So there have been a few different media stories going around about Manly in crisis 2025. I thought it might be good to put them in one place etc
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Trbojevic shift, players dropped: Manly coach has two games to prove he can turn club around
ByMichael Chammas
Anthony Seibold held a series of one-on-one meetings with his Manly players on Monday in a bid to save his coaching career, making one of the biggest calls of his time at the club by shifting Tom Trbojevic to the centres.
Seibold held seven-minute talks with each player as pressure mounts on the under-fire coach to turn the struggling Sea Eagles’ fortunes around.
The coach handed each player a document, outlining his concerns with their performances this year.
Manly sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality said Seibold’s approach upset certain sections of his team, who were critical of the coach providing criticism and few solutions.
It will do little to ease a growing narrative coming out of the Manly playing group that Seibold has limitations as a head coach and may have reached his ceiling with the Sea Eagles.
Manly have a bye this week but home games against the Wests Tigers and South Sydney before another bye in round 19 could have major ramifications on his future at the club.
Manly starTom Trbojevic with coach Anthony Seibold.
Manly starTom Trbojevic with coach Anthony Seibold.Credit:James Alcock
Manly CEO Tony Mestrov said Seibold wasn’t under any pressure, for now, and the club was determined to get back to winning ways.
“At the moment, Seibs is safe at this point,” Mestrov said.
“Seibs understands this as well as I do, it’s all about winning games. Seibs is safe at this point.”
Sources told this masthead that Lachlan Croker and Jason Saab could spend time in NSW Cup this week despite Manly having the bye.
The major talking point out of Seibold’s meetings is the expected shift of Tom Trbojevic from fullback to centre to accommodate the return of Lehi Hopoate, who missed the loss against the Gold Coast Titans after picking up a concussion the previous week.
“As a club we know the last two losses have been unacceptable,” Mestrov said.
“As a club we’re going to turn this around. We have a bye this week and two games at home. There’s no better way to get the season back on track against the Tigers and Souths. We’ve just got to do better. It’s as simple as that. We’re all in this together as a club.”
Mestrov admitted he had met with Seibold but insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary. Mestrov’s contract with Manly was recently extended through to the end of 2027 but is believed to include a six-month pay-out.
“We chat after every game,” Mestrov said.
“There’s no crisis meeting or anything like that. We just spoke about how we can turn it around. I felt like I could give advice and he could give me advice. We’ve got a good relationship. As a club we’ve got to turn it around. It was constructive conversation about how we can turn our season around.”
Manly last month begun conversations with the management of Jake and Tom Trbojevic about extending their respective careers on the Northern Beaches before they hit the open market on November 1.
The brothers are contracted until the end of 2026, but Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov has personally opened talks with their manager to begin working on a deal to keep both as one-club players.
Young gun Hopoate, who recently extended his Manly deal until the end of 2027, is seen as the long-term successor to Tom at fullback having impressed in Tom’s absence due to injury.
A move to five-eighth for Tom was previously touted, but the arrival of Jamal Fogarty next season has placed a question mark over such a shift given the Sea Eagles also have Luke Brooks on their books. The decision to move Trbojevic to centre will only further add to Manly’s conundrum on what he is worth and how long to extend him for.
Tom is in no rush to decide his future, nor does he want Manly to feel obliged to make him an offer as a mark of respect for what he has done for the club.
Trbojevic does not want to play against Manly and has told those close to him he would be open to a move to the Super League in 2027 if it was in the Sea Eagles’ best interest for him to leave the club
The Mole 'Ageing' Manly in desperate need of 'makeover'
There's no more sugar-coating it - Manly need a serious makeover during the upcoming off-season if they hope to be an NRL force again.
The Sea Eagles went into Friday night's clash against a weakened Titans outfit sitting in last place as firm favourites yet were spanked 28-8.
Manly were near full strength and the Titans were without Origin representative forwards Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika but simply out-enthused and were too fast for a sloppy Manly team.
Manly have now lost their last four away games in which they were considered favourites and their finals hopes are slipping away.
With an ageing, injury prone roster, the Sea Eagles are no longer the classy attacking team that racks up big scores against rival teams.
They have now won just six of 14 games this season and looked a team waiting for summer on the Gold Coast.
The Titans, blessed with one of the fastest backlines in the league, ran Manly off their feet, with Alofiana Khan-Pereira grabbing a double and fellow pace men AJ Brimson and Jayden Campbell also carving up the sluggish Manly defence.
The Titans are now just two wins outside the top eight and have the ability to mount a late challenge for finals footy with the ladder the most congested in recent memory.
Joey on Turbo
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Andrew Johns has again raised concerns over Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic and admits it was "sad to see" the fullback's most recent performance.
Trbojevic returned from his latest injury setback on Friday night, but it wasn't enough to lift his side to victory against the 17th-placed Titans.
The 28-year-old has struggled to stay fit for a number of years and didn't look at his damaging best for the Sea Eagles against an under-strength Gold Coast outfit.
While from a statistical perspective Trbojevic had a strong showing, running for 255 metres and producing a linebreak assist, Johns is adamant he isn't fully fit.
"He still looks busted," the rugby league Immortal said on Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
"He's proppy in contact … normally he surges. I wonder whether he's worried about that hamstring going again, but it's sad to see.
"He's a champion, but his body keeps breaking down."
Since the 2021 campaign that saw him win the Dally M Medal and star for the NSW Blues, those types of performances from Trbojevic have been few and far between.
Broncos legend Darren Lockyer believes it could be a "confidence" issue that is holding Trbojevic back from playing his best football.
"He probably looks in the best shape when you look at him," Lockyer said.
"I just feel like it's a confidence issue at the moment.
"I just don't think he's 100 per cent confident in his ability."
As for the Sea Eagles, their season is on the rocks.
The noise surrounding Daly Cherry-Evans and his contract saga has continued to drag on throughout the year, while one of their best players - Haumole Olakau'atu - is set to be sidelined after dislocating his shoulder against the Titans.
"It's disappointing for Manly," Lockyer said.
"You would think with the news of DCE not playing Origin, I was expecting him to have a man-of-the-match performance [against Gold Coast].
"The forwards never really laid the platform for their backs and after that early try from Manly, they went to sleep and lost their intensity."
Manly are already without props Taniela Paseka and Josh Aloiai due to injuries and the absence of Olakau'atu certainly won't help their cause.
Bye round podcast
Fox sports doing their thing
SMH Coverage
Trbojevic shift, players dropped: Manly coach has two games to prove he can turn club around
Anthony Seibold held a series of individual seven-minute interviews with all of his players on Monday as pressure mounts on the under-fire coach to turn the struggling club’s fortunes around.
Trbojevic shift, players dropped: Manly coach has two games to prove he can turn club around
ByMichael Chammas
Anthony Seibold held a series of one-on-one meetings with his Manly players on Monday in a bid to save his coaching career, making one of the biggest calls of his time at the club by shifting Tom Trbojevic to the centres.
Seibold held seven-minute talks with each player as pressure mounts on the under-fire coach to turn the struggling Sea Eagles’ fortunes around.
The coach handed each player a document, outlining his concerns with their performances this year.
Manly sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality said Seibold’s approach upset certain sections of his team, who were critical of the coach providing criticism and few solutions.
It will do little to ease a growing narrative coming out of the Manly playing group that Seibold has limitations as a head coach and may have reached his ceiling with the Sea Eagles.
Manly have a bye this week but home games against the Wests Tigers and South Sydney before another bye in round 19 could have major ramifications on his future at the club.
Manly starTom Trbojevic with coach Anthony Seibold.
Manly starTom Trbojevic with coach Anthony Seibold.Credit:James Alcock
Manly CEO Tony Mestrov said Seibold wasn’t under any pressure, for now, and the club was determined to get back to winning ways.
“At the moment, Seibs is safe at this point,” Mestrov said.
“Seibs understands this as well as I do, it’s all about winning games. Seibs is safe at this point.”
Sources told this masthead that Lachlan Croker and Jason Saab could spend time in NSW Cup this week despite Manly having the bye.
The major talking point out of Seibold’s meetings is the expected shift of Tom Trbojevic from fullback to centre to accommodate the return of Lehi Hopoate, who missed the loss against the Gold Coast Titans after picking up a concussion the previous week.
“As a club we know the last two losses have been unacceptable,” Mestrov said.
“As a club we’re going to turn this around. We have a bye this week and two games at home. There’s no better way to get the season back on track against the Tigers and Souths. We’ve just got to do better. It’s as simple as that. We’re all in this together as a club.”
Mestrov admitted he had met with Seibold but insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary. Mestrov’s contract with Manly was recently extended through to the end of 2027 but is believed to include a six-month pay-out.
“We chat after every game,” Mestrov said.
“There’s no crisis meeting or anything like that. We just spoke about how we can turn it around. I felt like I could give advice and he could give me advice. We’ve got a good relationship. As a club we’ve got to turn it around. It was constructive conversation about how we can turn our season around.”
Manly last month begun conversations with the management of Jake and Tom Trbojevic about extending their respective careers on the Northern Beaches before they hit the open market on November 1.
The brothers are contracted until the end of 2026, but Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov has personally opened talks with their manager to begin working on a deal to keep both as one-club players.
Young gun Hopoate, who recently extended his Manly deal until the end of 2027, is seen as the long-term successor to Tom at fullback having impressed in Tom’s absence due to injury.
A move to five-eighth for Tom was previously touted, but the arrival of Jamal Fogarty next season has placed a question mark over such a shift given the Sea Eagles also have Luke Brooks on their books. The decision to move Trbojevic to centre will only further add to Manly’s conundrum on what he is worth and how long to extend him for.
Tom is in no rush to decide his future, nor does he want Manly to feel obliged to make him an offer as a mark of respect for what he has done for the club.
Trbojevic does not want to play against Manly and has told those close to him he would be open to a move to the Super League in 2027 if it was in the Sea Eagles’ best interest for him to leave the club
The Mole 'Ageing' Manly in desperate need of 'makeover'
There's no more sugar-coating it - Manly need a serious makeover during the upcoming off-season if they hope to be an NRL force again.
The Sea Eagles went into Friday night's clash against a weakened Titans outfit sitting in last place as firm favourites yet were spanked 28-8.
Manly were near full strength and the Titans were without Origin representative forwards Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika but simply out-enthused and were too fast for a sloppy Manly team.
Manly have now lost their last four away games in which they were considered favourites and their finals hopes are slipping away.
With an ageing, injury prone roster, the Sea Eagles are no longer the classy attacking team that racks up big scores against rival teams.
They have now won just six of 14 games this season and looked a team waiting for summer on the Gold Coast.
The Titans, blessed with one of the fastest backlines in the league, ran Manly off their feet, with Alofiana Khan-Pereira grabbing a double and fellow pace men AJ Brimson and Jayden Campbell also carving up the sluggish Manly defence.
The Titans are now just two wins outside the top eight and have the ability to mount a late challenge for finals footy with the ladder the most congested in recent memory.
Joey on Turbo
'Sad to see': Legends reveal fear for 'busted' Turbo
'Don't think he's 100 per cent confident'
www.nine.com.au
Andrew Johns has again raised concerns over Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic and admits it was "sad to see" the fullback's most recent performance.
Trbojevic returned from his latest injury setback on Friday night, but it wasn't enough to lift his side to victory against the 17th-placed Titans.
The 28-year-old has struggled to stay fit for a number of years and didn't look at his damaging best for the Sea Eagles against an under-strength Gold Coast outfit.
While from a statistical perspective Trbojevic had a strong showing, running for 255 metres and producing a linebreak assist, Johns is adamant he isn't fully fit.
"He still looks busted," the rugby league Immortal said on Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
"He's proppy in contact … normally he surges. I wonder whether he's worried about that hamstring going again, but it's sad to see.
"He's a champion, but his body keeps breaking down."
Since the 2021 campaign that saw him win the Dally M Medal and star for the NSW Blues, those types of performances from Trbojevic have been few and far between.
Broncos legend Darren Lockyer believes it could be a "confidence" issue that is holding Trbojevic back from playing his best football.
"He probably looks in the best shape when you look at him," Lockyer said.
"I just feel like it's a confidence issue at the moment.
"I just don't think he's 100 per cent confident in his ability."
As for the Sea Eagles, their season is on the rocks.
The noise surrounding Daly Cherry-Evans and his contract saga has continued to drag on throughout the year, while one of their best players - Haumole Olakau'atu - is set to be sidelined after dislocating his shoulder against the Titans.
"It's disappointing for Manly," Lockyer said.
"You would think with the news of DCE not playing Origin, I was expecting him to have a man-of-the-match performance [against Gold Coast].
"The forwards never really laid the platform for their backs and after that early try from Manly, they went to sleep and lost their intensity."
Manly are already without props Taniela Paseka and Josh Aloiai due to injuries and the absence of Olakau'atu certainly won't help their cause.
