Manly’s premiership defence is in total disarray, with the Sea Eagles win-less and bottom of the ladder after four rounds as the three NRL heavyweights all lost in a weekend of massive upsets.

South Sydney jumped back to the top of the table on for-and-against following a 22-16 defeat of the Warriors in Auckland on Sunday while the Gold Coast are second after a shock 18-6 victory over Melbourne at Olympic Park on Saturday night.

The Sea Eagles are rooted to the foot of the table after losing 26-12 to Newcastle on Sunday, with the league’s other win-less team Canberra facing North Queensland in the nation’s capital on Monday night.

Manly’s situation was made worse on Sunday with centre Steve Matai injuring his shoulder and he could join fellow centre Jamie Lyon (knee) on the sidelines for a couple of weeks.

However the Sea Eagles expect fullback Brett Stewart to return from suspension next Sunday to face Wests Tigers, although a lot will depend on his mindset after the first hearing into his sexual assault charge on Tuesday.

Despite all the dramas engulfing Manly, coach Des Hasler insists the Sea Eagles can still fight back this year.

If Manly do recover to defend their title they would join Newtown’s 1933 side as the only two clubs in league history to lose the first four games and still win the premiership.

“Times are tough at the moment. This side has got plenty of character and I promise you we will hang in there,” said Hasler.

“There is a long way to go. I still maintain there is a lot of footy to play.”

St George Illawarra moved into third place with a stunning 25-12 upset of previously undefeated Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night to extend their winning streak over the Broncos to eight games.

The Broncos are fourth on the ladder, with the top four clubs a game clear of the rest with three wins from four games.

The Bulldogs also have three wins after beating Cronulla 24-12 on Sunday, but are fifth after being stripped of two competition points last week for the controversial 14-men win over Penrith in round two.

Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore said the club would appeal the lost points after the NRL confirmed the penalty last Friday.

“When we get those two points back we are second on for and against,” said Moore.

Sharks coach Ricky Stuart slammed his side’s performance, which marked the first time since late 2007 they have lost three games in a row and they now sit in 14th place.

“That was absolutely embarrassing today, we were leg-less,” said Stuart.

“I think we are very fortunate that they did not put another four or five tries on us.

“I actually wish they had of so it would embarrass us even more.”

Souths coach Jason Taylor praised his men for toughing out the away win over the Warriors.

It continued an impressive start to 2009 for the Bunnies as their only loss was a tight 14-8 defeat to Parramatta in round two.

“We showed that we have some toughness about us,” said Taylor.

In other NRL games the Sydney Roosters bounced back from off-field drama to beat Parramatta 24-6 on Friday while Penrith jumped to sixth after belting the Wests Tigers 42-22 on Saturday night.

NRL round four snapshot:
THEY SAID IT: “It’s a different jumper but the same job.” St George Illawarra coach WAYNE BENNETT talks down the presence of emotion after his new side beat his former club of 21-years 25-12 at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

STAT THAT MATTERS: St George Illawarra extend their winning streak over Brisbane to eight games. But this time master coach Wayne Bennett was on the victorious team.

MAN OF THE ROUND: Penrith skipper PETERO CIVONICEVA. Coming off the shortest turnaround in the NRL the 32-year-old showed no signs of fatigue from a Monday night win in the wet to lead his side to a Saturday afternoon 42-22 victory over Wests Tigers. Petero topped the tackle count (30) and hit ups (14) and was second in metres gained (139m).

MAGIC MOMENT: South Sydney winger Fetuli Talanoa out-leaps a pack to catch the ball high above his head and then run 90 metres to score and pull the Rabbitohs level with the Warriors. Chris Sandow’s conversion then gave Souths the lead as they go on to win the game.

TALKING POINT: The round of upsets. In a tipsters’ worst nightmare underdogs prevailed in six of the seven games across the weekend. St George Illawarra, Sydney Roosters, Penrith, Gold Coast, South Sydney and Newcastle all won against the odds.

JUDICIARY WATCH: Brisbane: Ben Te’o (high tackle); Wests Tigers: Chris Lawrence (grapple tackle); Sydney Roosters: Frank-Paul Nuuausala (grapple tackle); Cronulla: Luke Covell (tripping)

KEY INJURIES: Brisbane: Ben Te’o (ankle); Melbourne: Ryan Hoffman (head cut); Gold Coast: Preston Campbell (calf); Wests Tigers: Tim Moltzen (dislocated elbow); Sydney Roosters: Sia Soliola (eye socket); Cronulla: Jack Afamasaga (knee); South Sydney: Shaune Corrigan (leg); Manly: Steve Matai (shoulder)

UNDER PRESSURE: Manly. The reigning premiers are winless and bottom of the table after four rounds. Worse yet, they don’t look like winning. Only one team in rugby league history – Newtown in 1933 – have won the premiership after starting a year with four losses.

© AAP 2012

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