AE's First Birthday - A present from Haig
MANLY TRAVELLING NICELY
-An opinion by Haig Kayserian
Those fans currently criticising the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles need a dose of what they purport to prescribe; a dose of REALITY.
Only 12 months ago, the Sea Eagles had begun planning for ‘next season’, realising their form and resources was none to match that of a top eight outfit.
A year on…the Sea Eagles sit in fifth spot, firmly in finals’ contention and have created enough headlines of the positive type to satisfy the most successful of top level sporting sides.
Have those fans of the fickle type purged their pernickety nature to applaud a turnaround of such magnific proportions?
Absolutely not…
Instead, realising negatively targeting the team is now beyond reach, they have targeted individuals – individuals who have effectively combined to turn the Sea Eagles into a force-to-be; the very force they claim to credit.
“We don’t settle for mediocrity!�…they say…
All the well dear fickle ones, but us ‘optimists’ – who declare ourselves as the true ‘realists’ – feel a team that has gone from wooden spoon contention to partaking in arguments about premiership contention is hardly a step towards mediocrity…
We feel a halfback and skipper who has set up more tries than anyone else in the team, defended better than most number sevens in the NRL and presented himself estimably before the media is hardly one justifying calls of “one of the worst halfbacks the club has ever produced�…
We feel our injury-plagued young prop, who made City Origin due to a personal call from the NSW State of Origin coach, will eventually come good and is worth every penny of the contract the club offered him…
We feel our administration, who have made this team competitive financially, are collectively doing a tremendous job…
We feel our coaching staff, who have turned this team around in miraculous time on the park, are among the best in the business…
Most of the men you criticised last season have come good…
We remember last year’s vulgar descriptions of a certain backrower, who led the Dally M’s for much of the opening parts of the season until injury…
We stick by our men. It’s not about settling for mediocrity, it is rugby league fandom – it is Manly Sea Eagles fandom!
We too want the best for our team; the Orfords, Bells and Lyons…
But we don’t crush what we have, those with their hearts on their sleeves…those doing their best…their best which IS good enough to turn a team around as THEY have…
They’ve turned your team around…not you…
You don’t influence policy…never have…never will…that’s not your jobs…
Give up trying…rather lift your glasses in unison and support your club…support is what fans do – a losing streak should not wane support and begin a call for heads, because if heads fall, it’s not because of you…
As our chairman Paul Cummings said, a fan’s job is to support and it’s his and his team’s job to administrate…If you wish to cross that bridge; the door is that way…
Otherwise, let’s all cheer….
MANLY (clap, clap, clap), MANLY (clap, clap, clap), MANLY (clap, clap, clap)…
This piece was written due to popular demand by a certain administrator of an “Alternate� site for their birthday – I wish them the happiest of birthdays and many joyous returns…