Could 2017 be a Suprise Year?

[maxta]

Ok - No one can argue 2016 was anything but poor in relation to the lofty Manly standards.
Plenty can however argue not much went right, which has been mentioned for MANY reasons in other threads so won't rehash these.
Thing is - 2017 can potentially be a good 1 for many reasons....
*Turbo will only improve from - especially after recovering from the bad ankle.
*Jake is still a kid & only be stronger & more confident - only better
*AFB showed mass potential his first season, should come out better after a solid OFF season
*The addition of Green is no superstar signing....but adds stability & again - improvement
*Walker can go back to where he serves best from day 1 - a quality centre
*Meehan has talent, size , power & aggression....if he commits will be great imo...in saying that he has had limited top grade experience & will need to prove himself on & off the field.
*Lane will be an amazing signing, has raw power & is that edge runner we have been missing for a while....forget the NZ stuff - the kid can play & will win the fans early.
*Kapow finished the season on fire & no reason he will not continue that form.
*DCE will have a weight taken off his back - more a scheming half - he can now play his own game, with Blake there to control the basic structures.
*More speedy outside backs will add far better depth than in 2016 & expect more signing than what has already been announced....there's plenty to look forward to for the 2017 season & expect Manly to make the 8 comfortably.

 

[robbiea]

I will be surprised if we are top 4 .

 

[Killer03]

I think 2016 has given us all a good dose of reality, and expectations have been dampened as a result.

Green I think is a very good signing. Just seems solid and a big body. I like that in a 5/8.

My biggest concerns are actually around the Turbos. They have been fantastic for us. Jake for 2 seasons, and Tommy for a season and a bit. Will Tommy get a bit of 2nd year syndrome? Or be targeted more and more (therefore we need Walker, DCE and Green to show some nous and take the pressure off him?).

And the same with Jake. He has been our forward leader now for 2 years. Hopefully we see more of the Kapow and Lussick we saw at the back end/middle of the season. Manly need to get back to the glory days where we really hunted as a pack.

 

[Deleted member 26876]

Ok - No one can argue 2016 was anything but poor in relation to the lofty Manly standards.
Plenty can however argue not much went right, which has been mentioned for MANY reasons in other threads so won't rehash these.
Thing is - 2017 can potentially be a good 1 for many reasons....
*Turbo will only improve from - especially after recovering from the bad ankle.
*Jake is still a kid & only be stronger & more confident - only better
*AFB showed mass potential his first season, should come out better after a solid OFF season
*The addition of Green is no superstar signing....but adds stability & again - improvement
*Walker can go back to where he serves best from day 1 - a quality centre
*Meehan has talent, size , power & aggression....if he commits will be great imo...in saying that he has had limited top grade experience & will need to prove himself on & off the field.
*Lane will be an amazing signing, has raw power & is that edge runner we have been missing for a while....forget the NZ stuff - the kid can play & will win the fans early.
*Kapow finished the season on fire & no reason he will not continue that form.
*DCE will have a weight taken off his back - more a scheming half - he can now play his own game, with Blake there to control the basic structures.
*More speedy outside backs will add far better depth than in 2016 & expect more signing than what has already been announced....there's plenty to look forward to for the 2017 season & expect Manly to make the 8 comfortably.

I actually see us top 4 now should Matulino or someone of his calibre join the side and mainly due to Blake Green, who I believe will be a very good signing and not really based off of his underrated ability but because of the pressure of which he will take off of dce and the way of which he can be the cool head we have needed. He will bring some tips with him to help out both dce and Parcell as well as some of the other younger ones who are looking promising.

I have high hopes for Jamil Hoppa and Willis Meehan, who will each have good impact off the bench, similar to AFB who was sensational for us this year. At this stage the only problem is the backs who we will be outstanding as long as Matai returns, although that I am only hopeful for (snake seems gone by the sounds of it), good post though maxta.

 

[Moops]

Ok - No one can argue 2016 was anything but poor in relation to the lofty Manly standards.
Plenty can however argue not much went right, which has been mentioned for MANY reasons in other threads so won't rehash these.
Thing is - 2017 can potentially be a good 1 for many reasons....
*Turbo will only improve from - especially after recovering from the bad ankle.
*Jake is still a kid & only be stronger & more confident - only better
*AFB showed mass potential his first season, should come out better after a solid OFF season
*The addition of Green is no superstar signing....but adds stability & again - improvement
*Walker can go back to where he serves best from day 1 - a quality centre
*Meehan has talent, size , power & aggression....if he commits will be great imo...in saying that he has had limited top grade experience & will need to prove himself on & off the field.
*Lane will be an amazing signing, has raw power & is that edge runner we have been missing for a while....forget the NZ stuff - the kid can play & will win the fans early.
*Kapow finished the season on fire & no reason he will not continue that form.
*DCE will have a weight taken off his back - more a scheming half - he can now play his own game, with Blake there to control the basic structures.
*More speedy outside backs will add far better depth than in 2016 & expect more signing than what has already been announced....there's plenty to look forward to for the 2017 season & expect Manly to make the 8 comfortably.

Well, the top sides, such as Cowboys, Broncos, Storm, Sharks and Bulldogs are due for a bad season injury wise, surely?! Apart from maybe one or two players missing every now and then, they seem to never get injuries, and if they do, it is only 1/2 weeks. When we have had injuries over the past few years they have always been major.

This has been the difference I feel...

 

[madmax]

If Uate signs we have speed to burn in the backs with Tom T, Uate, Walker........
Uate's stats:-
2010 - 21 tries / 24 matches (Dally M Winger of the Year)
2011 - 20 tries / 23 matches (International Winger of the Year & Dally M)
2012 - 18 tries / 22 matches (Dally M Winger of the Year)
2013 - 15 tries / 24 matches
2014 - 12 tries / 15 matches
2015 - 12 tries 20 matches
2016 - injury riddled & sh%t team!
110 tries / 161 matches!!! Pretty good to me.
I for one would be happy to see him in our colors! With a healthier roster & the forward power we're building.........Manly top 4!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Deleted member 26876]

Well, the top sides, such as Cowboys, Broncos, Storm, Sharks and Bulldogs are due for a bad season injury wise, surely?! Apart from maybe one or two players missing every now and then, they seem to never get injuries, and if they do, it is only 1/2 weeks. When we have had injuries over the past few years they have always been major.

This has been the difference I feel...

That was our undoing, especially the injuries to our backs of which was the worst I've seen. Instead of me trying not to have a heart attack when choc used to take a run I now will have to try stop having a heart attack during the whole game as the injuries in 2015/2016 just came in packs and to star players

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

I love that there are optimists on this board to balance out pessimists like me, but I'll be surprised (and pleasantly so) if we don't actually perform worse than we did this year. It's not the players so much as the feeling around the club, especially with match fixing allegations hanging over people's heads. Hope I'm wrong, but I think we might have to fall a little further before we rise again.

 

[Wombat64]

I like the optimism but realistically I think we are still a few years away from playing semis again. We'll do better in '17 but I think we'll struggle to make the 8 again. Who is going to drop out of the top 8 for us to sneak in to play semis? Maybe the Titans? On top of that Roosters, Souths and Eels should also be doing better next year.

The gap between us and the leading teams is still too big and with the players we currently have and who we have signed I think the gap might close a bit but will still be there. We aren't even close.

For sure 2017 should be a better year, with more realistic expectations we can start to enjoy the slow rebuild to our next "dynasty".

 

[Loobs]

I love that there are optimists on this board to balance out pessimists like me, but I'll be surprised (and pleasantly so) if we don't actually perform worse than we did this year. It's not the players so much as the feeling around the club, especially with match fixing allegations hanging over people's heads. Hope I'm wrong, but I think we might have to fall a little further before we rise again.

I don't think the match fixing allegations are hanging over the club per se. They will quite easily be shifted to individuals if there is any fire to go with the smoke. The current squad bar Snake and Matai has no link to the games in question, and both of them could possibly be done here already. It's more tied down to a group who have been purged.

 

[Deleted member 26876]

I like the optimism but realistically I think we are still a few years away from playing semis again. We'll do better in '17 but I think we'll struggle to make the 8 again. Who is going to drop out of the top 8 for us to sneak in to play semis? Maybe the Titans? On top of that Roosters, Souths and Eels should also be doing better next year.

The gap between us and the leading teams is still too big and with the players we currently have and who we have signed I think the gap might close a bit but will still be there. We aren't even close.

For sure 2017 should be a better year, with more realistic expectations we can start to enjoy the slow rebuild to our next "dynasty".

I like your anti-optimism but in all seriousness there are very few better squads in the nrl than ours in 2017... Let's compare the Cowboys and Our likely 2017 sides, I think next year you will be pleasantly surprised

1. Tom Trbojevic / Lachlan Coote
2. Jorge Taufua / Kyle Feld
3. Dylan Walker / Justin O'neil
4. Steve Matai / Kane Linnett
5. Akuila Uate / Antonio Winterstein
6. Blake Green / Michael Morgan
7. DCE / Johnathan Thurston
8. Darcy Lussick / Matt Scott
9. Matt Parcell / Jake Granville
10. *Ben Matulino* / Ben Hannant
11. Martin Tapau / Gavin Cooper
12. Jamie Buhrer / Ethan Lowe
13. Jake Trbojevic / Jason Tamaloulo

Our Interchange varies a little but here's mine... The Cowboys I just placed who I believe would go there but they would likely sign some others.

14. Addin Fonua-Blake / Coen Hess
15. Willis Meehan / John Asiata
16. Brenton Lawrence / Scott Bolton
17. Jamil Hoppoate / Javid Bowen

I dunno, I'm calling top 4...

 

[sheridanstand78]

At this point mid table is realistic. We need to shore up our squad. We must improve our defence by at least 6 points a game. What's most important is we have committed and focused players. The ingredients are there but do we have the right chef????

 

[Wombat64]

I like your anti-optimism but in all seriousness there are very few better squads in the nrl than ours in 2017... Let's compare the Cowboys and Our likely 2017 sides, I think next year you will be pleasantly surprised

1. Tom Trbojevic / Lachlan Coote
2. Jorge Taufua / Kyle Feld
3. Dylan Walker / Justin O'neil
4. Steve Matai / Kane Linnett
5. Akuila Uate / Antonio Winterstein
6. Blake Green / Michael Morgan
7. DCE / Johnathan Thurston
8. Darcy Lussick / Matt Scott
9. Matt Parcell / Jake Granville
10. *Ben Matulino* / Ben Hannant
11. Martin Tapau / Gavin Cooper
12. Jamie Buhrer / Ethan Lowe
13. Jake Trbojevic / Jason Tamaloulo

Our Interchange varies a little but here's mine... The Cowboys I just placed who I believe would go there but they would likely sign some others.

14. Addin Fonua-Blake / Coen Hess
15. Willis Meehan / John Asiata
16. Brenton Lawrence / Scott Bolton
17. Jamil Hoppoate / Javid Bowen

I dunno, I'm calling top 4...

To clarify, I'm not pesimistic I am realistic.

BUT, when you put it like that and if we can get a bit of luck and a decent draw who knows we might surprise people (well not you but me). Agree that squad looks OK but still a lot of work to do.

I'll stick with my more meagre expectations and hope like hell the boys pull it together ..... OK maybe I am being pesimistic....

 

[manlyfan76]

To clarify, I'm not pesimistic I am realistic.

BUT, when you put it like that and if we can get a bit of luck and a decent draw who knows we might surprise people (well not you but me). Agree that squad looks OK but still a lot of work to do.

I'll stick with my more meagre expectations and hope like hell the boys pull it together ..... OK maybe I am being pesimistic....

Never met a pessimistic person who did not claim to be a realist.

 

[Chip and Chase]

I like your anti-optimism but in all seriousness there are very few better squads in the nrl than ours in 2017... Let's compare the Cowboys and Our likely 2017 sides, I think next year you will be pleasantly surprised

1. Tom Trbojevic / Lachlan Coote
2. Jorge Taufua / Kyle Feld
3. Dylan Walker / Justin O'neil
4. Steve Matai / Kane Linnett
5. Akuila Uate / Antonio Winterstein
6. Blake Green / Michael Morgan
7. DCE / Johnathan Thurston
8. Darcy Lussick / Matt Scott
9. Matt Parcell / Jake Granville
10. *Ben Matulino* / Ben Hannant
11. Martin Tapau / Gavin Cooper
12. Jamie Buhrer / Ethan Lowe
13. Jake Trbojevic / Jason Tamaloulo

Our Interchange varies a little but here's mine... The Cowboys I just placed who I believe would go there but they would likely sign some others.

14. Addin Fonua-Blake / Coen Hess
15. Willis Meehan / John Asiata
16. Brenton Lawrence / Scott Bolton
17. Jamil Hoppoate / Javid Bowen

I dunno, I'm calling top 4...

It's all about the spine these days and they have us covered at 9, 7 and 6. 1 is a 50-50 call. The rest is just how you use your squad based on your spine's abilities. Anyway their pack has ours covered as well IMO, even if we do jag Matulino.

 

[Deleted member 26876]

It's all about the spine these days and they have us covered at 9, 7 and 6. 1 is a 50-50 call. The rest is just how you use your squad based on your spine's abilities. Anyway their pack has ours covered as well IMO, even if we do jag Matulino.

I think our pack is our strong point, we have heart there, size proved not to matter on many occasions this year, one of which was against the Cowboys where we were phenomenal against them but were poor at the last 20, especially against Tamaloulo but I believe Matulino, if signed along with the bench we have, can lift our pack even more. The backs have heart too, but only if Matai and Taufua can play out most of the season. If Uate can somehow come back to his best of which I am doubtful towards, then we will have a better backline with walker returning to the centres.

I hope I am right but patience will prove our enemy again as we will have to wait 6 or so months to find out

 

[mickqld]

Irrespective of players , coaching and injuries we will get shafted again by the draw, refs, scheduling and Greenturd's obsession with the West. At least there's no Monday night madness to stiff us with and considering Thurs is just a ratings grab we might be lucky and get a Sunday arvo or 2 at Brookie . Most of our games will end up being Sat arvo or the early Sunday arvo game.

 

[Bearfax]

I'm looking forward to the development of Manly's four juniors coming up through the ranks, Parker, Jamil Hoppa, Bainbridge and Tom Wright I'm especially looking at Jamil and T. Wright. Both are those players have an X quality. If they can move to the next level, stardom is theirs. Mr Perpetual Motion, Jamil, is one of those busy game breakers who could be anything in the top grade. Wright is new to League, has had a couple of injuries to slow his progress and has been in a poor team. But he has lightning speed and evasiveness, and if he can develop his defence, he could also be a stand out

 

[Deleted member 26876]

And you can even add another name to that list, Willis Meehan. We are going to have good depth in the forwards, whereas the backs backups aren't looking too bad, we have Brad Parker, Lewis Brown, Matt Wright and Jono Wright followed by Brayden Williame who should be a last resort.

 

[Deleted member 26876]

I'd have Lewis Brown as a last resort, regardless of who the other resorts are.

Yup and on second thought I'd have Nate Myles at the top of the list, such speed many talent, much good