What makes Manly well Manly?

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double hoops

First Grader
We say it all the time. Some on here even question it. Do we mean only someone from the area can be it? So When we say someone or something is Manly? What does it mean to you?

I just finished a post where I questioned the direction the club is headed and decisions made by the new Penn regime, by saying we just don't feel Manly at the moment?

Having pondered for some time.

Firstly i associate that word with. An open attacking, risk taking but above all else, entertaining style of play.

Secondly it's a hardness of character. It's tough. Even now I just think the epitome of that word Manly is a picture of Toovs.

Perhaps it's a generational thing like who's your best James bond.

As a fan Ive seen him play and wear our shirt.

The smallest bloke on the field, he still goes down as one of the toughest to play this game. He would just bring blokes twice his size back down to earth and do it all day.

It wasn't like today tackle high and wrap up the ball. That little head of his he would stick in and around and in front knees and legs , where others just werent game.

I've seen him bleed and seen him cry and give his everything to win.

Seen him yell and rant and rave. Time and time again. He has a passion and yet a loyalty for something called Manly that I hold with the utmost respect.

It was on display when his rough little voice was calling for an investigation too.

A coach once said to me. A Football Club is passion. It's what makes this game different from other games and sports.

Thirdly I think Manly is passion. Our supporters more passionate then the rest.

Fourthly it's over coming adversity. Rising above when the chips are down or your backs against the wall.

Finally we wouldn't be manly if we didn't have a touch of arrogance as well.

So today goes down in history as a really low day for this club. Yet the best thing that happened and perhaps kind of over shadows the loss, is the coach finally showed some passion breaking his phone. Why? I don't know. Perhaps that's how id expect a Des or a Toovs to react.

This isn't a bag Trent thread.

But as a fan our club just seems a worse place when a little bloke called Toovey is no longer welcomed or part of the scenery in some capacity at our club

Tonight I really do find myself asking. Is this Club still Manly any more?
 
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No it's not Manly, its an NRL Franchise. But so are all the Sydney Franchises. :cool:

The majority of the players, in all grades are imports.

The crazy mid season player movements underlies the reality, that Players are constantly focusing on their contracts.
They have no interest in building a lifetime legacy at a Club, as the Clubs themselves are constantly rearranging their rosters.:mad:

Case in point - Tred. Fans expect to see him in the team list, but in the background, the Club had informed him to move on and since then, his mind would have been on securing another contract @:cool:
 
I said weeks ago that we were mentally weak and I was howled down. The epitome of Manly is mentally tough.

Does anyone on this forum seriously believe we are mentally tough under the coaching of Barrett?
 
Fulton is turning us into roosters, a bought club, no culture and no juniors of our own. Manly does not play in the NRL anymore.
 
i have been a Manly supporter for 45 years and have had the great pleasure of watching many courageous Manly victories. Manly was grit, courage and giving it your all whilst bleeding maroon and white. Manly was a great football club nurtured and developed by the great man Ken Arthurson.

Now it is a poorly run privately owned business. Over the last few years our front office has been an embarrassment. Whilst this year we might not have the boardroom power struggle we continue to have the same level of very poor decision making.

As far as direction and development of our team is concerned we are a mile behind the majority of the other sides in the NRL and our current table position reflects that. We need only compare ourselves to the Titans to see we are off track. I know, I know, injuries, suspensions, retirements and many other contributing factors have had a role to play. But someone said to me recently if it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck and looks like a duck - then it is a duck.

Our on field performances have been very disappointing since round 1.

With the football we look incredibly disorganised lacking structure and apart from 45 minutes on Sunday against Penrith we have struggled to score points. If they are well coached then I feel sorry for Barrett because they can't be following the game structures he has been programming them with each week. But they look like a poorly coached side. Quack!

In defence we have been brittle out wide all year and at times we have been opened up in the middle. A lot of work goes into defence at training and I recall it being said at the beginning of the season we would win on the back of good defence. The second half of the Panthers game typifies our progress in that department. Our defence coaching isn't working either. Quack!

The team selections have a times this year been difficult to understand and looked like rookie errors. Waddle!

Our recruitment and player retention has been wild and reactionary rather than calculated and progressive. During the off season we went on a wild shopping spree making a number of big name signings. But what was the plan? Difficult to see evidence of good planning when you have to offload young quality players like Hiku and Gutherson, compounded by having to buy a second grader mid season. They will complain that injuries cursed their plight but in reality injuries exposed their poor decision making and lack of foresight. Quack!

The one constant that endures is the passion of Manly supporters. I have wanted to walk away numerous times over the last 2 years but couldn't. I only began reading this forum a few months ago and it has assured me I'm not alone. But according to one in the front office we don't matter. Unlike one of the coaching staff we suffer pain when we witness a train crash like the one against Penrith. And smashing a mobile phone has more to do with concerns with job retention rather than a passion for the sea eagles in my opinion.

Perhaps a better title for this thread is "What Made Manly, well Manly Once" because at the moment we are not a mighty sea eagle but a lame duck!
 
We say it all the time. Some on here even question it. Do we mean only someone from the area can be it? So When we say someone or something is Manly? What does it mean to you?

I just finished a post where I questioned the direction the club is headed and decisions made by the new Penn regime, by saying we just don't feel Manly at the moment?

What Manly means is that to be successful you build a team from within such as our successful ex-player coaches e,g Tooves, The dog, Bozo etc.

(A side note the dog trashed his reputation by betraying the club.)

Limit outsiders such as the situation we have now where we have a coach who doesn't understand the culture of the club. The us against them culture is dissapating. It's time to become the insular pennisular. I don't think TB is going to see his contract out.

That's why I believe they haven't got the hunger and resilience to win a football game. The Manly of old would have won the game yesterday had they played for 80 minutes and not just 60 even with these youngsters playing.
 
If I were to sum up Manly with one word to describe us it would be TOUGH. That to me has been the hallmark of Manly, and that is both mentally and physically. In years gone by if we were down heading into the final 10mins, or had a player sent off, or had a bad injury toll, you thought 'they will use this as a spur.....not an excuse'.

Manly to me is not necessarily being from the area, but I do love that we take such pride in seeing juniors play for the club, such as Watmough, King, Turbos etc, I think that has been very important. But it's more than that. Players such as Ben Kennedy and Jamie Lyon to me have epitomised Manly.

Now BK, firstly he was a winner, and he gave no quarter and asked for none. His attitude was he wanted the best and he worked for it.

Jamie has been similar, whilst not a tough backrower like BK, he was mentally tough. Case in point the PF v Souths in 2014.

Manly has always been about playing to our potential or above it. Even with ordinary teams we produced results and performances we could be proud of.
 
What Manly means is that to be successful you build a team from within such as our successful ex-player coaches e,g Tooves, The dog, Bozo etc.

(A side note the dog trashed his reputation by betraying the club.)

Limit outsiders such as the situation we have now where we have a coach who doesn't understand the culture of the club. The us against them culture is dissapating. It's time to become the insular pennisular. I don't think TB is going to see his contract out.

That's why I believe they haven't got the hunger and resilience to win a football game. The Manly of old would have won the game yesterday had they played for 80 minutes and not just 60 even with these youngsters playing.
This train wreck IS as a result of the outsiders, no doubt. It started with that outsider from Parramatta the great Dalai. He did more damage to the fabric of this club when he was here and after than any since, but those who have come since seem to be carrying on his legacy.
 
The major problem is the Penn's don't understand Manly and don't walk the Manly walk.

Since 1947, there have been people at Manly that didn't like each other, and had different views. But they always loved Manly more than they hated each other, and got on with the job.

The current leadership carry on like spoilt private school bitches that will take their bat and ball and go home if you disagree with them.
 
A go and get f****d mentality passed down from the early 70s when the league and other clubs conspired against us. Arko lost his sh*t about it way back with the nswrl.
From a supporters perspective, same thing. We hear " I hate Manly " constantly.
Well times that by 15. That's us.
 
The Catalans have more Manly identity than the current mob putting on Manly jerseys.
Imagine that Glenn Stewart, Willie Mason and Justin Horo represent more more Manly culture than this whole squad.
That says it all in my opinion.
NYEagle
 
Manly is having a maroon and white heart which all true supporters have. I question if all of our current squad have this. Mind you despite the doom and gloom we have had this year there are a lot of other things going on in the world which make our woes seem so unimportant. As long as I can wear my Manly jumper and watch MY team I feel fortunate no matter what.
 
Jake Trebojevic epitomises "Manly". Every time I watch him i feel like a proud father because he is one of our own. That kid must have a heart made of brick from the old brickworks behind Brookie because he is as tough as they come. Him along with Jamie Buhrer, Tom T, Matt Parcell give me hope for the future. These guys wont die wondering if they have tried hard enough. Jake leaves every bit of it on the paddock.
He sat there with a black eye in that press conference pissed off and mad as hell that we lost. While Barrett crapped on about players doing their best but not putting in for 80 mins?? Outside that presser Dylan Walker was doing a victory lap with the Panthers laughing and slapping Moylan on the back whilst he was being interviewed. Walker didn't care about the result because his only focus was getting picked for Origin and collecting his wages. Blokes like Maguire don't let players walk from the club if they really want them, He obviously sees what i saw yesterday, a me first mentality and I wasn't happy about it.
 
some good points above. I think it has always been about pride. Always having local lads come through .. Fred Jones., Krilich, Mike Eden, Blake, Toovey etc etc to the current generation (that's why letting Gutherson go is disappointing)... Also having 'outsiders' who loved the place.. even getting people who hated us and converting them over (obviously wages playing a part) but to see Les Boyd, Brown, Dorahy for example in a manly team showed how respected we really were as I believe who you played for then mattered more. Even Ray Higgs came over for gawds sake.

I like that there is regional support for us too but end of the day it's the local team that I grew up with who have been great to watch and support.
 
@Tragic Eagles great post. And I really liked the way you threw in a Waddle! amongst the Quacks! That part was brilliant and in a serious topic made me lol.
The truths in your post are no laughing matter though.
 
@conanu 100 percent agree on your comments re: Jake T. I've been disgusted at last nights performance, but he is one that escapes my disgust. He sat there at the presser almost in tears....that's what we love about our manly boys.

As the newly appointed skipper he deserved better from his team, and if they all gave the same Jake did week in and week out, we wouldn't lose too many. Well at least not for want of effort.
 
Mmm
Culture is a funny thing
You don't make it - it makes you and there will be many on here and running our club that will give a definition about " the way we do things round here " or draw a few circles and navigate up their own navels to come up with definitions

Well ssip ffo- we are a footy club ( work that out -butchers don't count )

I am not too bright or clever enough for definitions but will say this

In our successful times and eras of success,all the players played with he pride of the club at heart. In other words,playing for their team mates was more important than playing for yourself and playing for the club was put above team and individual goals

Every one wanted manly to succeed

The camaraderie was high and was galvanised by adversity in these eras and it just becomes group think and the norm to take on anyone and be arrogant enough to know we could always win

In these times you can bring in players such as Tapauo,Walker who have got loads of individual talent and make them into long term manly champs

In our hard times ( like now and I reckon for the past 2 years ) we have individuals believing,playing and behaving like they are more important than their team mates & club as well as individuals busting their ass without the full support of the team which can be noticed in the little things ( try celebrations - warm ups- social banter

What is worse is when they actively band together to influence out comes which has no doubt occurred from players and worse- club officials ( dead set grubs)

The old culture that gave us so much is gone or poisoned and until the remnants of this can be dispelled and allow the likes of ferris, turbo,jake,DCE to be influencers and stand for what Manly stand for then we will struggle for a little while longer

This includes Bozo,the fat Greek and the Penn business and strategic plan lub Trish

We need to bring in a traditional manly footy tragic who ever that maybe

At the moment it is not twenty- he is here for his own career and not because he is committed to us- just like some of our other officials and players

Sorry about the length of the post but unfortunately quite miffed that some of our players & officials now don't meet my expectations of what the club means to me and don't see anyone without self interest to challenge this home brand catalogue that the Penns call a football club

PS still love our supporters but now hard to defend our team to the other rabble that have gone round us no matter how hard I try

Signed a very depressed and un enthuisistic Go Manly
 

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