The obvious question was how badly they wanted to win this match; which would directly determine how hard they were prepared to work to get the two points.

As they took the field for the second half in front of a big home crowd, you got the feeling the Manly players were about to reveal, one way or another, just how passionate they were about the remainder of the season.

It was their game to win or lose. If they fumbled and bumbled around the field and allowed the enthusiastic young Sharks to come over the top of them to win, well, that would signal the end of their 2015 campaign. If, on the other hand, they could reach down inside and find the qualities that have made this great club such a force over the past decade, they would surely have no problem in brushing the Sharks aside and recording a healthy win.

Nearly 15,000 hardcore fans don't come out to support you on a Sunday afternoon when your team is running last on the table unless they have belief in their team. Fans read the papers and hear the rumours. The only place fans really get the truth is when their players take the field on weekends and perform to their ability. You can't sell the public a bad attitude or a bad product. This was judgment time.

Thankfully the Manly boys delivered. Their second 40 minutes of play was not perfect in execution by any stretch of the imagination. However, the energy and enthusiasm was obvious. They were full of intent. If the crowd was undecided just which way this game was going to go, the Manly lads soon willed the fans to find their voice and get behind them.

From the time the ball was kicked off for the second half the Manly performance had a real "we are not going to lose this one today" message about it.

The forwards laid a strong platform in the middle of the field and the classy Manly backline players handled the rest. They never let the Sharks into the contest at any stage and despite conceding two late consolation tries to the visitors, the victory was never in doubt.

Not that their first half was all that shabby either. Their opening 20minutes of the match was brisk and full of energy. They should have led by a lot more, but didn't. The problem was that by the back end of the first half they had fallen back into some of the bad habits that saw them enter this round of football in their lowly position on the premiership ladder.

They appeared to have their opponents' measure but some poor finishing and errant passes kept breaking down their momentum at crucial times. These near misses merely added to their frustration and buoyed the spirits of the Sharks who were battling gallantly to stay in touch. No, if Manly were going to win this match, the football gods wanted them to work a bit harder and earn it. Having now accepted this challenge and successfully closed out a comprehensive win on home soil, I anticipate this side could well make a late season surge to win the majority of their matches at the back end of this season.

It will be a big ask for them to win enough to make the top eight by September, but they could sure spoil the finals hopes of many of their opponents in the coming weeks. At best this is still a classy football team. The forward power and depth has been criticised by many experts this season.

However, these guys are willing and they only have to do a half-decent job to give their star-studded back line enough room to rattle up the points. Crikey, they boast million-dollar halves, million-dollar centres and a million-dollar fullback. This team can beat anyone if they put their minds to it.

The Sharks? No, it wasn't one of their better days. This is a gritty, niggling, in-your-face kind of football team that likes to graft away and frustrate their opponents into losing games. Without their two main leaders in Michael Ennis and Paul Gallen they were probably missing the major architects of this hard-nosed culture. They really battled hard in the first half to keep themselves in contention.

They had no answer at all to the Manly onslaught after half-time and seemed to lose confidence as a result. They will be a different team altogether when their leaders return. You can't judge their finals hopes on Sunday's performance.

I dare say though, Manly fans can take great heart in the effort of their team on Sunday. They might have plenty to cheer about during this month and next. I'm just not sure they will still be cheering for them in September though. Only time will tell.