Manly are back to defend their crown
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Six weeks ago the Manly Sea Eagles were outmuscled by the cellar-dwelling Penrith Panthers at Centrebet Stadium. There were signs that the defending premiers were at a serious crossroads in their season.
Injuries to key personnel, a first year coach, rumour of player movement and the pressure of “second year syndrome” on their kid playmaker, Daly Cherry-Evans, could have seriously hampered their tilt at back-to-back premierships.
Shock losses earlier in the year to the Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans would have had other clubs seriously worried about their campaign. If the Eagles wilted, who could blame them?
A lesser team would have taken the easy way out and floated through the rest of the season on their fat pay checks.
All the symptoms were there. Questions were being asked and if experts weren’t saying it, they sure were thinking it. Would the Eagles crumble like so many defending premiers had done before them?
But like the champion team they are, they have risen from the ashes and stood their ground. With the heavyweight championship firmly strapped around their waist, the Eagles are back and ready to defend their crown.
On Sunday, Manly destroyed the hapless Eels with a masterful first half display that saw veteran winger David Williams cross for four tries.
Cherry-Evans controlled, the silky backs scored and the forwards worked.
It seems the exodus of players to other clubs for 2013 has added even more determination for this squad. One last shot at glory for this group of players.
Coach Geoff Toovey still wasn’t happy with the entire performance.
“Rightly or wrongly, our players individually made some poor decisions and made the wrong option,” Toovey said at the post match presser.
“I was disappointed for our fans really.
“But I thought for periods of the game, we were outstanding – particularly in the first half.
“We just went to sleep in the second half.
“I’m not saying it’s acceptable, but I am saying that we’re a good team and showed plenty of good football today.”
In the past three weeks, the Eagles have smashed the Eels, enjoyed a bye and smashed another struggler in the Sydney Roosters. At this time of the year, the top sides are suppose to dominate the weak.
They might still have some injury concerns, but would you doubt such a tight group? Would you question a side that has been through so much together?
Through all the adversity they have faced in 2012, the Eagles are still standing and still swinging.
Next week they travel to Newcastle to face Wayne Bennett’s motley crew of misfits. The score could be anything.
Will Manly be the first team to go back-to-back in the NRL era?
July 10th 2012 @ 11:49am
Mals said | July 10th 2012 @ 11:49am | Report comment
As a Manly fan Curtis I enjoyed your article! Many League fans won’t though haha.
Manly has the roster to go back to back & have shown they can beat the contenders this year. The title defence will rest on the fitness of the Stewart brothers & T-Rex. These 3 are the biggest injury concerns now that Foran’s ankle appears to have healed.
For any team to win the title some key ingredients need to be mixed come Sept/Oct -> momentum, a healthy squad & a dose of luck.
July 10th 2012 @ 11:58am
Curtis Woodward said | July 10th 2012 @ 11:58am | Report comment
Yeah Im not expecting too many replies lol .. just loving what Manly have done in the last few weeks .. they get fit, they will be hard to stop
July 10th 2012 @ 12:20pm
eagleJack said | July 10th 2012 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
Curtis, I was hoping for a little more controversy so I could step in and put in my 2 cents. But it appears that most on the Roar agree with you and have nothing more to add. Manly will give this comp a real shake. I’m not convinced that they can go back-to-back at this stage. There just seems to be something missing. But no doubt they will go close.
Mals I agree with your last point – a dose of luck. That can’t be underestimated in this tough comp. Luck plays a huge part in being fit and peaking at the pointy end of the season.
July 10th 2012 @ 7:33pm
apaway said | July 10th 2012 @ 7:33pm | Report comment
Ah, Curtis, warming my maroon and white heart. Just wait till Oikee reads it!
Manly going back-to-back rests on the fitness of their key players. They did amazingly well last season without the Stewart brothers, Tony Williams and Jamie Lyon for stretches. But they managed to keep Ballin, Cherry Evans and Foran on the park for almost the whole season and were a rock solid defensive unit.
There seems to be a little more lapses in the defensive line this season which is a concern. Glenn Stewart’s return can’t come quick enough. Darcy Lussick and T-Rex are monsters who will be sadly missed at season’s end and I hope they can be sent out as winners. However, to do that, you’ve gotta beat Melbourne and I’m not convinced their train has come off the tracks. With Slater and Smith back on the field, they will be very tough to beat.
July 11th 2012 @ 4:25am
81paling said | July 11th 2012 @ 4:25am | Report comment
As you all seem so happy patting each other on the back, I might just throw my 2 cents in.
Manly have more than just something missing they are a team that lacks basic fitness and as the saying goes fatigue kills speed.
Not sure how many of you went to the match but Manly should have taken that game by at the least 80 but the final score was Manly 40 Parra 24 with Parra all over Manly at the end of the match.
The real concern for Manly though has to be not the fact that Parra (with their worst performing team in 30 years if not ever) were all over them at the end of the game, nor was it that they made a massive amount of ball handling errors. The real concern for Manly is what you could not see on the camera’s, they did not go to sleep,they had their heads down and those players were blowing hard, they were tired.
You insinuate that this team could have turned the tied against the Eels but the reality is Manly were very lucky that the score was not 40 to 36 as it was not that they would not stop the Eels but, the reality is that they could not.
This is an unfit team, bashed by injury, now down on basic fitness and as we saw on the weekend is vulnerable to losing heart. They are reliant on their key players (many of whom r also injured, lack match fitness and can not be relied upon). The team I saw on the weekend at Brookvale needs some serious pre-season match fitness training. Their problem though this is the season and their team is talented, fast, unfit, weak and extremely unstable.
You say no controversy, the reality is for punters watch Manly to become the easy beats of the end of the season lucky to make the eight if they come up against sides like Canberra running on heart alone (something Manly has always lacked without it’s wallet).
This is your reality Curtis and though it is simple fact that I state some might even object in order to create controversy against fact. As for me I will be cashing in.