Cast an eye over the Manly 200 club and it's easy to understand why the Sea Eagles' history is so proud, fierce and factionalised.
Despite a constantly evolving backdrop of off-field subplots, Manly remain one of the most iconic brands in the NRL, building a winning culture that is the envy of most other clubs.
Which brings us to Steve Matai, the cornrowed, hard-as-nails centre who epitomises everything great and everything people hate about Manly.
It's fitting Matai will notch his 200th NRL appearance at the Sea Eagles' spiritual home of Brookvale Oval against Penrith this weekend, especially given the wonderful service the left centre has given the club since his debut in 2005.
When it comes to tight-knit playing groups, they don't come much tighter than the squad on the northern beaches. They will lift to farewell retiring front-rower Jason King, another ornament for the Sea Eagles.
Add the announcement about Glenn Stewart having already played his last game for Manly and it's easy to conclude the Sea Eagles' August flat-spot could be about to be swept through Sydney Heads.
Even though Matai won't have Glenn Stewart carving up on Manly's right edge, there's no question Stewart will leave a lasting legacy at the club where the pair won premierships in 2008 and 2011.
"There's a group of us that have been playing semi-final football for the last 10 years. We know what it takes to get the job done," Matai said. "Jason King and Glenn Stewart will be finishing up at the end of this season and they're a massive part of what we've built. We'll definitely miss them.
"The last few weeks we haven't turned up mentally, we haven't turned up ready to play, and if you turn up without the right attitude against any side in the NRL you're going to get hurt.
"It showed for us last week. We were there for half a game and then we switched off. You can't do that and expect to win games, especially leading into the semis. But if we turn up with the right attitude for the next five or six weeks, I can't see why we won't be lifting the trophy at the end of the year."
And there it is. The confidence, professionalism and belief that defines the Sea Eagles' culture. No club combines infighting and hatred with an incessant knack for winning like Manly.
Go back to 1987, when Paul Vautin captained a side containing Cliff Lyons and Des Hasler to a memorable premiership, and you gain an insight into how the Sea Eagles have always thrived on animosity.
The coach back then was the great Bob Fulton, a rugby league Immortal, with his captain Vautin and the champion five-eighth and centre sharing a father-son rapport.
That was until Vautin was cut from the club and forced to finish his career at Eastern Suburbs, when the Sea Eagles legends had a monumental fallout.
This year, the club's failure to offer Glenn Stewart a contract was a mistake, leading fellow club icons Matai and Anthony Watmough to both request releases.
Despite the off-field distractions, the Sea Eagles continue to get the job done where it matters most.
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James Hooper
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/steve-matais-milestone-not-the-only-symbol-of-manlys-history-and-future/story-fni3gnk1-1227042319250