Season over: so, what did we get from it?

[Carl]

Another year older and deeper in debt.

The good times are further into the past.
We get to go into next season without hope.
At least the LNP has been wiped out.

16 tons and what do you get?

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

High hopes to start, it felt great at Brookie in R1.
DCE on channel 9 suddenly turned things upside down, for me as a fan. You'd like to assume your captain actually loves and wants to be at the club (stupid, I know)
So the rest of it became a bit sad. Some great moments and good wins but felt like always paddling upstream, too many stressful losses.
In the end reality set in - Manly's squad is only about mid level quality, especially in depth. As it's been for so long now.
Fans looking for a magic wand and think a new coach will be our saviour? I wish it was so but my head says 'you gotta be kidding'.

 

[Wombat64]

8 other clubs would love to be us. 8 would definitely not.

It is what it is.

We are a club mired in mediocrity and if anything are on the slide. So with all due respect I would say that no other club would want to be us and have Penn owning / running the joint.

 

[ManlyTragic]

8 other clubs would love to be us. 8 would definitely not.

It is what it is.

Hey! Is that like the glass is half empty or half full ?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Over without a whimper.

Can’t see 2026 being any different although maybe a half back who at least wants to earn his salary might help.

Two things ****ed our year , the Chasers announcement , and a string of injuries leaving only the plodders left in the forwards.

And once all that unfolded the noticeable lack of the players ( not all players ) giving an actual ****, that’s undoubtedly the worst thing.

 

[DanielTurbo888]

If we belt the Dragons 60 nil we still have some hope

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

If we belt the Dragons 60 nil we still have some hope

That would require players ( all ) turning up to play

NOT HAPPENING

 

[The '47ers]

That would require players ( all ) turning up to play

NOT HAPPENING

And all 17 on the field at the same time

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

And all 17 on the field at the same time

That might help , maybe we can have the mercy rule introduced

 

[Super Coach Eagle]

We finished above Parramatta.

Enjoy it while we can i think they will zoom past us next year

 

[LeonardCohen]

A lots of headaches and a sickness in the stomach....apart from that - how desperately there are needs for reinforcements in the middle (though I think we do need to realise the loss of Paseka and particularly Haumole were Massive) and Simpkin though no world beater, showed the importance of having even a reasonable dummy half

Simpkin’s defence is a real worry though. Opposition middles pick him out and love destroying the middle of our ruck. He’s willing but not all that effective. I prefer his attack to Croker but even that’s limited. He gives decent service and has a dart but I’ve noticed he often gets the ball in attacking positions, and he’ll struggle to make up his mind when he should just pass and he ends up dying with the ball; it’s very frustrating.

I think he’s been really solid but I also don’t think he’s a long term answer.

 

[Andrew..]

The owner is a Karmichael Hunt, but the club will always be bigger than one person.

 

[Rafferty]

We finished above Parramatta.

Enjoy it while we can i think they will zoom past us next year

Never though I’d be envious, but to see them rebuilding, with a coach the boys love and the upside it’s bringing, it’s depressing….

 

[Waz13]

Simpkin’s defence is a real worry though. Opposition middles pick him out and love destroying the middle of our ruck. He’s willing but not all that effective. I prefer his attack to Croker but even that’s limited. He gives decent service and has a dart but I’ve noticed he often gets the ball in attacking positions, and he’ll struggle to make up his mind when he should just pass and he ends up dying with the ball; it’s very frustrating.

I think he’s been really solid but I also don’t think he’s a long term answer.

100% the more closely I’ve watched Simpkin the more it’s set in that he’s not a long term solution, unless he really tightens up his D (who knows maybe Croker can mentor him in the defensive aspects to help that). He has crisp service tho but agree seems confused with options.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

We finished above Parramatta.

Enjoy it while we can i think they will zoom past us next year

We're above Parramatta currently but... it's not finished yet... 😱

 

[LeonardCohen]

High hopes to start, it felt great at Brookie in R1.
DCE on channel 9 suddenly turned things upside down, for me as a fan. You'd like to assume your captain actually loves and wants to be at the club (stupid, I know)
So the rest of it became a bit sad. Some great moments and good wins but felt like always paddling upstream, too many stressful losses.
In the end reality set in - Manly's squad is only about mid level quality, especially in depth. As it's been for so long now.
Fans looking for a magic wand and think a new coach will be our saviour? I wish it was so but my head says 'you gotta be kidding'.

Like you, I was aligned in keeping Seibs around, but that’s changed for mine. I don’t think we’ll suddenly rocket up the ladder with a new coach but I don’t think it gets better with Seibs either; just more of the same if reports are true that the players aren’t backing him.

I get the impression he knows the game inside out but I worry he is not a personality that the players warm to. Given every club in the NRL has a football department with a stack of knowledge, the edge comes from having a master motivator. Maybe a guy like Ennis will get us playing with a bit of aggression and competitive desire; I haven’t seen that in a Manly team since Dessie’s first year back when AFB, Joel Thompson, Jack Gosie, and co. had a bit of grub in their game.

I should point out, I’m not certain he needs to go and if he stays, I’ll be right behind him. I’ll never cheer against him.

 

[LeonardCohen]

@SeaEagleRock8 what are your thoughts on the coaching situation?

 

[manly al]

No question have the nucleus of a good competitive squad but need [ and needed ] most things going their way with the best available side available and key players in particular firing and available on a regular and consistent basis
Easy to make excuses but when the likes of D C E , Turbo , Ola , Tent , Jake are either out or not available for extended period or in a few instances producing indifferent form , always was going to do it tough
Being hammered by the Dogs in that 2 nd half was probably the most serious downer but those low point losses against the Knights and Titans were right up there as well
Not too sure of the exact remedies , outmuscled badly against the Dogs and hopefully the forward line up ongoing can have the best players available and firing as a unit and equally hopefully, Fogarty or a fresh addition like Walsh can add a bit more stability and spark in the halves
Surely some encouragement with some of the young forwards coming on and Koula has gone to another level in recent times and the Highest priority again of keeping long term , Bully continuing to be more prominent ,
Large hopefully can shake his injury issues and make a quick transition to a higher level
Disappointing season in the final washup but far from doom and gloom for nest year and beyond if a few more things can go Manly 's way in some critical areas and the younger brigade can really progress A S A P
Still 2 more games to be able to finish the season with some good level of respectability and hope it eventuates

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Like you, I was aligned in keeping Seibs around, but that’s changed for mine. I don’t think we’ll suddenly rocket up the ladder with a new coach but I don’t think it gets better with Seibs either; just more of the same if reports are true that the players aren’t backing him.

I get the impression he knows the game inside out but I worry he is not a personality that the players warm to. Given every club in the NRL has a football department with a stack of knowledge, the edge comes from having a master motivator. Maybe a guy like Ennis will get us playing with a bit of aggression and competitive desire; I haven’t seen that in a Manly team since Dessie’s first year back when AFB, Joel Thompson, Jack Gosie, and co. had a bit of grub in their game.

Yeah he also seems to have a sense of humour, get him in, punt Seibold upstairs somewhere, he can do whatever Jon Bonasera was doing (still not sure how he escaped with his job after jersey-gate, supposedly the football manager.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

@SeaEagleRock8 what are your thoughts on the coaching situation?

i anticipated your question