SEN’s Matty Johns believes Manly are fatiguing late in games which is impacting on their ability to close out tight games.
The Sea Eagles were forced to play in golden point for the second week in a row and conceded a final minute try to the Newcastle Knights on their way to a 32-all draw.
Johns, who attended the game live at Mudgee, said Manly would be disappointed in giving up a competition point as they let Newcastle back into the contest due to their fitness.
“Manly looked tired,” Johns declared on SEN 1170 Mornings.
“They were tired in the first couple of minutes and even when they were 10-nil up, when you watched the game live at the ground, there were two, three or four guys who weren’t getting back for tackle three or four.
“Well done to Newcastle who found a way to get back into the contest and they were fitter.
“There is one thing in rugby league that is a non-negotiable and that is you have to be fit to give yourself a chance to make an impact in the competition.
“(Newcaslte) looked good and would’ve lost those games last year.”
Johns was also disappointed in the Wests Tigers who succumbed to their fifth straight loss to start the season when they went down 46-12 to the Brisbane Broncos.
Johns said the Tigers are their own worst enemy as they allow teams to dictate terms in the opening half hour through poor ball use.
“They need to get their football right.
“The Tigers aren’t giving themselves a chance purely on the errors they make in the first 25-30 minutes of the game.
“The Tigers are trying to play their way into form by throwing the football around and they are coming up with error after error.
“I don’t care what they do with the football (but) I want to have a look at the stats sheet and see that after 30 minutes, we are completing our sets at 95% at least.
“Give yourselves an opportunity to win the football game or at least be in the fight with five minutes to go.
“At the moment, they are giving themselves no chance.”
The Tigers play the Eels on Easter Monday whilst Manly travel to Penrith on Saturday.
