The Question - where will Manly finish in 2021

[Waz13]

Stay healthy and we are pushing for the top 4 and if heathy comes finals who knows. Lose key players again and we are bottom 4. depending on how bad the losses same thing, who knows how bad it could be. I’m picking we stay relatively healthy and finish 6th.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Stay healthy and we are pushing for the top 4 and if heathy comes finals who knows. Lose key players again and we are bottom 4. depending on how bad the losses same thing, who knows how bad it could be. I’m picking we stay relatively healthy and finish 6th.

Yes unlike the Rorters who have virtually a first grade reserve side if we lose some guns we are ****ed!!

Fingers crossed

 

[40 nil]

Sterlo rates Manly a 35% chance to make the top four & 45% to make the top eight

 

[XV-1]

If Turbo plays 18+ games we come 5th or 6th.

If Turbo misses more than 6 matches we come 12th or 13th

 

[mutley]

12th

 

[madmax]

Sterlo rates Manly a 35% chance to make the top four & 45% to make the top eight

[/QUOTE)
What else would you expect from the illiterate twat! I’ll laugh when his precious team of Queens doesn’t make the 8!

 

[Heckenberg]

We will come 4th

 

[40 nil]

@madmax "What else would you expect from the illiterate twat!"

Sea Eagles fly well under the radar

 

[Tragic Eagle]

We have the talent in to the squad to make the top 8 it’s just a question of how we use it.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

8-12 with no Turbo for most of the year

 

[Sheikheagle]

8-12 with no Turbo for most of the year

Unfortunately that’s the way I see it as well. From previous experience there is no way Tom will be back in 4 weeks it will be 6-8 at best

 

[pjayz]

I love how these experts keep picking Jorge on the wing when he is recovering from an Achilles. Do they put any effort in? Also, they never find a spot for Schuster.

I like Sterling not rating us, he is a horrible judge. He went years not picking Melbourne in the eight saying they were going to slide. Yep , a great judge.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Unfortunately that’s the way I see it as well. From previous experience there is no way Tom will be back in 4 weeks it will be 6-8 at best

We need to move past this scenario as it’s been like a chain around our necks for the last two years.

Don’t know when Tom will be better , sadly it might be never ( I certainly hope not but he’s had about 9 months off , been to specialists who claim to be Guru’s and then damages it in a stupid drunken sprint ( or in the shower ...lol).

But we can’t just have the team throwing it all in before a tackle is made ( which happened the last few years).

 

[jbb/james]

Is it not time to play smarter. while the game is ever changing history has shown us a few things if we care to listen

If you dont have the class some teams have
If you dont have the scoring potential some teams have
If you need to turn attitude and culture around

Then slowing the game down with a good kicking game
Turning forward packs around
And a brilliant kick chase game

Makes you competitive and keeps you in a contest long enough for teams to self destruct.

Yes the rules are slightly different with scrums but kicking to the corners is still a very good option

Our kickers need to take the ball to the line to be effective
Our chasers need to rely on our kickers
We need to shelve the attack always attitude
Respect possession and be patient

Does des shackle the team ala brian smith
Or does the team show the maturity to understand its limitations
Not for me to decide

Foz has the kick inside opposition territory
Cherry needs to be the long boot

For all of our great attacking players we had in the last golden era our success was built on defence with choc and glen stewy leading the way. It takes practice and we had very little last season.

We just need to be at the right end of the field more often and the team needs to be up. Toomany dropped heads watching the ball sail into touch after defending for 10 minutes straight

Be great to build on for when tommy comes back. If we get plenty of posession in the other teams half he is almost unstoppable.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Between 1st and 16th is a safe bet.

 

[AlxFromNthNarra]

Last year's changes in rules and disruption in season was not something we adjusted to well.

Our Fitness & Conditioning seemed underdone, exacerbated by often being gassed early thanks to ill discipline at the ruck, repeat early 6-agains, repeat sets on our line early, no early positional advantage, and a one-dimensional kicking game (5th tackle to DCE like clockwork, everyone cottoned on to that pretty fast).

Our pressure on the opposition line was bog-average too, repeat sets gained rare, and decision making often poor. A few set-pieces running the ball were outstanding to watch, but it was always via DCE and that is an easy one for the opposition to read and diffuse.

We rarely dominated in D, whereas other teams worked out to kick to the Manly corners, chase hard, and ragdoll our first 3-4 hit-ups. This is my area of largest concern due to the psychological impact of our forwards just getting back onside in time for tackle 4 between our 20-30m line before a punt-and-hope from DCE straight down the throat of FB/Wing, or a handling error to give them a set starting in our own half. It triggered the heads-down, hands-on-hips mentality that eventually snowballed into 30+ pts against each game - and a 'here we go again' mental picture.

With a full pre-season to build to the new strategies needed in the modern game, I am confident that we will improve out of sight. Challenge is the other teams also have a full pre-season to adjust as well - will we do it better? Well, the signings we made fill me with optimism on that front, as we have recruited shrewdly. And whilst people point at 9 and say WTF, I didn't think there were any options on the table worth chasing - Levi showed us last year what happens when you just settle on an 'established 9' option who is on the open market or agitating for a sea-change.

Des also has to find a better balance between being loyal to players training well but playing average on gameday, and giving opportunity to emerging talent. Tough one to manage, and I don't have the solution - it just needs to be handled better.

I think Manly will finish 7th, with momentum, and have as good a run in the finals as the Refs allow.