Why I Think Manly Will Never Compete Long-Term Again

[JenEagle]

The owners ave previous owners have had over 20 years with no other NRL club between the harbour bridge and Newcastle or even say between the hbr bridge and palm beach if we make the assumption that the central coast didn’t like us after the northern eagles disaster to build a successful supporter base and junior area etc

We have done nothing and now the bears are back.

 

[Rosko]

Agreed. That however has nothing to do with overall funding or owner investment. More to do with the quality of our management, coaching and decision making. Just like in corporate land, there are smart organisations....and the not-so-smart. We have tended to gravitate towards the latter category and consequently suffered from poor results and disappointment. That is about to change hopefully for the better hence my optimism for the future.

Change how? Would love to have some genuine indication of that!

 

[Rosko]

Unfortunately, I agree 100% with this thread. Wish I could see it a different way.
We don't have the money, the population, the juniors or the connections, and no sign of any of that changing.
Strategic plan to expand and overcome these limitations? @JenEagle is dead right, we did nothing to try to take over the former Norths territory. Maybe we never had the resources to colonise the Central Coast, but we sure let that window close.
We made a couple of half-hearted attempts at a Western Sydney pipeline - the choice of Blacktown Workers as a partner was laughable (they have money, but no footy cred). Feeble gestures in Queensland and New Zealand.
Setting aside all that, as others on here have said - if we are not the biggest, we need to be the smartest or the most ruthless. For a while we were in that game, but the last 10 years have been mostly dumb and/or soft.
If anyone can genuinely offer hope of a turnaround (short term or long term), I am happy to eat humble pie. At the moment it is more like eating the proverbial sandwich.
(But see you at Golden Eagles day. Hope we don't let them down.)

 

[manly al]

No doubt with the present Manly club model or structure , should be some public record of the financial side of things , in terms of income and outlays and general distributions of funds .
Whether at a board or A G M or whatever accountability procedures are applicable or required .
All clubs have apparently made profits to whatever extent the past couple of seasons but again with a general operating [ or minimal ] requirement of around 22- 25 mil per club , would not think that much surplus funds with a lot of clubs including Manly to be redirected to the Penns or any other part owners .
Maybe with the Sth island of N Z not being considered in expansion plans this time around , could be an opportunity for Manly to forge some closer links with that particular region and with a strong R U presence there as well .
Had the impression that the Central Coast was designated as a Rooster feeder area some years ago . may be a different matter now and as for the Nth Sydney area , sure that there has been some interest from the Manly admin but the Bears have still had some continued presence with N S W cup sides and no doubt still a functioning and independent junior league and aspiring players able to go anywhere maybe by their junior league clubs preference
Still can not see a dominant or that influential role by the Bears in the W A franchise , allocated 2 Nth Sydney home games a year probably says it all

 

[Rackets]

The question has to be asked, how much $'s has Politis got. He's a very generous benefactor, I wonder how much patience he's got, it's been a long while since they won a comp. Very similar to us actually.

Not only that @Eagle 1, he also looks after and spends time with his young talent coming through. Does Penn spend anytime with our players, or is he just sitting on his backside in the US?

Inside teen’s journey to the NRL … and the crazy ‘Freddy’ moment that left teammates speechless

Inside teen’s journey to the NRL … and the crazy ‘Freddy’ moment that left teammates speechless

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Not only that @Eagle 1, he also looks after and spends time with his young talent coming through. Does Penn spend anytime with our players, or is he just sitting on his backside in the US?

Inside teen’s journey to the NRL … and the crazy ‘Freddy’ moment that left teammates speechless

Inside teen’s journey to the NRL … and the crazy ‘Freddy’ moment that left teammates speechless

www.foxsports.com.au

From what I see on Facebook , Scott spends 80% of his time in New York with his leggy blonde wifey ( number 2 I think ).

You occasionally see posts of him visiting family in Sydney , but rarely anything to do with the Sea Eagles.

I could NOT imagine him visiting our juniors and sharing a BBQ steak with them ( as per this story ).

To me it looks like the Sea Eagles are a bit of a play thing , not costing any money ( these days ) and fun to rock up & entertain mates on the Chairmans Lounge when he is in country.

But that could all be wrong too

 

[The Bandit]

A club’s Marquee player needs to be a gun with charisma that attracts others who want to take the plunge for glory. We really missed the boat with DCE in that department. At the peak of their powers Jake and Tommy had that in spades. Great player Chez , but always about him. Was never going to pull a few journeymen that were all about the team result

 

[Cameron]

Sure there will be seasons where we bubble up but I really think under the current plans Manly will not be a long term threat like we were in the previous "golden" eara

I’m going to put it simply: let’s compare Manly to the Bulldogs.

Paul Kent mentioned in a podcast that the Bulldogs spend over $5 million a year just on their junior pathways and kids’ programs. I did some digging, and from what I found, it’s pretty compelling.

Let’s just look at kids’ footy and registration costs...all public info, so take it with a pinch of salt.

The Bulldogs actually subsidise their registration fees, which is a big deal now that the Active Kids voucher has stopped for most people. Here’s a link showing their subsidised junior registrations for 2025:
Subsidised Junior Registrations Open for 2025 CBDJRL Season!

For example, the Bankstown Bulls JRLFC charges either $50 or even nothing if you qualify for the Active Kids voucher.

What you get with Bulldogs:

• Jersey
• Training shirt
• Shorts
• Socks
• Cap
• NRL Season Pass
• Bulldogs home game membership
• Gala day
• Trophy
• Presentation day

Compare that to Manly Brothers RLFC:

• Player’s jersey (which remains property of the club)
• Training jersey
• Shorts
• Socks
• District team registration fee
• Presentation day

With the salary cap era meaning you can’t just buy a premiership, you can see how Manly will struggle without a similar investment in juniors and pathways.

I'll answer why. Penn sport owns the club. When that changes we are a chance.

Commercially Mestrov has overachieved. It's his football side I think that lacks