Sweat and tears for Palu and Co

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday September 14, 2009

Rupert Guinness

WYCLIFF PALU and his Manly teammates were left bitterly disappointed after their Shute Shield elimination semi-final loss to Eastwood yesterday, but the Wallabies forward was at least grateful for the 80-minute workout.Palu, one of several in the 22-man Australian squad who did not feature in the victory over the Springboks 10 days ago, certainly worked up a sweat at Forshaw Park yesterday."It was pretty hot out there ... It was good to get 80 minutes," Palu said, still catching his breath after a game in which his trademark busts and crushing defence helped the Marlins to a 14-13 half-time lead.With Wallabies coach Robbie Deans looking on, Palu's strength and conditioning was still evident late in the second half, when the Marlins looked good value to claim a come-from-behind win.Eastwood had returned after the break with gusto and scored three tries in the first 15 minutes of the second half before a Manly fightback made for a tense final 10. "The breakdown let us down, especially in the first part of the second half," Palu said. "They scored some pretty soft tries off the turnovers. But credit to them, they played well."Eastwood coach Brian Melrose warned his side won't be easybeats in the preliminary final against Sydney Uni on Saturday despite their 81-7 loss to them last week. "We have got to step up again, but after last week, it was very embarrassing," he said.

© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald

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