Within a wild 24 hours, the Manly Sea Eagles sacked their coach and appointed a shock name to take control of the team in an interim role for the rest of 2026.

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Anthony Seibold was relieved of his duties on Friday, the day after the club dropped to 0-3 on the season.

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The next morning, rookie assistant coach Kieran Foran was named as his replacement for the mean time at a press conference fronted by Foran, CEO Jason King and chairman Scott Penn.

According to Penn, something had to give after Manly failed to change several bad habits that were raised with Seibold at last year’s end of season review following a disappointing 2025 campaign.

Three games into the season to fire a coach is very early as Fox League’s Greg Alexander suggested, but as Penn explained on Saturday, the club didn’t want to wait “three more games and risk falling to 0-6”.

“I think it’s very early. Would I have given him more time? I’m not there. I don’t know exactly what happens during the week,” Alexander said.

“To give a proper answer or one that isn’t speculation, I think you have to be inside the camp.

“I know it’s a results-based business but if I’m looking at last night’s game, well I’m thinking that Manly weren’t that bad. There was a five minute period where the Roosters ran in three tries so I could see that there was a response from the Manly players last night.

“Sometimes a coach loses the dressing room but I would say he hasn’t otherwise there wouldn’t have been a response (last night) … I think it’s very early.”

Regardless, the Sea Eagles have gone in the direction they have. So, what does that mean for the club and all involved?

Read on for the burning questions in the wake of the firing of Anthony Seibold.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR MANLY IN THE SHORT TERM?

At 0-3 and with a rookie assistant coach appointed in the interim role, the 2026 season outlook doesn’t look flash for the Sea Eagles if we’re going to be brutally honest.

As chairman Scott Penn confirmed, a reason why the coach was jettisoned just three games into the season was because the club believes they are still a chance to play finals football.

Manly weren’t keen to wait and see if Seibold could turn the ship around in the next few weeks and risk that he wouldn’t be able to, instead willing to rip the band-aid off now in order to save their season.

One could argue that firing their coach so soon would only severely hamper their chance to reach the top eight, but it’s clear that the club is confident they have the roster to be in the finals race.

That notion is hard to argue with.

While there are some flaws, the roster is loaded with talent, as Foran explained in Saturday morning’s press conference, calling fullback Tom Trbojevic one of the game’s best players and Tolu Koula among the NRL’s best outside backs.

In addition, the Sea Eagles boast a gun back rower in Haumole Olakau’atu, a more than capable half in Jamal Fogarty and reliable forwards Kobe Hetherington and Taniela Paseka.

It’ll be a task, but the Sea Eagles have the pieces to make a finals run despite the rough start. It’ll just depend on if the playing group can buy into what Foran is selling.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR SEIBOLD?

As reported by Code Sports on Friday night, Seibold will be owed a $300,000 severance package from the club.

It’s likely he steps away from the NRL for the remainder of the year to plot his next move.

The former Dally M Coach of the Year will have options to return as an assistant coach somewhere in the league but it’s hard to gauge whether there will be interest in him when a head coach gig opens up.

It’s worth mentioning that between stepping down in 2020 and signing a deal to become Manly’s coach in late 2022, Seibold switched codes and worked under Eddie Jones for the England rugby union team.

In his 148 games as an NRL head coach for Souths, Brisbane and Manly, Seibold has compiled a record of 70 wins, 75 losses and three draws.

While he did lead the Sea Eagles to the finals in 2023 and 2024, he failed to get the most out of his talented roster and ended with a mediocre 48% winning strike rate during his three and a bit seasons at the club.

WHO IS LEADING THE RACE FOR VACANT GIG?

We’ve delved into a much more detailed look at the main contenders for the Sea Eagles vacancy here.

At this early stage, it appears there are three frontrunners.

So far, those names are former Eels mentor Brad Arthur, club legend Matt Ballin and Dragons assistant and Fox League’s Michael Ennis.

Foran, of course, can put himself into contention for the full time gig if he can salvage something from this season and impress in a tough situation.

Penn admitted there is an allure of hiring a head coach who is a previous Sea Eagles player, which would favour Ballin and Foran of the names above.

“Obviously there is history there,” Penn said.

“We are in our 80th year, we have played in 20 grand finals. Not all of those 20 grand finals were Manly people, but the 8 premierships we won have been.

“It’s not mandatory, but there is certainly history.”

Broncos assistant and Manly legend Martt Ballin is a frontrunner for the Sea Eagles’ coaching gig.Source: Getty Images

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM KIERAN FORAN?

Foran won’t be expected to produce miracles, but there’s an expectation that the Sea Eagles are able to get their season back on track under the rookie coach according to Penn.

“We know that we have a fantastic squad here. We know that Kieran has an opportunity to do something special. That’s what we are backing right now,” the chairman said.

Foran boasts a terrific relationship with the playing group, is a club legend who is well respected and knows what it takes to win.

CEO Jason King, a former teammate of Foran at Manly, said as much on Saturday morning.

“One of the strengths that Kieran brings to this role is that we are really fortunate to have someone of Kieran’s ilk in the building already is a deep connection to the club,” King said.

“I was fortunate to play with Kieran for a part of my career. He always came across as a character of really high standards not only of himself but of his teammates.

“It’s great to have Kieran involved, he has a strong connection, he is a life member of the club, has played nearly 200 matches for the club.

“To have him we think is important now and will generate that great connection with the playing group that he already has and build on that.”

THE HALVES SITUATION

As mentioned, there is plenty of hope around Brookvale that the club will return to competing seriously for a premiership sooner rather than later.

A look at the roster, and there are key pieces on the books which shows why the outlook is bright.

One of those is young gun Joey Walsh, who is expected to achieve big things in the NRL.

Walsh was awesome in the pre-season and is knocking on the door of a regular first grade opportunity.

However, the club don’t want to put him in a situation that could disadvantage him or stunt his growth, as their former coach mentioned in one of his last Sea Eagles interviews.

“He’s only 19. What we don’t want to do is put him in too early and we need to get into some good touch as well and bring him into a team that is in good form,” Seibold said on Thursday before the loss to the Roosters.

“I just want him to play 80 minutes. Everyone can see the quality in Joey, knowing he’s going to be a long-term player. But we need to make sure we don’t set him up to fail.

“We want to set him up for his future, not just this year or next year, it’s about the next 10 or 12 years with Joey.”

Fox League’s Matty Johns shares the same opinion, believing Walsh is on a hiding to nothing if he’s playing behind a struggling forward pack that’s losing the battle.

“I think particularly (with) the way the side’s playing, it’s very, very difficult when the side is in a hole, particularly with the forwards struggling to get ascendancy, to bring the young halfback in,” Johns said.

“I think they’re doing him a favour.”

Five-eighth Luke Brooks has struggled this season so he’s on the hot seat if Walsh continues to impress at training and in NSW Cup with new recruit Jamal Fogarty’s position much safer given he has joined the club on a big-money deal.