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Manly NRL coach Trent Barrett is seeking some overdue 80-minute efforts from his side over the final three rounds of the NRL season.
Manly NRL coach Trent Barrett will demand an 80-minute performance from his erratic side, after they suffered another defensive meltdown.
Embed from Getty ImagesConsistency has gone from Manly's game over the past month and is threatening to damage their finals prospects.
They leaked 92 points in successive losses to St George Illawarra and Melbourne.
The Sea Eagles then found themselves 18-4 down against the high-flying Sydney Roosters last week, but rattled off 32 unanswered points.
Manly looked to be carrying on in the same vein against Wests Tigers at Leichhardt on Sunday.
Try doubles to Daly Cherry-Evans and Akuila Uate gave them a 20-6 halftime lead and had they maintained that margin they would have risen to fourth on the NRL ladder.
Instead they unravelled in the second half to lose 30-26 and finished the afternoon where they started it, in seventh spot.
Four teams below them and 10 in total have conceded fewer points than Manly this year.
"We need to put 80-minute performances together," Barrett said.
"Last week we had a really good half in the second half against the Roosters, our first half (on Sunday) was OK, but our second half was poor.
"Eighty minutes is what we're searching for and we have to find it quite quickly."
Barrett and hooker Apisai Koroisau pointed out Manly's wounds on Sunday were largely self inflicted.
Fullback Tom Trbojevic had two passes intercepted late in the game and the visitors were guilty of committing several other errors.
"The most disappointing thing is that we lost that ourselves," Koroisau said.
"You can't give any team that sort of possession in that part of the field, so we really shot ourselves in the foot there."
The Sea Eagles will look to bounce back next Sunday when away to the struggling Canbterbury.
They finish their program with matches away to the Warriors and then host Penrith in round 26.