Players, fans and experts go berserk for Siosifa Talakai after his stunning first half against Manly – with one joker listing Sharks star as the Sea Eagles OWNER on Wikipedia
- Cronulla defeated Manly 34-22 after taking 32-0 lead in first half
- Siosifa Talakai scored two tries and had two try assists in just 29 minutes
- Sharks enforcer racked up 193 metres and nine tackle breaks in the first half
- Talakai’s first half performance was widely praised on social media
Siosifa Talakai stole the show as the Cronulla Sharks defeated Manly 32-22 on Thursday to deliver an empathic response following their loss against Melbourne in Round 6.
The Sharks took a 32-0 lead, with Talakai scoring two tries and setting up a further two in just 29 minutes, one of which courtesy of the kind of grubber kick normally associated with halfbacks rather than bulldozing second-rowers.
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The 25-year-old racked up 193 metres, nine tackle breaks, three line breaks and three offloads in just 40 minutes of football, a performance which set social media alight.
Siosifa Talakai stole the show as the Cronulla Sharks defeated Manly 32-22 on Thursday
The Sharks enforcer had two tries and two try assists in just 29 minutes of footy
Courier Mail journalist Travis Meyn called for Talakai to be awarded the Dally M Medal purely on his first half performance, while former Sharks prop Keith Galloway described Talakai as a ‘beast’.
Fans had a field day on Wikipedia, where Talakai’s page was changed to reflect he ‘owned’ the Sea Eagles and that Manly played at Talakai Oval.
Cronulla’s centre was also listed as Manly’s coach and captain.
Courier Mail journalist Travis Meyn called for Talakai to be awarded the Dally M Medal
Former Sharks prop Keith Galloway described Talakai as a ‘beast’ on Twitter
Fans had a field day on Wikipedia, where Talakai was listed as Manly owner, coach and captain
Former Fiji international Ashton Sims joked the Sharks star would be a great addition to the New South Wales squad for the upcoming State of Origin series, given how good he looked in Cronulla’s light-blue jersey.
Meanwhile, Brad Walter of NRL.com suggested Tonga would have a phenomenal partnership in the centres if they could pair Talakai with Kotoni Staggs.
Both players are of Tongan descent, but while the Broncos star has won two caps for Tonga, Talakai remains uncapped at international level.
Former Fiji international Ashton Sims joked the Sharks star would be a great addition to the New South Wales squad for the upcoming State of Origin series
Brad Walter of NRL.com suggested Tonga would have a phenomenal partnership in the centres if they could pair Talakai with Kotoni Staggs
Such was the impact of Talakai in the first 40 minutes that Scott Bailey of the AAP described his first half performance as greatest 30 minutes of football ever produced by a centre, an opinion shared by Channel 7’s AFL commentator Jude Bolton.
Talakai’s display drew praise from other codes as well, with West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui among those marvelling at the Cronulla enforcer’s performance.
Cronulla’s star wasn’t as devastating after the break, but finished the evening with a remarkable statline that included 241 running metres and 11 tackle busts to go with his two tries and three assists.
Scott Bailey described the Sharks star’s first half performance as greatest 30 minutes of football ever produced by a centre
Bailey’s opinion was shared by Channel 7’s AFL commentator Jude Bolton
West Coast Eagles star Nic Naitanui was among those marvelling at Talakai’s display
The Sharks, however, lost their way in the second half and allowed Manly back into the game, with the visitors scoring 22 unanswered points before Nicho Hynes slotted a penalty with two minutes left to put the game beyond the Sea Eagles.
The win strengthens Cronulla’s credentials as a top-four team this season and cements their hold on third place, beaten the still unbeaten Panthers and second-placed Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Manly’s four-game winning streak is over and the Sea Eagles could be overtaken by North Queensland and South Sydney this weekend.