How things can change so dramatically so quickly.

[40 years an eagle]

It was only 6 weeks ago that we were worried about how we would fill the spots if Des' choice 17 were injured.

Fast forward to last week when we have had Davey, Aoli, Walker, Sirro, Suli, Jetski injured and Marty out for a week for HIA.
All second-string replacements were fantastic and we had a very good win.

This week we were without Foran and our 14 as well. Schu goes to 6, Keppie starts in the 2nd row and a new guy coming off an achilles injury takes a spot on the bench for his Manly debut. Schu and Keppie star, the new guy has a great debut and we smash our most hated foe on their home turf.

We lose Guac for next week as well... but now we are comfortable with the new guy taking his spot, and all the other fill-in's doing the same as what they have been doing.

Fast forward to the game after our bye, and now we are worried about how all the injured guys will fit into the team when injuries to the fill-in's occur(or Des chooses to include them).

How things can change so dramatically so quickly.

 

[globaleagle]

I love change for the better, and I'm loving this!

 

[Dion Johnson]

The team has had an injection of youth, the younger guys in Harper, Guaca, Schuster, Saab, Keppie have added good energy and commitment along with their skill sets.

Along with the addition of Turbo the rest of the players have had the infectious enthusiasm rejuvenate them.

 

[robbiea]

Yes 6 weeks ,Shows just how little we really know .
Dce was correct all along when he said "We are just one win away from turning things around"
It was never a bad coach or an imaginary double season losing record.
So many waa's could of been saved.

 

[The better Robbo]

It was only 6 weeks ago that we were worried about how we would fill the spots if Des' choice 17 were injured.

Fast forward to last week when we have had Davey, Aoli, Walker, Sirro, Suli, Jetski injured and Marty out for a week for HIA.
All second-string replacements were fantastic and we had a very good win.

This week we were without Foran and our 14 as well. Schu goes to 6, Keppie starts in the 2nd row and a new guy coming off an achilles injury takes a spot on the bench for his Manly debut. Schu and Keppie star, the new guy has a great debut and we smash our most hated foe on their home turf.

We lose Guac for next week as well... but now we are comfortable with the new guy taking his spot, and all the other fill-in's doing the same as what they have been doing.

Fast forward to the game after our bye, and now we are worried about how all the injured guys will fit into the team when injuries to the fill-in's occur(or Des chooses to include them).

How things can change so dramatically so quickly.

100% it's amazing the turnaround but 6 weeks ago some very good judges on here were saying we are not far off (even though we were getting pumped) the same judges were saying its not a lack of talent and things can turn around very quickly. Id say maybe only 5 to 10% of posters on here genuinely thought we could turn it around. So happy for the team and us supporters to have a gun team to follow once again. I said at the start of the year that this team has as much individual skill as our last premiership team and I was laughed at!
We are starting to see how good this team really is... I know in comparison the only thing that matters is premierships but this team certainly has the skill to win a couple over the next few years.

 

[court83]

We are the definition of a 1 man team that's how..
Not saying the youth isn't helping, but Schuster played in 3 or so of the thrashings this year before tom came back..
Tom elevates the players . Tom frees up DCE and foz to play their game .. tom opens up the field for Parker and Saab and Harper n Garrick to make all those line breaks and long field movements..
This will get shot down, ofcourse, but I watched an entire season last year and a month this year of complete and utter ineptness from alot of these same players, and the ONLY reason they look great atm is because tom literally drags them to his level..
Guarantee the next game tom sits out we get 40 put on again..

Perfect example of the opposite is storm.. no papa, no Munster, no Hughes,no grant . Thats their entire rep quality spine, and they put 36 on Raiders... If that was Manly, Raiders woulda damn near hit 100 points ..
Reimes Smith, Addo carr, Nico Hynes, Olam, ALL stepped up and scored tries, set trys up.... We watched NONE of our backline score a single try in nearly 20 games because 1 bloke was injured... Ppl just seem to forget lol.. go ahead, hit the thumbs down, disagree etc, and go back to being shocked when we get flogged again every single time tom misses a game

 

[Eagles4Life]

We are the definition of a 1 man team that's how..
Not saying the youth isn't helping, but Schuster played in 3 or so of the thrashings this year before tom came back..
Tom elevates the players . Tom frees up DCE and foz to play their game .. tom opens up the field for Parker and Saab and Harper n Garrick to make all those line breaks and long field movements..
This will get shot down, ofcourse, but I watched an entire season last year and a month this year of complete and utter ineptness from alot of these same players, and the ONLY reason they look great atm is because tom literally drags them to his level..
Guarantee the next game tom sits out we get 40 put on again..

Perfect example of the opposite is storm.. no papa, no Munster, no Hughes,no grant . Thats their entire rep quality spine, and they put 36 on Raiders... If that was Manly, Raiders woulda damn near hit 100 points ..
Reimes Smith, Addo carr, Nico Hynes, Olam, ALL stepped up and scored tries, set trys up.... We watched NONE of our backline score a single try in nearly 20 games because 1 bloke was injured... Ppl just seem to forget lol.. go ahead, hit the thumbs down, disagree etc, and go back to being shocked when we get flogged again every single time tom misses a game

Yeh nah. I agree that Tom is an absolutely vital part of our team. However, our forwards are the reason Tom is getting those opportunities. Our forwards are regularly overcoming the opposition packs as a whole, and individual battles between forwards are being won by our guys. E.g. Keppie and Brown yesterday. Our forwards are laying the platform, and our backs (including Tommy) are looking great off the back of that go forward and hard hitting defence.

 

[court83]

Yeh nah. I agree that Tom is an absolutely vital part of our team. However, our forwards are the reason Tom is getting those opportunities. Our forwards are regularly overcoming the opposition packs as a whole, and individual battles between forwards are being won by our guys. E.g. Keppie and Brown yesterday. Our forwards are laying the platform, and our backs (including Tommy) are looking great off the back of that go forward and hard hitting defence.

Use tapau as an example... The bloke tried shopping himself around earlier in the year and people laughed at his price .
Bet if he shops himself around now nobody would be laughing... Blokes killing it.. what changed??? Tom changed . He literally lifts players to his level... Week 1 to 4 tapau wouldn't break the skin on a custard.. now he runs thru brick walls... Helps when tom is doing the same thing, talking 1 outs and punching holes thru the forward pack..

I'm not saying tom does it himself, I'm saying tom lifts the players to his level... When he doesn't play, neither do they

 

[sheridanstand78]

Six weeks ago we all wondered if this was going to change. You now look at the form of Schuster, Sipley, Keppie, Garrick, Saab and see the improvement in the team. Gone are the guys who could not cut it and we have young players now thriving under good leadership in the team from DCE, Foran and the Turbo brothers.

Its a lethal combination and this is how we won in 2011. A mix of great experience with a youthful Foran and DCE.

This team is very much a work in progress and has so much improvement in them. Something really nice is brewing at our club!

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

Use tapau as an example... The bloke tried shopping himself around earlier in the year and people laughed at his price .
Bet if he shops himself around now nobody would be laughing... Blokes killing it.. what changed??? Tom changed . He literally lifts players to his level... Week 1 to 4 tapau wouldn't break the skin on a custard.. now he runs thru brick walls... Helps when tom is doing the same thing, talking 1 outs and punching holes thru the forward pack..

I'm not saying tom does it himself, I'm saying tom lifts the players to his level... When he doesn't play, neither do they

Firstly Tom doesnt lift players to his level. That would be impossible.

What tom does is unlock the defence of opposition players simply by being involved. What tom does is Marshall his cattle to defend and do better. What tom does is rip Paseka a new one for being a bit lazy on the inside defence. What tom does is something that very few people do.

Tom allows those around him more time and space by just being there. Its as simple as that.

All these guys are FG NRL players. Sure perhaps not as good as some others but they are still top of the tree. All they need is an extra second or 2 to lift their own games and Tom supplies that.

Example. Joey Johns didnt make those around him better players. Newcastle had some pretty ordinary second stringers. He gave them that little bit extra time to be better themselves because the opposition was so focused on stopping him.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

We are the definition of a 1 man team that's how..
...
Guarantee the next game tom sits out we get 40 put on again..

Nice argument except it fails to account for our finals run without Tom in 2019.
So many factors can affect a team's form. Key injuries of course, but last year also a pandemic. The off-season death of a squad member.
Manly is definitely not a 1 man team but it's true Tom is an incredibly influential player.
It is a credit to the whole squad and the coaching staff that they've been able to turn their form around so dramatically.

 

[Eagles4Life]

Too simplistic mate. Turbo is the most influential player in the NRL, not disagreeing with that. Long may he stay injury free, and in the spectacular form he is demonstrating right now. But ALL of our players are playing for each other, Des and the club, and are showing a real team first mentality. The catalyst may be Tom, but our turnaround is not just because of his individual brilliance. What impresses me so much about the team right now is their determination and their collective approach to winning games. This starts with the forwards. Always.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Gone are the guys who could not cut it

I don't agree with that. Parker Garrick and Croker are not gone. They were allegedly among those who 'couldn't cut it', along with the likes of Suli Jetski Siro and Boyle. All of those players can cut it in my view, based on past performance. Were they in form? No, but neither was the whole team.

 

[Stewbojevic]

We are the definition of a 1 man team that's how..
Not saying the youth isn't helping, but Schuster played in 3 or so of the thrashings this year before tom came back..
Tom elevates the players . Tom frees up DCE and foz to play their game .. tom opens up the field for Parker and Saab and Harper n Garrick to make all those line breaks and long field movements..
This will get shot down, ofcourse, but I watched an entire season last year and a month this year of complete and utter ineptness from alot of these same players, and the ONLY reason they look great atm is because tom literally drags them to his level..
Guarantee the next game tom sits out we get 40 put on again..

Perfect example of the opposite is storm.. no papa, no Munster, no Hughes,no grant . Thats their entire rep quality spine, and they put 36 on Raiders... If that was Manly, Raiders woulda damn near hit 100 points ..
Reimes Smith, Addo carr, Nico Hynes, Olam, ALL stepped up and scored tries, set trys up.... We watched NONE of our backline score a single try in nearly 20 games because 1 bloke was injured... Ppl just seem to forget lol.. go ahead, hit the thumbs down, disagree etc, and go back to being shocked when we get flogged again every single time tom misses a game

I actually agree with a lot of what you’ve said here. We can’t underestimate how much of an influence Tom is having.

However, I think you’re underestimating how much the side has improved in general. Not to mention the confidence they’ve gained from these wins.

We’ll put a much better performance in the next time Tom is out.

Tom makes us a title contender. Without him, if we turn up like we have, we’re still better than half the teams in the comp.

 

[court83]

Firstly Tom doesnt lift players to his level. That would be impossible.

What tom does is unlock the defence of opposition players simply by being involved. What tom does is Marshall his cattle to defend and do better. What tom does is rip Paseka a new one for being a bit lazy on the inside defence. What tom does is something that very few people do.

Tom allows those around him more time and space by just being there. Its as simple as that.

All these guys are FG NRL players. Sure perhaps not as good as some others but they are still top of the tree. All they need is an extra second or 2 to lift their own games and Tom supplies that.

Example. Joey Johns didnt make those around him better players. Newcastle had some pretty ordinary second stringers. He gave them that little bit extra time to be better themselves because the opposition was so focused on stopping him.

I just find it hard to believe everyone is having a love fest with mostly the same players that almost won our first wooden spoon last year and we're well on the way to this year's spoon if not for Barrett and his useless dogs.

This is the same team.. people want to keep arguing and carrying on that tom isn't the be all and end all of this team but he well and truely is and it's clearly backed up by the last year and a bit worth of patheticness weve dished up .

We were literally in a race with the dogs and Broncos for the spoon a month ago, we had a points average of 9 pts a game and a f/a of almost -200... Tom is the reason we now score 30 plus every game... Tom is the reason we have a positive f/a now . The rock hard facts have been Infront of us for well over a season now, no tom = no win... Not just no win, no tom = 40 point floggings.. these are absolute FACTS as we have lived thru it .
I just don't see why noone sees it now we are winning.. 6 weeks ago 90% of this forum wanted the same coach and players that they are gushing over now fired ... Another fact

 

[court83]

Firstly Tom doesnt lift players to his level. That would be impossible.

What tom does is unlock the defence of opposition players simply by being involved. What tom does is Marshall his cattle to defend and do better. What tom does is rip Paseka a new one for being a bit lazy on the inside defence. What tom does is something that very few people do.

Tom allows those around him more time and space by just being there. Its as simple as that.

All these guys are FG NRL players. Sure perhaps not as good as some others but they are still top of the tree. All they need is an extra second or 2 to lift their own games and Tom supplies that.

Example. Joey Johns didnt make those around him better players. Newcastle had some pretty ordinary second stringers. He gave them that little bit extra time to be better themselves because the opposition was so focused on stopping him.

I just find it hard to believe everyone is having a love fest with mostly the same players that almost won our first wooden spoon last year and we're well on the way to this year's spoon if not for Barrett and his useless dogs.

This is the same team.. people want to keep arguing and carrying on that tom isn't the be all and end all of this team but he well and truely is and it's clearly backed up by the last year and a bit worth of patheticness weve dished up .

We were literally in a race with the dogs and Broncos for the spoon a month ago, we had a points average of 9 pts a game and a f/a of almost -200... Tom is the reason we now score 30 plus every game... Tom is the reason we have a positive f/a now . The rock hard facts have been Infront of us for well over a season now, no tom = no win... Not just no win, no tom = 40 point floggings.. these are absolute FACTS as we have lived thru it .
I just don't see why noone sees it now we are winning.. 6 weeks ago 90% of this forum wanted the same coach and players that they are gushi

Nice argument except it fails to account for our finals run without Tom in 2019.
So many factors can affect a team's form. Key injuries of course, but last year also a pandemic. The off-season death of a squad member.
Manly is definitely not a 1 man team but it's true Tom is an incredibly influential player.
It is a credit to the whole squad and the coaching staff that they've been able to turn their form around so dramatically.

Lol oh ok, so in 2019 they did semi ok without him.. how did 2020 go?? Remind me how great we were last year

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

The sides Bob Fulton played in were not 1 man teams, but he inspired them and influenced them to become better players. I am noticing a steely resolve in Turbo right now that is going to take Manly to a new golden era, and himself to the highest level of the game.
Doesn't mean the rest of the squad can't play. Or that they will drop their bundle next time he is not there.

 

[Chip and Chase]

The sample space of games this year may well suggest that @court83 has a point.

We were getting flogged without Tommy, bottom of ladder stuff. We won one cripple battle against the Warriors.....just. Then Tommy returns and we look like a top 8 team. He makes such a difference to this side. Look at his influence on our win loss ratio with and without him over his career since moving to fullback. He is key

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Lol oh ok, so in 2019 they did semi ok without him.. how did 2020 go?? Remind me how great we were last year

How about you remind me whether there were any unusual circumstances operating last year?
Or whether anything happened in the off season that could affect squad morale?

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

We won one cripple battle against the Warriors.....just. Then Tommy returns and we look like a top 8 team

Totally he makes a massive difference. But we had a narrow win over Warriors without him. A few weeks later we had a narrow win over them with him.