Manly have made a mockery of Brisbane's depleted defence, claiming their biggest-ever win over the Broncos with a 50-6 flogging at the NRL Magic Round.
On a night when Brisbane were reduced to 11 men at one stage following two sin-binnings, Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans starred while Martin Taupau and Jake Trbojevic played their best games of the year.
Tom Trbojevic had a quiet game by his recent super standards, but still finished with a try double and two assists on a not-so-magic night for the home fans in Brisbane.
Dead last on the ladder just a month ago, the Sea Eagles are now back even with five wins from their last six games and up to seventh on ladder.
But it wasn't all good news for Manly, with Kieran Foran suffering a broken hand in the second minute.
"We didn't get off to the best of starts (this season). We were a little bit bent out of shape," Hasler said.
"But we've been able to put a couple of wins together and get momentum going.
"It's taken hard work, and it was always going to."
The news was, however, far worse for the Broncos.
Six separate incidents were put on report, with Jordan Riki, Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai and Tyson Gamble all facing potential bans.
Both Gamble and Riki were put on report twice, and the pair were sin-binned within 40 seconds of each other in the second half as part of the NRL's crackdown.
Manly were also hit by sin bins, finishing with only 11 players on the field after two were dismissed in the final minute for professional fouls.
But while the sin-bin edict will remain the talking point, the game was already decided by the time the Sea Eagles laid on three tries in the period when Gamble and Riki were binned.
The Broncos managed to somewhat contain Trbojevic, but he still scored Manly's first try after a wonderful Cherry-Evans ball put speedster Jason Saab free.
The trio also combined for another first-half try, while Trbojevic scored another when the Broncos were down to 11 men and he put his brother Jake over for another.
Taupau finished with 184 run metres and six tackle busts to go with a perfect face ball for Sean Keppie to hit a hole and score his first NRL try in the first half.
The form turnaround by Saab, who also bagged a try double, and Taupau in the past month has coincided with the team's hugely-improved performances following Tom Trbojevic's return from injury.
Meanwhile, the Broncos are struggling.
The flogging was the fourth time they have conceded 50 in the past two years, while they remain second-last on the ladder and only above Canterbury.
"That is our worst performance since I have been here," coach Kevin Walters said.
"It was a terrible night for Broncos people. I feel sorry for all our fans and sponsors.
"We started soft and got softer as the game went on."
Australian Associated Press
