Harper’s night to forget as Hasler reveals his gun center was ‘underdone’ in Talakai duel

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Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler has revealed center Morgan Harper was “underdone” for his crucial clash against Sharks gun Siosifa Talakai.

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Talakai ran riot in the first half, recording 193 run metres, nine tackle breaks, three line breaks and three offloads, while his opposite man missed six tackles.

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After 40 minutes the Sharks had a 32-0 lead and despite a huge comeback, the Sea Eagles were unable to best Craig Fitzgibbon’s side.

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At halftime, Hasler made the call to bring Harper off and hand young gun Tolu Koula the task of containing Talakai which ended up a successful move.

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Harper missed the Sea Eagles Round 6 clash against the Titans due to Covid protocols, and Hasler explained that may have contributed to his poor performance.

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“In hindsight, it is wonderful thing hindsight, with Covid he was underdone a little bit, but he won’t use that as an excuse,” Hasler said.

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“He is a real proud kid and he will learn, it was a real tough night for him tonight, there is not doubt about that and he won’t hide from that.

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