Manly’s next head coach may need to end the careers of a few players to ensure their own future is safe in the coach’s box.
The Sea Eagles sacked coach Anthony Seibold on Friday just three games into the new season following three losses at home at Brookvale Oval.
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Kieran Foran has been appointed interim coach, and the 2011 premiership winner will get the chance to press his case for the full-time role after hanging up the boots just last year.
Former Eels coach Brad Arthur, Michael Ennis, Broncos assistant and two-time Manly premiership winner Matt Ballin and Jason Demetriou are among the other candidates to replace Seibold.
But sacking Seibold isn’t going to solve Manly’s issues overnight. The roster needs an overhaul, particularly in the forward pack, which is one of the weakest in the entire NRL.
Jake Trbojevic’s output in the No. 13 has been poor and his best football is clearly behind him following an excellent career cruelled by head knocks.
The club stalwart has a player option in his contract for 2027 but it’s likely this is his final season playing at Manly.
His output has fallen off a cliff this season — in three games Trbojevic had seven runs for 51 metres, three runs for 23 metres and two runs for 17 metres.
But Manly’s forward pack is skinny and needs thickening up. Prop Taniela Paseka missed a chunk of last season and has the potential to be an imposing presence in the middle for Manly.
The Sea Eagles recruited Broncos premiership winner Kobe Hetherington, but Manly needs another prop or two to support Paseka and backrower Hamoule Olakau’atu.
Jake Trbojevic, his brother Ben, Nathan ‘back fence’ Brown and Corey Waddell may not remain at Manly after their contracts expire in the next two years.
Waddell made two errors in the loss to the Sydney Roosters on Thursday night that led to tries.
The medical retirements of Lachlan Croker, Josh Aloiai and Brad Parker haven’t helped, but the Sea Eagles have not been extremely active in the transfer market, missing out on the likes of Payne Haas and Mitch Barnett.
A backline with Tom Trbojevic, Lehi Hopoate, Toluta’u Koula and Jason Saab has plenty of speed and X-factor, but it’s the forward pack that needs serious bolstering.
Patience is also wearing thin with five-eighth Luke Brooks — he’s in the third year of a four-year contract at Manly, and it would be a surprise if that deal is exteneded beyond 2027.
Code Sports reported that Seibold and Manly chairman and owner Scott Penn had a disagreement over giving young playmaker Joey Walsh minutes, which would likely come at Brooks’ expense.
“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.”
Bryan Fletcher pondered on Fox League’s Matty Johns Show: “It’s now round 4, Manly haven’t had a win yet. This kid, Joey Walsh. I know he’s only 19 or 20, would you throw him in?”
But Matty Johns cautioned it may be too early in his career to throw Walsh into Manly’s starting side.
“Joey Walsh, I’ve been talking to a couple of people. The belief is he’s a fantastic talent but he’s not quite ready yet,” said Johns.
“I think the way the side’s playing, in a bit of a hole at the moment, forwards struggling to get ascendancy. Very hard for a young halfback to come in. I think they’re doing him a favour.
“And he’s just come across from rugby union, hasn’t played a lot of rugby league.
“Very, very good footballer, very classy. But I think they’re looking after him at this point.”
Meanwhile, scrutiny is mounting on the Penn family, who have been the majority owners of Manly since 2014.
Since then, four coaches — Geoff Toovey, Trent Barrett, Des Hasler, and Seibold — have been sacked.
Eight CEOs have come and gone, most recently Tony Mestrov departing last year in the wake of Daly Cherry-Evans shock departure to join the Roosters.
Manly have made finals four times (2017, 2019, 2021, 2024) during the tenure of Penn, who is based in New York. Penn has been Manly’s club chairman since 2007.
At Saturday’s press conference where Foran was unveiled as interim coach, Penn was asked: “Five coaches, eight to ten CEOs. Scott are you part of the problem?”
He replied: “No. You can point fingers but our focus has always been on the greater good of this club so as owners of the club, we demand success. If we don’t get success, we find someone else.”
Manly’s next game is against the Dolphins on Thursday night at Kayo Stadium.
Originally published as Group of Manly players fighting to save careers, disagreement over young gun