did against the Red V, Penrith will be able to capitalise in good field position.
"It was a very poor effort last weekend and it’s not where we think we are as a side," Reuben Garrick stated.
"We have a really good opportunity to rectify that at 4 Pines."
Manly have conceded 17 tries in their four fixtures, which ranks as the third worst record in the league behind just the Rabbitohs and Dragons.
While the Panthers are inevitably at the opposite end of the spectrum after letting in just nine four-pointers so far.
Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris is now set to be back on deck after recovering from a shoulder injury which sidelined him for two weeks to lock up their stability through the middle even more.
"He’s our forward leader and has been for some time," Ivan Cleary said.
"He brings a level of leadership and confidence to the rest of the team."
The Panthers were without the Kiwi skipper as well as playmaker Nathan Cleary last week against the Roosters, but showed no signs of fear as they powered their way to a 22-16 win.
Dylan Edwards was at his marauding best as he clocked one try, two assists and 230 running metres.
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Manly have struggled to stop opposition fullbacks this campaign with Latrell Mitchell registering a try and two assists during South Sydney’s defeat in Las Vegas.
James Tedesco also crossed for a four-pointer and claimed two assists during Manly’s win over the Roosters in the second round, while Tyrell Sloan bagged a double against them last week.
In Cleary’s absence, Edwards took on more responsibility in attack, even taking over the kicking duties from the tee as he nailed a couple from the sideline just for good measure.
He has scored two tries in four matches and is one of just six players to cross the stripe for the Panthers this year. Only the Titans (3) and Dragons (5) have a more concentrated group of scorers.
Meanwhile, the Sea Eagles are at the opposite end of this metric with 11 different try scorers to date with Parramatta and North Queensland the two teams to have more with 12 each.
"We’ll be better this weekend and we’ll have to be," Garrick said ahead of his captain Daly Cherry-Evans breaking Manly’s all-time appearance record.
"They’re looking good," Garrick added on DCE’s combination with new recruit Luke Brooks.
"It’s still only early in the season though so hopefully they’ll continue to get better and get more of a feel for each other and bring the whole team together."
The Sea Eagles have lost their last six matches against the Panthers and DCE hinted that his side would be attempting to upset their rhythm with some unorthodox plays.
"You do need some sort of trick play," the skipper insisted.
"Most weeks, most teams will try and identify some form of trends defensively. They don't necessarily look like a trick play when they come across on the TV. But you are trying to break down people's defence."
Manly attempted to shock the Panthers last season when Garrick launched a kick on the first tackle but the play backfired when Sunia Turuva, who notched a hat-trick last week, returned it with interest to score through a scattered backfield.
This time, the Sea Eagles are likely to see the merit of holding onto the ball as much as possible with the Trbojevic brothers showcasing a potential play back through the ruck last week that almost resulted in a try for Turbo.
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