As Manly's performances have fallen away, attention here has focussed on shortcomings of various individual players, structure of our salary cap, and whether the coach is past it. All of which are fair points for debate, but I suspect what has really cruelled our chances this year was an accumulation of circumstances that have ended up draining the confidence and positivity from our squad.
Having Fainu rubbed out with a cloud of jail hanging over his head - that must be a massive blow, first to lose the player but equally as a distraction, a worry about their teammate, and a general concern about whether his predicament indicated possible cultural issues in the squad. You only have to look at the Dragons, who were riding quite high by the end of 2018 and the future looked bright, then Debellin was charged and they have been pretty much woeful since then.
Add to that the serious injuries to Turbo and Walker.
Every club has had new challenges this year due to the pandemic. Late last year our guys were brave, organised, and a bit fantastic but I think those circumstances have combined to end up deflating us a bit mentally. And at NRL level, even a small lack of intent can be critical. It's a tough competition.
I still think we have a lot of talented players, with a couple of spots obviously needing bolstering, and we have a good coach, but turning around the mindset will be a big part of the challenge for next year. The Dragons have found it a bridge too far.
Having Fainu rubbed out with a cloud of jail hanging over his head - that must be a massive blow, first to lose the player but equally as a distraction, a worry about their teammate, and a general concern about whether his predicament indicated possible cultural issues in the squad. You only have to look at the Dragons, who were riding quite high by the end of 2018 and the future looked bright, then Debellin was charged and they have been pretty much woeful since then.
Add to that the serious injuries to Turbo and Walker.
Every club has had new challenges this year due to the pandemic. Late last year our guys were brave, organised, and a bit fantastic but I think those circumstances have combined to end up deflating us a bit mentally. And at NRL level, even a small lack of intent can be critical. It's a tough competition.
I still think we have a lot of talented players, with a couple of spots obviously needing bolstering, and we have a good coach, but turning around the mindset will be a big part of the challenge for next year. The Dragons have found it a bridge too far.