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For most of the 2014 season, Manly have been their usual Manly selves. Methodical, rugged, savvy and insular, and forever continually getting jobs done from all sorts of tight nooks and crannies.
We’ve marvelled at their irritating muscle memory that palms fired-up challengers and banks the weekly two points like it ain’t no thang.
There was even one point where their dominance had became so predictable that we were scratching our heads wondering who could bring enough heat to stop them – a worthy question considering the Sea Eagles themselves couldn’t even derail their own premiership campaign from the inside.
However, turbulence has come home to roost in the last month, with scratchy showings, injuries and the persistent insider trolling seemingly combining to form one gargantuan monkey fist to the Manly neck at the most perfectly inconvenient time.
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Some point to this persistent internal bickering as the catalyst for the falter, and that’s tough not to deny. The joint is league’s version of Mean Girls with all of its snide lippyness, and if it’s anything like the flick, it’s on track for a catastrophic crescendo that will apex with a forgettable night at Spring Fling.
But it’s not only the chicanery that’s nobbling them, as there’s something even more sinister and volatile than Lindsay Lohan that’s to blame – those turbo-charged high-stepping thighs of the Souths forward pack in Round 22.
It’s well documented that Manly copped a battering that night, and I reckon their bruised mojo has yet to recover from the monstering it received. Yeah that’s right – Souths bashed Manly good.
Do we all remember that nondescript August evening?
Everything was set up beautifully. Here were two heavyweight teams bouncing in on winning streaks, already mid-scuffle for a greater chunk of the premiership hysteria market share, and frothing to lock horns at yesteryear’s Garden of Steeden, a facility built for cricket and rather crap for watching matches played on a rectangular field.
Despite everything being precariously arranged for a rad nail-biter, it was a contest that ended up being a one-sided walkover.
Through military-grade binoculars at the ground and ultramodern Channel Nine standard definition, we watched Burgii and company ultimately run roughshod over a Manly pack that possessed no punch or answers. The famous maroon and white was coarsely schooled from A to Z, and bar the workplace quarrelling and the grumbling Tooveyisms, they have not been the same team since.
Following this blasting, they fumbled their way to an unconvincing win over the lowly Titans before being the out-of-character victim to a second half Eels ransacking. This was followed by the unconvincing jailbreak against the Panthers at Brookie and finally the heavy loss to the Cowboys in the final round.
Sure, on paper this is still two wins and two losses and a lot of mitigating circumstances. They still finished equal top on wins, their coach still believes they are number one, and they undoubtedly remain in the thick of the title hunt.
But let’s get real; this is Manly, and frankly we expect better of them, and so do they. Their years of untouchable standards means the bar is high, and right now they are out of sorts at the worst possible time.
Completion rates are down, Jamie Lyon is throwing passes to the wrong team and Geoff Toovey has spoken for an entire press conference without mentioning the other blokes in the middle. Either that footage was doctored, or something is definitely up.
Can they resurrect like Steve Matai post-burner, starting with a muscly favour returned to the Rabbits tonight?
They’ve lost four of their last five against top eight sides, they’re down troops and Anthony Watmough has got the money on his mind. With intensity notching up all around them and Matai due for his fortnightly request for a release, all of a sudden they are rank outsiders.
Say it again – Manly are rank outsiders.
In saying this, if anyone can pull a rabbit out of the hat and box its ears before egging all of our faces with a title, it would be these buggers. Winning is in their ear wax.
But if they are going to weasel out of this tight nook, it’s going to need a return of the pre-tenderised Manly – and that needs to start tonight.