'I was shocked': Phil Gould stumped by Manly's attacking tactics as finals spot starts to slip

Phil Gould admitted he was "shocked" by Manly's attack against the Raiders after failing to put heat on the top eight.

The Raiders finished 28-12 winners in Canberra, despite going down 12-10 early in the second half.

Overall, Manly had five more minutes when it came to time in possession and completed at only one per cent lower than the Raiders.

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A win for Manly would've put pressure on the eighth placed Dolphins, although their poitns difference is significantly better than the Sea Eagles.

In his analysis, Gould questioned the tactics of Manly.

"With this game being so important to Manly with such experienced playmakers, I was shocked the way Manly attacked tonight," he said on Nine's Friday Night Golden Point.

"It was like they'd never seen the Raiders play, they kept falling into the trap by trying to go around them on their tryline.

"They show you the space deliberately because they're so quick to get across the ground and bussle you out there. And Manly time and time again were run out of room near sidelines because they constantly felt there was space out wide.

"It's a mirage, Canberra show you the space for a reason and they just sucked Manly in all night. It was like Manly had never seen them play. They'll rue that one."

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Post-match, Manly coach Anthony Seibold said he was proud of his side's effort while disappointed by the result.

Captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans put the failure in attack down to execution.

"Seibs said there's a ton of effort there but in the NRL, effort's not going to be enough," he said.

"We need to bring that effort next week and then refine our game."