So far off the pace

[Mal Cochrane]

I believe our attack can hum ok, its the defence that kills us. Those big leads we let go of in games, was due to being unable to wrestle back momentum, and what I really noticed most of all were our defenders were being beaten in the tackle. One or 2 players would be on the ground behind or beside the play the ball trying to get out of the way (1 or 2 less defenders) and the manly player who made it to marker was just shoved off for a quick play the ball.

Annoyed the **** out of me in 2024. Manly doesn't defend well when the momentum is against them, and I hope that is being looked at for 2025.

Then there is the matter of playing well against top sides and looking busted against the lesser sides.

 

[Ryan]

Are we really though ?

I’d consider Melbourne a half decent side, and 2 of the last 3 times we have played them, our pack has obliterated theirs

Dogs game prior to finals, they have the prototype pack of mobility that people are desiring, again they absolutely nailed them

Now I’m not saying you’re wrong mate, and we could do with 1-2 more of a different style, but there is more than 1 way to skin a cat and get results

Not going to lie, I was actually shocked that since 2020, we've beaten them 4 times out of 10, which is quite a bit better than most teams we've faced.

They definitely have a great forward pack. And they also play that uptempo game we struggle to keep up with.

Anyways, maybe these old, semi-retired fellas will get us over the hump next season.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Not going to lie, I was actually shocked that since 2020, we've beaten them 4 times out of 10, which is quite a bit better than most teams we've faced.

They definitely have a great forward pack. And they also play that uptempo game we struggle to keep up with.

Anyways, maybe these old, semi-retired fellas will get us over the hump next season.

I don’t think we rely on these guys to get us over the hump, they are our value for money gap fillers, much like Bryant, Hall, Galuvao, Rose etc . It’s consistency from the bigger names that we need

What our recruitment may lack, our retention delivers on. All other clubs are mentioned in big names coming onto the market, we’ve done a good job of locking down the likes of Paseka, Olakau’atu, Koula, Lehi, Tom etc down long term

Not being able to get Schuster going is our biggest miss, and S Fainu looks a loss but we couldn’t compete with that coin

 

[BOZO]

I don’t think we rely on these guys to get us over the hump, they are our value for money gap fillers, much like Bryant, Hall, Galuvao, Rose etc . It’s consistency from the bigger names that we need

I Believe Winning Grand finals is a team effort and consistency from all players is vital

The value for money premiership Winning players like Hall and Bryant were players that played above their weight on a consistent basis and never looked out of place in a team packed with the Big names

Mark Bryant Our Honorable Manly premiership Winner is also A Great Bloke as well.
The Big man Always greets you with his Big Smile at club Functions

 

[jbb/james]

Are we really though ?

I’d consider Melbourne a half decent side, and 2 of the last 3 times we have played them, our pack has obliterated theirs

Dogs game prior to finals, they have the prototype pack of mobility that people are desiring, again they absolutely nailed them

Now I’m not saying you’re wrong mate, and we could do with 1-2 more of a different style, but there is more than 1 way to skin a cat and get results

I think this just highlights how inconsistent our team is in terms of attitude more than anything, and by far our biggest achilles heal

But thats me

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Not going to lie, I was actually shocked that since 2020, we've beaten them 4 times out of 10, which is quite a bit better than most teams we've faced.

They definitely have a great forward pack. And they also play that uptempo game we struggle to keep up with.

Anyways, maybe these old, semi-retired fellas will get us over the hump next season.

Does Manly need to improve its wrestling game?
Our players know how to tackle, they are fit, we usually don't have all the lumbering giants on at one time so there's at least some mobility there...
Yet if we're making tackles but the tackled player is getting up faster than the tacklers...
(or is it just another of those knotty chicken and egg conundrums?)

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I think this just highlights how inconsistent our team is in terms of attitude more than anything, and by far our biggest achilles heal

But thats me

I wonder if its possible to have more than 2 Achilles heels?

 

[jbb/james]

I wonder if its possible to have more than 2 Achilles heels?

Absolutely , i suppose all lists have priorities

I did one achilles in fiji on holiday 10 years ago , couldnt get it fixed so it haunts me . Its my priority achilles even though i still think the other one is important . I put extra work into that area when exercising because its weak in some areas

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Absolutely , i suppose all lists have priorities

I did one achilles in fiji on holiday 10 years ago , couldnt get it fixed so it haunts me . Its my priority achilles even though i still think the other one is important . I put extra work into that area when exercising because its weak in some areas

Wow. So your Achilles heel is literally your Achilles heel
Outstanding (although no doubt sore and annoying)

 

[LeonardCohen]

Does Manly need to improve its wrestling game?
Our players know how to tackle, they are fit, we usually don't have all the lumbering giants on at one time so there's at least some mobility there...
Yet if we're making tackles but the tackled player is getting up faster than the tacklers...
(or is it just another of those knotty chicken and egg conundrums?)

you have to win the contact for the wrestle to even come into the equation though…if you lose the initial contact, you’re not allowed to wrestle and slow the ruck down. Penrith have great line speed and win the initial contact and that’s why they’re allowed to suffocate teams at the ruck.

 

[mickqld]

Apart from Penrith

Give us Mitch Kenny any day. He's getting better and better.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Give us Mitch Kenny any day. He's getting better and better.

If he was playing with us, he would be considered crap on here

 

[double hoops]

Manly lose the $ from points bet jersey sponsorship.

Chickens get 10 big ones.

Come on front office. You need to work a little harder their men.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/sydney-roosters-sign-10-million-sponsorship-deal-with-chinese-car-giant-byd/news-story/7a0c2d2cee67d787a7e52f2c0f8e3ab8

 

[Bearfax]

Said it all through the year. Manly's problem is DEFENCE, and it seems the coaching staff don't seem able to rectify the problem Hooker is a problem but it can be overlooked if our defense structure remains tight. I look at Penrith and the Storm and see a well structured and committed defense. I look at Manly and only sometimes do they seem committed and structurally strong in this regard. If Seibold doesn't rectify that deficiency before next year, Manly will again be that also ran team with that outstanding attack but leaking tries all over the field and lingering somewhere around 6th to 10th.

 

[Frogz]

Manly lose the $ from points bet jersey sponsorship.

Chickens get 10 big ones.

Come on front office. You need to work a little harder their men.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/sydney-roosters-sign-10-million-sponsorship-deal-with-chinese-car-giant-byd/news-story/7a0c2d2cee67d787a7e52f2c0f8e3ab8

From 2023...

Billionaire car salesman Nick Politis has splashed out some $1.1 million in the past three weeks to snap up more of the country’s largest dealership, Eagers Automotive, and take his stake beyond 27 per cent.

Investment bank analysts, however, are split on whether their clients should follow Politis and increase their holdings in the Eagers, which operates about 200 showrooms around the country and sells some of the most popular brands from Toyota and Ford to Honda and Volkswagen.

It also has the local retail rights for BYD, the second-largest selling electric vehicle brand in Australia behind Tesla, made in China and backed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

 

[Dingo]

I think this just highlights how inconsistent our team is in terms of attitude more than anything, and by far our biggest achilles heal

But thats me

I agree, there’s plenty to fix but inconsistencies in attitude really stood out to me this year as well. Not saying the team don’t want to win every week, of course they do, but notice when we had something to play for this year we played really well and when there wasn’t as much on the line, we looked at times disinterested.

DCE milestone game, we beat Penrith 13+. Battle of. Brookvale, we got up and beat Melbourne. Old boys day, we flogged Newcastle. Embarrassed by the Tigers, we got up and dominated the Dogs. Even just in front of a packed home crowd, we got up for it (beating the Chooks, Dragons with no bench, etc). Then away from home when I guess there isn’t that driving factor, we were pretty ordinary.

Late in the season I think the whole anticipation of finals got to us a bit, for some reason we lost a bit of steam at the end. But honestly if this team just took the games against lower end sides as serious as they did with the top teams or games at home, we wouldn’t have let leads slip and could’ve been top 4, and we all know how beneficial that 2nd chance in finals is.

Anyway, keen to see how next year goes. Would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried that our issues aren’t fixed and we continue the trend of going backwards after making finals, but I’ll stay optimistic that we can improve and be part of the 4 in 2025.

 

[jbb/james]

I agree, there’s plenty to fix but inconsistencies in attitude really stood out to me this year as well. Not saying the team don’t want to win every week, of course they do, but notice when we had something to play for this year we played really well and when there wasn’t as much on the line, we looked at times disinterested.

DCE milestone game, we beat Penrith 13+. Battle of. Brookvale, we got up and beat Melbourne. Old boys day, we flogged Newcastle. Embarrassed by the Tigers, we got up and dominated the Dogs. Even just in front of a packed home crowd, we got up for it (beating the Chooks, Dragons with no bench, etc). Then away from home when I guess there isn’t that driving factor, we were pretty ordinary.

Late in the season I think the whole anticipation of finals got to us a bit, for some reason we lost a bit of steam at the end. But honestly if this team just took the games against lower end sides as serious as they did with the top teams or games at home, we wouldn’t have let leads slip and could’ve been top 4, and we all know how beneficial that 2nd chance in finals is.

Anyway, keen to see how next year goes. Would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried that our issues aren’t fixed and we continue the trend of going backwards after making finals, but I’ll stay optimistic that we can improve and be part of the 4 in 2025.

good Post

 

[Dion Johnson]

From the Couch: Manly Sea Eagles Season Review​

Nick Tedeschi
November 13, 2024

Win-Loss: 13-10-1
Ladder Position: 7th
Finals: Semi Final
Attack: 26.42 (5th)
Defence: 21.71 (7th)
Longest Win Streak: 3 (R18-20)
Longest Loss Streak: 3 (R9-11)
Best Win: Round 5: 32-18 v Penrith
Worst Loss: Round 16: 14-0 at South Sydney

Season Review​

Highlights: Tom Trbojevic was healthy for the majority of the season, a rare piece of fortune for the Sea Eagles that was central to their return to the finals.

What looked an ordinary recruiting class uncovered some gold in Tommy Talau, who looked a different player at the Sea Eagles.
Manly set the tone for their season early with a Vegas win and followed it up with a win over the Chooks and an early-season win over Penrith was immense for confidence.

Manly also enjoyed the rare occurrence of having both the NSW and Queensland Origin skippers.

A finals win was their first since 2021.

Lowlights: Manly arguably would have expected more out big-name signing Luke Brooks though he was far from bad.
A meek finals departure would have upset the Manly faithful.

Reuben Garrick had an awful season and his move to the centres was an abject failure – he can’t tackle or pass!

The decline of Jake Trbojevic is a concern though a generally unspoken one given his stature.

Anthony Seibold’s cantankerous relationship with the front office was unedifying and unsettling.

What Worked: Manly’s attack was slick led by three playmakers who all had 13-plus try assists.
The Sea Eagles ranked Top 5 in tries scored.
Anthony Seibold will have been pleased with the effort areas with the Sea Eagles ranking fifth in supports and fifth in decoy runs.

What Didn’t: The Sea Eagles were surprisingly poor at breaking tackles, ranking bottom six.
Manly got very little out of hooker in an era where the position is becoming increasingly important in attack with the fewest dummy half runs per game by some margin.

There was a one-dimensional aspect to the Sea Eagles attack with Manly ranking worst in the NRL in offloads per game.

Reuben Garrick’s move to the centres was a disaster.

Betting Stats​

ATS: 15-11
Over/Under: 18-8
Head-to-Head Return: -1.3 units
Three Betting Notes:

• Manly had the fewest unders of any team in the NRL last season – tied with North Queensland and Parramatta.
• The Sea Eagles won 8 of 10 at Brookvale last year, covering seven of them.
• Manly were very good against the better teams, covering 7 of 10 against Top 8 teams.

Personnel​

Best Player: Tom Trbojevic
Next Best: Daly Cherry-Evans, Haumole Olakau’atu
Most Disappointing Player: Reuben Garrick
Next Most Disappointing: Jaxson Paulo, Corey Wadell
Top Tryscorer: Tommy Talau (18)
Top Assist Merchant: Tom Trbojevic (17)
Top Tackle Breaker: Haumole Olakau’atu (4.37 per game)
Top Metre Eater: Tom Trbojevic (189.06m per game)
Top Tackler: Jake Trbojevic (40.14 per game)
Best Buy: Tommy Talau
Worst Buy: Jaxson Paulo
Best Rookie: Lehi Hopoate

 

[manly al]

Reasonable or fairly relevant summary but can 't go along with the quite harsh assessments with Garrick and Paulo.
Apart from the generally reliable goal kicking for Garrick , quite solid efforts in most appearances and his inclusion in that end of season invitational rep side , a good reflection on his good overall season performance related.
Paulo was not too bad in his early season i st grade Manly games and quite solid in that mid season game against the Bunnies when Manly had some key players unavailable .
Hardly his fault that emerging players like Lehi and Faualo were naturally rated ahead of him for most of the regular season and how things just panned out
Manly 's forwards were not nearly as effective as a unit towards season 's end so understandable for Brooks to be not as prominent with his general game and opportunity wise .
Even if Garrick did resume wing duties again with Saab, still the same dilemma in all expectations with either Taula or Lehi being included then after Turbo and Koula

 

[Disco]

Dont know where this Garrick doesnt pass narrative comes from.

He was 6th for centres in try assists and 7th in centres for line break assists and 12 in centres for offloads.