Penrith overpower Manly in incredible comeback

Hasler, Toovey anyone who gets the place. I’d even replace him with the ghost of Ron Willey right now. It’s all well and good to keep saying that it’s the players fault but all I keep seeing are faults in attitude, the number one task of coach is to develop attitude. On that count the guy is a massive fail

Good point. The Boys have had some hidings over the years. Des came in for the 2004 season. The Panthers belted them 12-72 out at Penrith that year, and in 05 the Sharks gave them a 6-68 shellacking down in the Shire. But, Des got them into the semis in 05, and in 06 and 07. Look at last year, Manly had some great wins but some terrible drubbings from the Dragons and Storm conceding 50 in a few matches, as well as beatings from other sides. Even the Dogs smashed them. A good team doesn't let in 50. They had three golden point wins against ordinary opposition, twice against Canberra and one against the Warriors. 6 competition points could have been 0. In the last couple of years,their wins come from flashes of brilliance from great players. Not from game plans, and not from defence. Manly at their consistent best have always been a 'defend until they can't breath' side, and used that as the platform to let the brilliant players put on the display. I could make a line break against them at the moment. I'll go further: I could use the step and the fend and get over the line. And that is a tragedy. I admire your optimism with regard to Trent, but the healthiest tree is that which has been pruned. It's time for the surgeon to make the clean cut that has a chance to heal, and so avoid the deadly compromise and irresolution that is like an open wound and which often goes septic.

I'm not sure you can blame Barrett for this one. Last week for sure. At some point his team has to be accountable for an 80min performance. This is a team the easily got over the Broncos (in Brisbane), should've got Storm and did get over the Panthers 3 weeks ago. With the cattle he's playing with, they can play very good footy. The finger should be pointed at Walker. He spent more time pleading with the ref then making tackles (6 missed tackles, guess when?). The last try was just horribly unlucky but that they way the tide was running at the time.

What were you saying when Hasler was coaching Manly to some hidings in his early years Yardsy? 72-12, 50- 32 and 56-12 in one year. Maybe you just remember the 40-nil GF win.

To be fair souvalis JT13 wouldn’t be needing to be a battering ram if other forwards went forward. Coote is a quality player and nobody expected Ponga to be so good so quickly. Good in time, sure, but so quickly? Having said all that I agree that Green is out of ideas, his plan of “JT or Morgs will make it happen” has limited legs now. A squad this good should be playing better. Or was it really a good squad or a bunch of good players being carried by a couple of superstars?

Yep. Nice bloke but the record shows that he's out of his depth. Certainly he doesn't have what it takes to get Manly to win, although he might have some success elsewhere in a different club. Look people say ' Oh, Manly has a lot of off field drama; a lot of politics; a lot of blah, blah,blah'. Boys, I've been supporting this club for over 50 years and they have - always - been deranged. Always drama. They're like the First Lady of Australian Theatre ! That's Manly, but they've made it win for them anyway. Sometimes, somethings, are just obvious sadly.

Bells have to start going off around a coach that pays $10 million for a player with all the skills,than uses him purely as a battering ram..or that believed Lachlan Coote was in any conceivable way a better future option than Kalyn Ponga..or on paper has a stronger squad than the previous Grand Finalists year yet look and play like a rabble week in and out..

pretty much agree with you mate. Dogs and manly at least have excuses but Green and Arthur shouldn't be anywhere near the position they're in. i can understand teams just having a bad year but a bad year for these two should have still seen them within earshot of the 8

The Cows and Eels were tipped as high flyers this year and the Dogs were tipped by many to make the eight. Along with Manly these are the dud teams of this year. Pay and Barrett have had a terrible time with all sorts of nonsense beyond their control and it would be unfair to judge any coach on that basis. The Cow and Eel coaches have no real excuses but they too can't be judged fully on one season. Who knows what happens next season. Manly have some really promising young players and the future is not so grim. Manly have lost all the close ones this year after winning most of them last year.

Under Barrett, Manly had a good spell at the top end of the ladder last year and also had Manly as one of the most entertaining teams in the competition. The club has been destroyed by no end of drama this year and id like to see any coach get a team through a period like that. None of you can judge what sort of mental scars that has given players this season. Apart from 15 minutes they were the better team today. Same against Storm. The season is a write off for them and the team nor the coach can be judged fairly with what they have gone through with player turn over and salary cap issues. No wonder Rugby League is in "crisis" its because the fans carry on like absolute good sorts with very short memories. Everyone loves to throw dirt and point the finger without any viable solution in place. Then when they get what they want because the screamed loud enough they dont want it anymore because nothing got better... which is exactly why we have 2 refs and a bunker if anyone remembers.

Would you take Hasler back? I don't think you could afford Seibold.

Fingers crossed... hope he gets punted now. Let Cartwright run things for the rest of the season.. let's face it, he couldn't do any worse until they can arrange for a real côach to take over

Barrett is gone.

Penrith are no chance.

This comeback win reminds me of what the Cowboys did to the Eels back in 2015. Incredible stuff from the Panthers. With 13 to go, I not only wrote them off for this match, but a loss to the hapless Sea Eagles had me writing them as premiership contenders.