No, I didn't say that, or even believe that players have to be locally bred. In fact it is irrelevant where they were juniors or where they were brought up.
What is important is the length of time they have been together and what shared common successes and failures they experience that builds and bonds them.
Then individual new players have the experience of coming into a "culture" with an existing cadre of senior leaders to mentor.
For example,
Bob Fulton was a woollongong jnr.
Kite came to us from St. George.
Ben Kennedy from Rugby then Newcastle.
Des Hasler from Penrith.
Cliff Lyons from Norths.
Wombat Eadie from Lidcome.
Matai from New Zealand
Jamie Lyons from the bush
Brett and Gifty from South Coast.
Matt Ballin from QLD
Paul Vautin from QLD
Ox Orford from Central Coast
Are you suggesting any of the above weren't Manly. The list is endless. I doubt we have ever had more than 3 or 4 locals in any team since the 60's or 70's.
Both our 2008 and 2011 Grandfinal teams only had 2 local juniors in each team.
Any past Manly culture died with the accumulated loss of Gifty, Kite, Foran, Watmough, Ballin, King, Menzies and others.
To be surprised, lament or complain that the team we currently have somehow lacks the Manly culture is a naive, of course it does. To be surprised that they lack cohesion and attack ridiculous.
In the old days when clubs were run by patriarchs like Arko and Bulldog Moore for generations, the club could make some claim to having a soul or culture, but those claims are long gone. Today any culture is playing group based, not club based, the club is a business.
As I said, this coach and playing group have no alternative other than to build their own culture. If and when they do it will be in spite of any current owners or blow in administrators.
