We can't keep using the injury excuse: Hasler

Frustrated Manly coach Des Hasler says the lengthy list of names in the club's casualty ward can't be an excuse for the sort of performance that cost his team a 26-22 loss against the Warriors on Friday night.

Already missing star fullback Tom Trbojevic plus five-eighth Dylan Walker and several others, the Sea Eagles also had to do without both edge forwards in Curtis Sironen and Joel Thompson against the Warriors and lost prop Addin Fonua-Blake after just 20 minutes to a suspected PCL injury.

The problems got even worse when Marty Taupau was hit high by Jack Hetherington in the 52nd minute which resulted in a failed HIA.

"We've got to stop using the injury excuse," Hasler said.

"We had our chances tonight, we had our chances to win this game but we didn't.

"We were winning these kind of games last year. You can't fall back on [injuries]. We should have won that game, we had chances to win it without six or seven regular first-graders, so you can't use it as an excuse.

"We could have won that game at the end tonight. We’ve just got to be more disciplined, more efficient, find better ways to finish our sets, not drop the ball in crucial field position. We've only got ourselves to blame. They gave us every chance to win.

"We can always make that up, or talk about combinations, but at the end of the day you're a professional footballer, you hang onto the ball."

Hasler would not be drawn on whether Hetherington should have been sent off rather than sin-binned for the high shot on Taupau.

"I'd have to see it before you can argue that. He was sent to the sin bin so at least they're consistent with that," he said.

Of Fonua-Blake's prognosis he added: "At this early stage it might be PCL, so it could be a couple of weeks."