I don't have expectations of Manly winning the comp this year, but maybe Des does? In one interview, he was asked if this was a rebuilding year and he said no, he is here to win. He also mentions top 4, not top 8. He is concerned about for & against and apparently wasn't happy when a couple of second half tries were let in last week. To my understanding, he believes if the team plays to their potential, it is possible to beat every side. In the next three weeks, we play Souths (away), Eels (home) and Storm (away). This should be a good indication of how we may fare in finals games. I prefer the mind frame of winning every single game rather than aiming for a finals cut off number of wins which I consider a somewhat defeatist attitude. It was alarming last year to hear both our coach & players talking about cut off number of wins. By the way, last year teams 5-8 were on 32 points and teams 1-4 were on 34 points - don't think it will pan out exactly the same this year...