Players, fans and experts go berserk for Siosifa Talakai after his stunning first half against Manly

Siosifa Talakai stole the show as the Cronulla Sharks defeated Manly 32-22 on Thursday to deliver an empathic response following their loss against Melbourne in Round 6.

The Sharks took a 32-0 lead, with Talakai scoring two tries and setting up a further two in just 29 minutes, one of which courtesy of the kind of grubber kick normally associated with halfbacks rather than bulldozing second-rowers.

The 25-year-old racked up 193 metres, nine tackle breaks, three line breaks and three offloads in just 40 minutes of football, a performance which set social media alight.

The Sharks enforcer had two tries and two try assists in just 29 minutes of footy

Courier Mail journalist Travis Meyn called for Talakai to be awarded the Dally M Medal purely on his first half performance, while former Sharks prop Keith Galloway described Talakai as a ‘beast’.

Fans had a field day on Wikipedia, where Talakai’s page was changed to reflect he ‘owned’ the Sea Eagles and that Manly played at Talakai Oval.

Cronulla’s centre was also listed as Manly’s coach and captain.

Courier Mail journalist Travis Meyn called for Talakai to be awarded the Dally M Medal

Former Sharks prop Keith Galloway described Talakai as a ‘beast’ on Twitter 

Fans had a field day on Wikipedia, where Talakai was listed as Manly owner, coach and captain

Former Fiji international Ashton Sims joked the Sharks star would be a great addition to the New South Wales squad for the upcoming State of Origin series, given how good he looked in Cronulla’s light-blue jersey. 

Meanwhile, Brad Walter of NRL.com suggested Tonga would have a phenomenal partnership in the centres if they could pair Talakai with Kotoni Staggs.

Both players are of Tongan descent, but while the Broncos star has won two caps for Tonga, Talakai remains uncapped at international level. 

Former Fiji international Ashton Sims joked the Sharks star would be a great addition to the New South Wales squad for the upcoming State of Origin series

Brad Walter of NRL.com suggested Tonga would have a phenomenal partnership in the centres if they could pair Talakai with Kotoni Staggs

Such was the impact of Talakai in the first 40 minutes that Scott Bailey of the AAP described his first half performance as greatest 30 minutes of football ever produced by a centre, an opinion shared by Channel 7’s AFL commentator Jude Bolton.

Talakai’s display drew praise from other codes as well, with West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui among those marvelling at the Cronulla enforcer’s performance. 

Cronulla’s star wasn’t as devastating after the break, but finished the evening with a remarkable statline that included 241 running metres and 11 tackle busts to go with his two tries and three assists. 

Scott Bailey described the Sharks star’s first half performance as greatest 30 minutes of football ever produced by a centre

Bailey’s opinion was shared by Channel 7’s AFL commentator Jude Bolton

West Coast Eagles star Nic Naitanui was among those marvelling at Talakai’s display

The Sharks, however, lost their way in the second half and allowed Manly back into the game, with the visitors scoring 22 unanswered points before Nicho Hynes slotted a penalty with two minutes left to put the game beyond the Sea Eagles.

The win strengthens Cronulla’s credentials as a top-four team this season and cements their hold on third place, beaten the still unbeaten Panthers and second-placed Melbourne.

Meanwhile, Manly’s four-game winning streak is over and the Sea Eagles could be overtaken by North Queensland and South Sydney this weekend.