The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles faced a disheartening defeat in the NSW Cup, losing 52-12 to St George-Illawarra Dragons in Wollongong.
This match marked a stark contrast to their previous two games, where they remained competitive until halftime.
Sadly, this defeat marked their fourth loss in five outings.
Manly welcomed back Clayton Faulalo and Josh Feledy from the NRL, alongside Tex Hoy and Nathan Brown, who returned from injury and illness.
The fifth-placed Dragons struck first in the ninth minute when Tyler Peckham-Harris scored, putting them ahead 6-0.
In the 16th minute, half-back Kade Reed extended their lead to 12-0 by scoring under the posts.
Just three minutes later, Jarrah Treweek added to the tally, diving in after a fifth tackle kick for an 18-0 advantage.
Reed then secured his second try, capitalizing on a break in the middle, and pushed the score to 24-0 just 22 minutes into the match.