In my 2014 season review of the Sea Eagles I predicted that the team would certainly go backwards in 2015, but the extent of their decline was unclear.
After the best part of a decade at the summit of the league, the roster had steadily eroded through ageing, retirement and departures.
This prediction, which was shared by many experts, seemed fairly obvious when the team began 2015 with only three wins from their first 12 games.
Reports of discontent behind closed doors, which had begun during 2014, only amplified as the team wrestled with the challenge of retaining their star halves Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans.
Halfway through the season it seemed abundantly clear that a fresh start was required at the club, a view evidently shared by management who decided to turf Geoff Toovey in favour of the untested Trent Barrett.
However the team rallied in the back-half of the year and threatened to embarrass the club by making the finals under the lame duck Toovey. Sadly though, an ugly home loss to Parramatta in Round 24 effectively finished the most disappointing season for the Eagles in over a decade.
Season highlight: Retaining Cherry-Evans
It was an ugly process that frankly still leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth, and they’ve strapped themselves to him for the foreseeable future, but in the end the Eagles won the war to retain Daly Cherry-Evans.
Late last year I wrote about the incredible bonanza of NRL halves all coming off contract at the end of 2015, including both Foran and Cherry-Evans. In that piece I noted how challenging it would be for the Eagles to retain both players, given it was likely that other clubs would make a ‘Godfather’ offer for them.
In the end Cherry-Evans was probably the more important player to retain, even if reports he has been unpopular with some teammates are true.
Foran is a terrific player in his own right but he thrives in a complementary role, with fewer touches and far less responsibility, whereas Cherry-Evans is a ball-dominant, game-managing halfback of the highest order.
Regardless of criticism levelled at him after his lacklustre performance in the second State of Origin game, Cherry-Evans remains firmly planted in the top tier of halfbacks in the competition, able to control every aspect of a team’s attack without taking anything off the table in defence. Moreover, at age 26 he may only just be entering his prime.
Season lowlight: Round 24 loss to Parramatta
After scrapping their way back into finals contention with seven wins in nine games, the Eagles gave themselves every chance to compete for a finals spot over the last three weeks of the season.
Those hopes slipped away on a wet and windy afternoon against lowly Parramatta in a game in which the Eagles failed to adapt their game plan to the poor conditions. The loss may not have been the one that finally killed them, but it made the Friday night game against a hard-charging Roosters a must-win, which proved a bridge too far.
Best player: Daly Cherry-Evans
Much like a solid quarterback winning superbowl MVP due to the lack of a standout elsewhere, Cherry-Evans probably wins this by default. A number of Eagles players such as Brett Stewart, Jorge Taufua and both Jake and Tom Trbojevic had very good seasons, but none were a clear player of the season.
As such the award reverts to the man with biggest role on the team and the best overall season.
Despite the team’s struggles, Cherry-Evans placed in the top 10 in the competition across all the key playmaking statistics, and kicked for an astounding 7700m or 334m per game, the second most among regular kickers, behind only Ben Hunt, who kicked for nearly 450m per contest.
Cherry-Evans also defended well, missing fewer than two tackles per game, with only his Sea Eagles teammate Kieran Foran and Melbourne pair Cooper Cronk and Blake Green recording a better average among regular halves.
Roster management
Losing Foran is bad but retaining Cherry-Evans is good so let’s call that a draw and have a look at the rest of the Eagles’ roster moves this season.
This is the part where Eagles fans start to get excited. With Foran as the only major loss – apologies to Justin Horo and Ligi Sao, who have been solid this season – and a number of excellent acquisitions, the Eagles have improved their squad more than any other team (that didn’t sign Roger Tuivasa-Sheck).
While legitimate questions were raised this season about Nate Myles’ future at representative level he remains a very good club-level player, capable of big minutes in the middle unit. Meanwhile, Lewis Brown is a fantastic utility player who can plug a number of gaps effectively, while Apisai Koroisau will get a chance to start afresh after a misguided move to the Panthers in 2015. Darcy Lussick will also return to Manly after three troubled seasons at the Eels.
Prognosis
With much of the off-field acrimony apparently settled and a number of sterling recruits, the Eagles will bounce back in 2016. The team still boasts a backline that can’t find room for NYC fullback of the year Tom Trbojevic and a halfback who is in the top five at his position.
More importantly, the team has also rejuvenated their forward pack.
The big question however is can Trent Barrett actually coach? Certainly his quick transition from player to sought-after head coach suggests some ability, but one has to wonder whether the Eagles management have thrown the baby out with the bathwater in sacking Toovey.
Predicted finish: Back in the eight
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The rugby league community is in mourning following the sudden death of former Kangaroos centre Terry Hill from an apparent heart attack in the…
Warriors coach Andrew Webster wants to see Shaun Johnson suit up alongside boom recruit James Fisher-Harris in 2025, saying the star halfback is "huge…
1. Tigers earning their stripes The Tigers played Souths last year when the Bunnies were at their very highest point. Tim Sheens coached them…
Manly have snuck home against the Titans in a wild game on the Gold Coast, running out 34-30 winners on a night in which,…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
1. Manu is not No.1 at Roosters Everyone knows Joey Manu is a really good fullback. He’s probably in the top five in the…
