Club News 2023

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I am sure the players liked and respected Dessie .. a lot.

But I'm not sure they are missing him ... it seems like a wet blanket has been lifted off the team ... and they are thriving in the new vibe and the new coaching set up ... how that relates to performance is yet to be seen ... but esprit de corps has been an important component of all victorious teams and armies ..
 
Sidebar: Wombat could also have had a career in Hollywood.

Graham Eadie in his heyday:
Image Result
22593DE9-26C3-4729-944C-72F5B036565F.jpeg

American character actor (of some note), Joe Don Baker, in his heyday:
09641155-ADC6-42B3-A1DF-3DB6D6300694.jpeg
 
Will wait to see what the on field performance is like before making any calls.
I remember all the pre season hype that went on when Barrett was here…. In saying this I am confident enough to say things will likely be better than last year but it is a question of degree…
 
Club is doing very well with pre season information this year , seems to be a step up from previous years.
As far as my Eagle eyes see feathered friend

Manly Media Pre season and footy season over the years has been informational exceptional

This is why I am a Massive Cuzzo Fan

Manly Media Man Wayne Cousins is never too far from the Action
The Great Tommy Turbo and The Great Cuzzo
cfade0d78bd8817a9c64fecf2cd3266e
 
Feels like the club's putting out more news stuff for fans than ever before? Or maybe I just didn't notice before
 
There definitely seems to be more info and 'Couso' must be hard at the keyboard each day.

One thing I miss is when Tom Symonds used to do one on one interviews with players. It was insightful and funny. I think Cooper Johns could be the guy to do that, as I have heard him on radio with his old man, and he possibly has a future in the media, just like his dad.
 
Thank you @The Wheel
Our Herold Mathews Cup team is Loaded with great young Guns ......



Wayne Cousins ....
As for young players to look out for, Watts nominated Simi Laiafi, Reilly Caswell, Lisiate Mackay, and Benji O’Keefe to name a few.

“Simi played Harold Matthews last season and has progressed and trained exceptionally well in the pre-season. He is very fit and very mobile,’’ Watts said.

“Reilly and Lisiate are playing a year above their age group but both boys are super fit and lightning fast.

“Benji has been a standout performer in the trials. He is very dangerous in attack with good speed and a great fend. He is also a very strong defender.”
 
One thing I miss is when Tom Symonds used to do one on one interviews with players. It was insightful and funny. I think Cooper Johns could be the guy to do that, as I have heard him on radio with his old man, and he possibly has a future in the media, just like his dad.

The only thing I miss is Manly Winning Grand Finals


remote.axd
 
There definitely seems to be more info and 'Couso' must be hard at the keyboard each day.

One thing I miss is when Tom Symonds used to do one on one interviews with players. It was insightful and funny. I think Cooper Johns could be the guy to do that, as I have heard him on radio with his old man, and he possibly has a future in the media, just like his dad.
I hope Cooper Johns makes more of an impact on the footy field than being a funny man in the club

I Like Matty Johns he is a great talent and I hope his son turns out to be a better footballer than a comedian
 
Can someone weave their magic and get this story out from behind the paywall please?It comes as no surprise that Zorba would bite back at Seibold

abracadabra !!!!!

NRL pre-season watch: Peter Peters won’t cop Anthony Seibold slur​

Anthony Seibold has made a powerful enemy at the Sea Eagles with Peter Peters fuming over comments the Manly coach made yesterday.

Paul CrawleyPaul Crawley
Follow

10 min read
February 1, 2023 - 10:16AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

15 comments





01:06
Turbo back in Aus and ready to fire

NRL: Tom Trbojevic has returned from the US to join Manly, as he prepares to return for the Sea Eagles.


NRL

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Manly legend Peter Peters has fired back at criticism from new coach Anthony Seibold, declaring he won’t be silenced by a coach on “P plates” over his comments about Tom Trbojevic.
It comes after Seibold belittled the views of the former premiership winning Manly player, saying what Peters said about Trbojevic was not “an educated comment”.
The fact is the now 77-year-old not only played at the top level but has also worked as a journalist for over 50 years, earning tremendous respect for his honesty and insight.
And he certainly wasn’t backing away from what he said about Turbo recently because he said he only ever had the club’s best interests at heart.
“I have had that many calls from people saying what you said is what everyone is thinking but haven’t said it,” Peters responded.
Peter Peters (inset) has fired back at Anthony Seibold.

Peter Peters (inset) has fired back at Anthony Seibold.
“What I did say is that if it continues (the run of injuries) he may have to go into early retirement.
“I never said ‘release’.
“Mate, that is just a pure business view that I took.
“I mean, Tommy got $300,000 a game last year.

“You’ve got to be accountable for that.
“He is worth every penny when he is playing.
“But I have said before, you can’t have a Lamborghini in the garage that is not mechanically sound and you can’t drive it.
“I don’t take a backward step on any of that.
“It is where he was before he went (to the US for treatment on his troublesome hamstrings).
“I hope he is well. The game needs him. Manly definitely need him. He is a wonderful player. But not everything has a fairy tale ending.”
And Peters was particularly fired up about Seibold labelling his views not an “educated comment”.
Peter Peters has been connected to Manly for over 50 years. .

Peter Peters has been connected to Manly for over 50 years. .
“I joined Manly in 1969 and I was a journalist at the time and Ken Irvine and myself were the only two fully fledged journalists that were actually playing the game,” Peters said.
“And not once since then with a multitude of premiership coaches and a multitude of CEO’s and the greatest administrator the game has ever seen in Ken Arthurson have I once been told that I can’t or I should refrain from giving my view.
“I was always a journalist first, footballer second.
“I love Manly with all my heart. Next to my own family it is my greatest love.
“I want to see Tommy do well.
“But I am not that stupid to think that he can keep going down the path he has been going down.
“Those are the sort of things that I have said that I stand by.
“And if Anthony wants to pick up the phone he will get somebody that wants to support him.
“But if he wants to lock horns, well, I won’t walk away. It is as simple as that.”
But Seibold was totally dismissive of Peters’ comments this week when he spoke to the media.
“It came from a former player of our club and it was disappointing to hear that in the public domain,” Seibold said.
Critter, Dragons and leaked pre-season plans

The Daily Telegraph NRL Podcast
Critter, Dragons and leaked pre-season plans



00:00

35:04




“He is an important player to our club and where we want to get to. It’s easy to make a comment like that, and I don’t think it was an educated comment.”
Peters added: “I am not beating my own drum, but I am saying I won’t harnessed.
“That is probably why at 77 they still want me to go on.
“You have known me a long time. I am not going to step down.
“In all reality, he has still got his P plates on.
“Like, I was critical of my own mate Des Hasler last year.
“But Des never rang and said, ‘Oh, mate, ease off’.
“But I hope I was constructive. And the things I pointed out were fitness, dying in the end of games, giving up three tries in five minutes. I mean, it is there for everyone to see.
“If I don’t call it then I am not doing what I should be doing. And they made changes (at Manly when replacing Hasler with Seibold).
“And suggesting Tom goes to centre, plenty of good judges have suggested that. ‘Oh we wouldn’t contemplate that’. Well, why? I mean it is common sense.
“The last thing I would be doing is putting him under Matt Burton’s bombs in the first game. Why subject him to that in the first game?
“I don’t know. It is going to be interesting. I look forward to the season. I will be cheering them. But if they don’t do well I will be saying why I think they are not. “
SEIBOLD CONFIRMS TURBO’S RETURN DATE, POSITIONAL FUTURE
– Brent Read

Manly coach Anthony Seibold has ruled out shifting Tom Trbojevic to the centres and dismissed suggestions the club should cut loose their highest-paid player after the Sea Eagles superstar returned from America to declare he was on target to play in round one.
Trbojevic has spent recent weeks in Philadelphia, where he has worked on his hamstring issues under the expert eye of renowned sports scientist Bill Knowles, the man who masterminded Latrell Mitchell’s return from injury last season.
Mitchell went on to dominate the NRL and Manly officials are confident Trbojevic will do the same as he narrows his focus on the club’s season opener against Canterbury.
Tom Trbojevic at 4 Pines Park at Brookvale on Tuesday. Picture: Tim Hunter

Tom Trbojevic at 4 Pines Park at Brookvale on Tuesday. Picture: Tim Hunter
The 26-year-old will gradually return to training in coming weeks and Seibold confirmed he would sit out the pre-season trials. However, both Seibold and Trbojevic insisted the Sea Eagles’ talisman would be ready for round one and would wear the No. 1 jersey despite calls from some to ease his workload with a move to the centres.
“People can say it is a bigger workload (at fullback) but the workload has nothing to do with Tom’s hamstring history,” Seibold said.
“It is the running mechanics. Regardless of whether he plays centre, fullback or any other positions, that is not going to have an impact on his injury history.
“So I reckon that shuts that down.”
Trbojevic believes he has returned from America a better athlete, although even the university-educated Manly No. 1 found it difficult to explain Knowles’ methods.
“He talks about pushing into the ground … you need to own the ground and push through the ground on contact,” Trbojevic said.
“When you run, a big thing for me is ankle stiffness. I have to improve. He called it squishes.
“There was also a new focus on changing direction …. so it becomes second nature. If you look through my past hammy injuries, you’ll see it’s from changing direction.
Manly Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold. Picture: Tim Hunter

Manly Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold. Picture: Tim Hunter
“Being a more sustainable athlete is one of the big goals. He says he won’t make you faster, but he can get you stronger in positions you find yourself.”
The hope is that Trbojevic is able to recapture the form of 2021, when he laid siege on the competition and won the Dally M player of the year.
On his day, there may be no better player in the game, which explains why Seibold was so dismissive of suggestions from Manly great Peter Peters that the club should consider releasing Trbojevic if his injury problems continued.
“It came from a former player of our club and it was disappointing to hear that in the public domain,” Seibold said.
“He is an important player to our club and where we want to get to. It’s easy to make a comment like that, and I don’t think it was an educated comment.”
While Trbojevic devoted much of his time in America to working with Knowles, he also took the opportunity to explore other sports.
He beat the drum at a Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey game and visited the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles.
He lapped up the opportunity to be invisible, conceding the obsession with his hamstring on Sydney’s northern beaches was draining.
“A lot of fans will ask you, ‘how’s the hammy, Tom?’, ‘will you be right for round one?’, and while it’s not a bad thing, and they’re not coming from a bad place, it does weigh on your [mind],” Trbojevic said.
Seibold added: “Every commentary about it is always the injury. People recognise him right. You can imagine every conversation starts with how is the injury or how is the hammy.
“I think him getting over there (to America) was fantastic for him. I am really confident it will reignite the second part of his career.”
FEARS RISING SHARKS STAR WILL MISS ENTIRE SEASON
By Michael Carayannis, David Riccio
The Sharks fear they could be dealt a major double-blow ahead of the 2023 season with young gun Kade Dykes suffering a suspected torn ACL.
Dykes, in line to compete for a first grade fullback jersey in 2023, is at risk of missing the entire season after being sent for scans on his knee on Tuesday.
The Sharks are currently training at a pre-season camp in Wollongong.
Dykes, typical of his strong character, has stayed with the team despite his season likely being over.
Everyone at Cronulla are hoping the results of scans prove different to the initial fears of the club’s medical staff.
The loss of Dykes, who turned 21 on Tuesday, could prove especially significant given that just 24-hours earlier, Cronulla granted fellow fullback contender Lachlan Miller a release to join Newcastle.
Kade Dykes could miss the entire 2023 season after injuring his knee. Picture: NRL Photos

Kade Dykes could miss the entire 2023 season after injuring his knee. Picture: NRL Photos
The depth blow would leave Cronulla relying on Will Kennedy to remain injury-free for the majority of 2023 with the likes of Nicho Hynes and Connor Tracey the next best options for Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
Dykes, a Cronulla local junior, had his eyes set on furthering his NRL career in 2023 after featuring in two first-grade games last season.
The son of Cronulla legend Adam Dykes had been the target of the Bulldogs and Dolphins before committing to a two-year deal with the Sharks last August.
MILLER TIME STARTS NOW AT THE KNIGHTS
By David Riccio
 
abracadabra !!!!!

NRL pre-season watch: Peter Peters won’t cop Anthony Seibold slur​

Anthony Seibold has made a powerful enemy at the Sea Eagles with Peter Peters fuming over comments the Manly coach made yesterday.

Paul CrawleyPaul Crawley
Follow

10 min read
February 1, 2023 - 10:16AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
15 comments




01:06
Turbo back in Aus and ready to fire

NRL: Tom Trbojevic has returned from the US to join Manly, as he prepares to return for the Sea Eagles.


NRL

Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Unfollow
Manly legend Peter Peters has fired back at criticism from new coach Anthony Seibold, declaring he won’t be silenced by a coach on “P plates” over his comments about Tom Trbojevic.
It comes after Seibold belittled the views of the former premiership winning Manly player, saying what Peters said about Trbojevic was not “an educated comment”.
The fact is the now 77-year-old not only played at the top level but has also worked as a journalist for over 50 years, earning tremendous respect for his honesty and insight.
And he certainly wasn’t backing away from what he said about Turbo recently because he said he only ever had the club’s best interests at heart.
“I have had that many calls from people saying what you said is what everyone is thinking but haven’t said it,” Peters responded.
Peter Peters (inset) has fired back at Anthony Seibold.

Peter Peters (inset) has fired back at Anthony Seibold.
“What I did say is that if it continues (the run of injuries) he may have to go into early retirement.
“I never said ‘release’.
“Mate, that is just a pure business view that I took.
“I mean, Tommy got $300,000 a game last year.

“You’ve got to be accountable for that.
“He is worth every penny when he is playing.
“But I have said before, you can’t have a Lamborghini in the garage that is not mechanically sound and you can’t drive it.
“I don’t take a backward step on any of that.
“It is where he was before he went (to the US for treatment on his troublesome hamstrings).
“I hope he is well. The game needs him. Manly definitely need him. He is a wonderful player. But not everything has a fairy tale ending.”
And Peters was particularly fired up about Seibold labelling his views not an “educated comment”.
Peter Peters has been connected to Manly for over 50 years. .

Peter Peters has been connected to Manly for over 50 years. .
“I joined Manly in 1969 and I was a journalist at the time and Ken Irvine and myself were the only two fully fledged journalists that were actually playing the game,” Peters said.
“And not once since then with a multitude of premiership coaches and a multitude of CEO’s and the greatest administrator the game has ever seen in Ken Arthurson have I once been told that I can’t or I should refrain from giving my view.
“I was always a journalist first, footballer second.
“I love Manly with all my heart. Next to my own family it is my greatest love.
“I want to see Tommy do well.
“But I am not that stupid to think that he can keep going down the path he has been going down.
“Those are the sort of things that I have said that I stand by.
“And if Anthony wants to pick up the phone he will get somebody that wants to support him.
“But if he wants to lock horns, well, I won’t walk away. It is as simple as that.”
But Seibold was totally dismissive of Peters’ comments this week when he spoke to the media.
“It came from a former player of our club and it was disappointing to hear that in the public domain,” Seibold said.
Critter, Dragons and leaked pre-season plans

The Daily Telegraph NRL Podcast
Critter, Dragons and leaked pre-season plans



00:00

35:04




“He is an important player to our club and where we want to get to. It’s easy to make a comment like that, and I don’t think it was an educated comment.”
Peters added: “I am not beating my own drum, but I am saying I won’t harnessed.
“That is probably why at 77 they still want me to go on.
“You have known me a long time. I am not going to step down.
“In all reality, he has still got his P plates on.
“Like, I was critical of my own mate Des Hasler last year.
“But Des never rang and said, ‘Oh, mate, ease off’.
“But I hope I was constructive. And the things I pointed out were fitness, dying in the end of games, giving up three tries in five minutes. I mean, it is there for everyone to see.
“If I don’t call it then I am not doing what I should be doing. And they made changes (at Manly when replacing Hasler with Seibold).
“And suggesting Tom goes to centre, plenty of good judges have suggested that. ‘Oh we wouldn’t contemplate that’. Well, why? I mean it is common sense.
“The last thing I would be doing is putting him under Matt Burton’s bombs in the first game. Why subject him to that in the first game?
“I don’t know. It is going to be interesting. I look forward to the season. I will be cheering them. But if they don’t do well I will be saying why I think they are not. “
SEIBOLD CONFIRMS TURBO’S RETURN DATE, POSITIONAL FUTURE
– Brent Read

Manly coach Anthony Seibold has ruled out shifting Tom Trbojevic to the centres and dismissed suggestions the club should cut loose their highest-paid player after the Sea Eagles superstar returned from America to declare he was on target to play in round one.
Trbojevic has spent recent weeks in Philadelphia, where he has worked on his hamstring issues under the expert eye of renowned sports scientist Bill Knowles, the man who masterminded Latrell Mitchell’s return from injury last season.
Mitchell went on to dominate the NRL and Manly officials are confident Trbojevic will do the same as he narrows his focus on the club’s season opener against Canterbury.
Tom Trbojevic at 4 Pines Park at Brookvale on Tuesday. Picture: Tim Hunter

Tom Trbojevic at 4 Pines Park at Brookvale on Tuesday. Picture: Tim Hunter
The 26-year-old will gradually return to training in coming weeks and Seibold confirmed he would sit out the pre-season trials. However, both Seibold and Trbojevic insisted the Sea Eagles’ talisman would be ready for round one and would wear the No. 1 jersey despite calls from some to ease his workload with a move to the centres.
“People can say it is a bigger workload (at fullback) but the workload has nothing to do with Tom’s hamstring history,” Seibold said.
“It is the running mechanics. Regardless of whether he plays centre, fullback or any other positions, that is not going to have an impact on his injury history.
“So I reckon that shuts that down.”
Trbojevic believes he has returned from America a better athlete, although even the university-educated Manly No. 1 found it difficult to explain Knowles’ methods.
“He talks about pushing into the ground … you need to own the ground and push through the ground on contact,” Trbojevic said.
“When you run, a big thing for me is ankle stiffness. I have to improve. He called it squishes.
“There was also a new focus on changing direction …. so it becomes second nature. If you look through my past hammy injuries, you’ll see it’s from changing direction.
Manly Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold. Picture: Tim Hunter

Manly Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold. Picture: Tim Hunter
“Being a more sustainable athlete is one of the big goals. He says he won’t make you faster, but he can get you stronger in positions you find yourself.”
The hope is that Trbojevic is able to recapture the form of 2021, when he laid siege on the competition and won the Dally M player of the year.
On his day, there may be no better player in the game, which explains why Seibold was so dismissive of suggestions from Manly great Peter Peters that the club should consider releasing Trbojevic if his injury problems continued.
“It came from a former player of our club and it was disappointing to hear that in the public domain,” Seibold said.
“He is an important player to our club and where we want to get to. It’s easy to make a comment like that, and I don’t think it was an educated comment.”
While Trbojevic devoted much of his time in America to working with Knowles, he also took the opportunity to explore other sports.
He beat the drum at a Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey game and visited the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles.
He lapped up the opportunity to be invisible, conceding the obsession with his hamstring on Sydney’s northern beaches was draining.
“A lot of fans will ask you, ‘how’s the hammy, Tom?’, ‘will you be right for round one?’, and while it’s not a bad thing, and they’re not coming from a bad place, it does weigh on your [mind],” Trbojevic said.
Seibold added: “Every commentary about it is always the injury. People recognise him right. You can imagine every conversation starts with how is the injury or how is the hammy.
“I think him getting over there (to America) was fantastic for him. I am really confident it will reignite the second part of his career.”
FEARS RISING SHARKS STAR WILL MISS ENTIRE SEASON
By Michael Carayannis, David Riccio
The Sharks fear they could be dealt a major double-blow ahead of the 2023 season with young gun Kade Dykes suffering a suspected torn ACL.
Dykes, in line to compete for a first grade fullback jersey in 2023, is at risk of missing the entire season after being sent for scans on his knee on Tuesday.
The Sharks are currently training at a pre-season camp in Wollongong.
Dykes, typical of his strong character, has stayed with the team despite his season likely being over.
Everyone at Cronulla are hoping the results of scans prove different to the initial fears of the club’s medical staff.
The loss of Dykes, who turned 21 on Tuesday, could prove especially significant given that just 24-hours earlier, Cronulla granted fellow fullback contender Lachlan Miller a release to join Newcastle.
Kade Dykes could miss the entire 2023 season after injuring his knee. Picture: NRL Photos

Kade Dykes could miss the entire 2023 season after injuring his knee. Picture: NRL Photos
The depth blow would leave Cronulla relying on Will Kennedy to remain injury-free for the majority of 2023 with the likes of Nicho Hynes and Connor Tracey the next best options for Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
Dykes, a Cronulla local junior, had his eyes set on furthering his NRL career in 2023 after featuring in two first-grade games last season.
The son of Cronulla legend Adam Dykes had been the target of the Bulldogs and Dolphins before committing to a two-year deal with the Sharks last August.
MILLER TIME STARTS NOW AT THE KNIGHTS
By David Riccio

I can see where Zorba was coming from with Toms repetitive injury
It is a business sense to evaluate a million dollar contract if it continues to return an average of 10 games a year

I believe Tom will come Good . I have faith and hope that he will

I hope Seibold will come good too and turn his "P plate" into a Manly Premiership Winning Trophy
 
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Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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