Sea Eagles recruit Willie Mason enjoyed a dream club debut as he helped his side claim a 42-22 victory over Cronulla on Saturday night.
The 34-year-old front rower was impressive in his first hit out in Manly colours, scoring a try and leading from the front as the Sea Eagles shook off the cob webs at Pittwater Park.
In a first heavily dominated by the Sea Eagles, the home side, without their NRL stars, ran out to a 30-6 lead. However, it was a tale of two halves as Cronulla hit back with three unanswered tries in the second half to close the margin to just eight points.
Coach Geoff Toovey opted to play his regular first-graders in the second half and despite dominating possession, the Sea Eagles failed to capitalise as drop balls cost Manly.
At 30-22, the Sea Eagles finally managed to execute their plays, running in two late tries to seal the victory.
Sea Eagles 42 | Tries: Tony Satini, Dom Reardon, Jayden Hodges 2, Willie Mason, Ligi Sao, David Williams. Goals: Manaia Rudolph 5/5,David Williams 2/2.
Sharks 22 | Feiloakitau, Gagan 2, Gordon.
