Trent Barrett and the Manly Sea Eagles currently find themselves in 14th place on the ladder. It’s been a tumultuous few months for the club, with a number of big names opting for pastures new, however their starts to the season have been equally rocky to that of their former employers’.
A number of big name current and former Sea Eagles have found themselves facing long stretches on the sidelines, leading to the birth of the curse of the Manly Sea Eagles.
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» Roar’s Reaction: Blues
2016 was to be a time of transition for Manly, with former favourite sons such as Kieran Foran, Matt Ballin and Peta Hiku leaving the club as new coach Trent Barrett looked to make his mark on the Sea Eagles’ list. Barrett did just that, bringing in a host of new talent, most notably recent origin debutant Dylan Walker, QLD forward Nate Myles, the Panthers’ Apisai Koroisau, Tigers’ back Tim Moltzen and former Eel Darcy Lussick.
It has been no fairytale for former Blues five-eighth Barrett as injuries have befallen his stars and derailed his side’s campaign. Where to begin? The past off season saw beloved halfback Daly Cherry-Evans famously make the decision to head to the Gold Coast Titans before equally famously back flipping and remaining in Manly. Cherry-Evans now faces an extended layoff with an ankle injury and won’t return to the fold until as early as round 19.
His old halves partner Foran has been handed the captaincy at new club Parramatta and has since faced off field issues as well as picking up a shoulder injury which saw him written off for the rest of the season. Also at the Eels, former Sea Eagle Anthony Watmough has retired thanks to a knee injury as well as salary cap issues at his new employers.
Even fan favourite and premiership player Glenn Stewart hasn’t been immune from the curse as his move to South Sydney didn’t quite go as planned. The forward spent just a solitary ill-fated season with the Rabbitohs, playing just 18 games in the red and green before jetting off to the English Super League to join the Catalans Dragons.
It doesn’t stop there though. Everywhere you look, players associated with the glory days of the Manly Sea Eagles just a few short years ago find themselves either injured or retired!
At the Tigers, premiership winning hooker Matt Ballin is out for the season with a knee injury. Meanwhile back at Brookvale other members of the Sea Eagles’ premiership-winning squad also remain on the treatment table. Captain Jamie Lyon is sidelines until round 16 with a hamstring injury whilst centre Steve Matai’s season has been ended by a problem with his neck.
Further, promising forward Brenton Lawrence, once an Origin prospect, has missed the vast majority of the 2016 season with a pectoral injury which will keep him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Careers have even been ended by the curse. Tim Moltzen signed a one-year contract with the Manly Sea Eagles in August 2015, however before even taking to the field for his new club, he had announced his retirement owing to a chronic knee injury.
There are just too many instances of injury and hardship that relate directly to the Manly Sea Eagles in some way, shape or form. This can’t be a coincidence. The Manly Sea Eagles are cursed. Their 2016 season is in shambles, as is the health of their current and former stars.
Do you believe in the curse of the Sea Eagles? Let your thoughts be known in the comments section.
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