Geoff Toovey isn’t reading too much into his side’s 24-12 trial loss to Cronulla on Friday night, insisting the Sea Eagles offered plenty to smile about at Remondis Stadium.
The match presented a number of NRL hopefuls a chance to impress Toovey, with the season set to kick-off in a little under a month's time.
In the absence of retired forward Richie Fa’aoso, former Rabbitoh Josh Starling showed his worth with a notable display that had the Manly coach captivated.
"I thought he [Starling] was really good and his carries were good.
Toovey, who is on the verge of signing a new contract deal with the club, says he got everything he hoped for out of the hit-out.
''I don't want to draw too much from the first trial. It was a solid hit-out and there were some good things done there. The main thing is everyone came through OK,” He said.
''I don't think we've won a trial in like 10 years. It's one of those things. The trial did the job for us. We got to test a few young blokes and see where they are at and the experienced blokes got a bit of contact.''
Despite initial concerns over Steve Matai, who limped off the field with a twisted ankle, club doctors have cleared him of any damage and the centre is not expected to be sidelined for a lengthy period.
New recruit Dunamis Lui was a late withdrawal after suffering a virus.
"He was really crook so it was best not to play him. He was disappointed but obviously he wouldn't have been any good to take the field," Toovey said.
