A new-look Sea Eagles side kicked off their season in the worst way possible after being dominated 28-6 by the Bulldogs on Friday night.
Sea Eagles v Bulldogs: Five Key Points
Reynolds an asset for Mbye development
Barrett cops 'wake up call' on the chin
With eight new faces ushering in Trent Barrett's first game at the helm of the Sea Eagles the rookie coach is already counting his losses with potential suspensions to Martin Taupau and Steve Matai further compounding his team's underwhelming performance.
With the side seemingly still very much a work in progress, Manly had few answers for a dominant Bulldogs side, with halves Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye combining for four try assists.
Speaking after the game, Canterbury coach Des Hasler said he was pleased with efforts of his charges.
"It's always good to get that first win," Hasler said. "It gives our players a bit of confidence as well. It's always a tough journey to Brookvale. Manly are going to be a very difficult side here to beat, it may take a little while as Brett Stewart said earlier in the week that it's not going to happen overnight and they'll continue to build the next couple of rounds. On the reverse side, I thought we controlled possession pretty well which is always a key aspect of this time of year."
Starting with all the momentum the Bulldogs never looked like letting up in the first 40. The Sea Eagles' woes began in the 11th minute when an error and penalty in quick succession saw Reynolds and skipper James Graham play hot potato for Sam Perrett's try.
An error from Sea Eagles winger Brayden Wiliame 10 metres out from his own line put the Dogs in good territory once again. It allowed Will Hopoate to touch down inches within the deal ball line off a Reynolds grubber in the 15th minute.
Bulldogs winger Curtis Rona looked to kick start his try-scoring campaign for 2016 with an absolute screamer in the corner six minutes later, though it was quickly pulled up by the video bunker for obstruction.
It didn't impede the Bulldogs' rampage though as Sam Kasiano powered his way over in the 27th minute thanks to a close-range cut-out ball courtesy of hooker Michael Lichaa.
A failed touch-finder by Daly Cherry-Evans proved the impetus for the Dogs' 22-0 half-time lead when Josh Morris scored his 100th NRL try by pouncing on a Moses Mbye grubber eight minutes from oranges.
The home side finally posted points in the 65th minute when winger Jorge Taufua roped in a lollipop pass to score in miraculous fashion inches in from the sideline.
After two earlier denied tries the Bulldogs finally returned to the scoring proceedings seven minutes from time when Rona finished off a handy scrum play to cap off the 22-point win.
Concerns remain however over the health of Lichaa (ankle) and centre Chase Stanley (cork) for the Bulldogs.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 28 (Sam Perrett, Will Hopoate, Sam Kasiano, Josh Morris, Curtis Rona tries; Moses Mbye 4 goals) defeated Manly-Waringah Sea Eagles 6 (Jorge Taufua try, Jamie Lyon goal) at Brookvale Oval. Crowd: 16,512. Half-time: Bulldogs 22-0. On Report: Steve Matai (Sea Eagles – high tackle); Martin Taupau (Sea Eagles – shoulder charge). Injuries: Chase Stanley (Bulldogs – cork), Michael Lichaa (Bulldogs – ankle).
