There has been a meme doing the rounds on social media in the last couple of weeks that read: “Some people hate Trump, some people hate Hilary but we all hate Manly.”
The Sea Eagles are not only mentioned in the same communication as one of the world’s most divisive leaders, it appears they will always be the club that unites rival fans in common hatred.
To ensure that this wasn’t just a one-off crusade by an old North Sydney Bears fan with an axe to grind, I messaged a few mates to see if they still felt the same way about the team from Sydney’s northern beaches as they did in in the 1980s.
In doing so, I suggested that maybe the Roosters had surpassed Manly on the list of clubs despised by other supporters due to their success, ability to recruit the best players, and balance the books with finesse.
The replies were universal in their confirmation of Manly’s position at the bottom of the NRL’s most liked other club meter. “Nah,” my friend Con, a St George Illawarra fan, said. “Manly will always be the Silvertails as far as I am concerned.”
Admittedly, my sample size was small and strongly skewed towards people of my generation – i.e. not young – but it is safe to say the Sea Eagles aren’t going to win popularity contests anytime soon.
Historically, Manly were seen as a wealthy and at times arrogant organisation that plundered poorer clubs, offering their best players lucrative salaries to move to the northern beaches.
In the late 1970s, Roy Masters, coach of the Western Suburbs Magpies – a club that suffered at the hands of the Sea Eagles’ recruitment initiatives as much as any – conjured up the term ‘Silvertails’ for Manly while dubbing the Magpies the ‘Fibros’.
It was a classic ‘us versus them’ scenario, initially used as a team motivator and quickly picked up by media and rugby league fans.
In the ’80s, you could readily buy a T-shirt with the slogan ‘I support (insert club) and any team playing Manly’. It appears that sentiment lives on in the noughties with memes.
As a supporter of another Sydney club, a successful season was not only measured by a finals berth but whether you could get one over the consistently powerful Sea Eagles team.
Apart from a reputation for buying premierships, Manly have offered up plenty of reasons to incur the wrath of other fans over the years. The perceived unfair and biased influence wielded by former secretary and ARL chairman Ken Arthurson, and club legend and former Kangaroos coach Bob Fulton didn’t sit well with many rugby league people.
The Northern Eagles debacle that eventually saw the North Sydney Bears out of the competition and Manly return as a standalone club in 2003 was another black mark against the club.
Admittedly, the passionate dislike for Manly never really crossed the border into Queensland. This may be due to an understandable lack of interest in Sydney demographics and personalities or because two Maroon icons in Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin and Chris ‘Choppy’ Close both spent time at the club.
Anyway, that’s all in the past. Let’s look at the here and now.
Going into a new season, apart from historical grievances, honestly what’s left to despise about Dessie Hasler’s men?
Des Hasler (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
A tumultuous season in 2018 left them placed second last on the ladder and coach Trent Barrett standing down.
Barrett had plenty to say about training facilities, or lack thereof and the relatively small amount of money spent on the football department out at Brookvale.
The outgoing coach revealed he was forced to bring in his own backyard furniture for the players’ common room. It is a far cry from the glamour club that was once envied for its resources.
Manly’s home ground, Brookvale Oval, has been considered below NRL standard for some time.
The NSW State Government recently announced that it would pitch in $20 million for a $36 million centre of excellence at the ground. It was welcome news and desperately needed.
The club has endured turmoil as much as any club in recent times with ownership disputes, internal fighting, player divides, and off-field behaviour problems topping the list.
Manly has stuck solid to its local identity, staying faithful to Brookvale and not succumbing to the lure of the concrete stadiums in central and west Sydney. There is also a strong belief that their fans won’t travel away from the ‘insular peninsula’.
Locals recount stories of Jake and Tom Trbojevic spending free Sundays helping out back at their junior club, the Mona Vale Raiders. A nice touch from the popular brothers, who will most likely be joined in the top grade by younger sibling Ben in the near future.
A transformation of the organisation has occurred that in some ways has resulted in Manly becoming the club that it tried so hard not to be through the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
There is a battling, working class, community feel about the Sea Eagles these days.
The club’s off-season player purchases were modest to say the least, with halfback Kane Elgey from the Titans the only recruit of note.
Indicators suggest that Manly Warringah will struggle to make the finals again this year.
After winning their last premiership in 2011, to be honest, it is hard to see where the next title will come from.
Perhaps instead of the ‘we must despise Manly’ mantra continuing to be passed down through the generations, fans should look for another team more deserving of the title.
Dave
Guest
Everybody hates Leeds too...a survey conducted a few years back found that 74 percent of people said they hated us most. Also, a team of statisticians concluded that we had more than twice as many derogatory chants directed at us from opposition fans than any other club in the country. Millwall who? All Leeds aren't we?
Zenn
Roar Rookie
Alas you don't understand business or economics. Locals do not use the ground for profit. Nor does the ground need to be improved for dog walking.The $20million dollars is to improve the bottom line for Manly's owners. I am curious regarding your nonsensical and illogical claim that the 'private consortium” PAYS above commercial rates'. The rate a business pays is the commercial rate. I thoroughly agree that the government should cease giving money to subsidise professional sport.
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
Not everything appears in the public annual reports. Just like not everything is disclosed under the salary cap as should be.
Mark Ferguson
Roar Rookie
I don’t have to I just have to read the Annual Reports…They are public domain, Google them and read for yourself.
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
Yea and you believe in tooth fairies too.
Mark Ferguson
Roar Rookie
Nick hasn't put any of his own money into the club for a very long time, ESRLFC hasn't even needed a handout from the Leagues Club for a number of years and the Leagues club's combined have made Millions in profit. So much for your claim about Nicks wallet.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
In the 70's - 80's Manly and the Roosters were hated for the players they stole from other clubs instead of developing players of their own and for the perceived preferential treatment they received from referees. It wasn't about the money, it was about the principle of the thing and that Manly in particular seemed to have half the Australian side playing for them during that period. I think there was a perceived injustice due to the inequality of the system when there was no pretence of a level playing field and teams like the Rabbitohs had no financial means to keep players that they had developed from being aggressively recruited by richer clubs like the Sea Eagles and the Roosters.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Bondi, Balmain were working class areas, so the area of the North Shore was resented in those days, so that along with the wealth and poaching of the club, I didn;t mind Manly they were an attractive team in 70-80s. I think things went downhill with Canterbury going from the entertainers under Ted Glossop, to the start of all the cheap tactics under Warren Ryan thats lead on through to Bellamy. Rugby league now you have the salary cap, its all about how smart Melbourne Storm are versus the rest, because teams shouldn't be able to have such consistent success, because once they win their players are overpriced and can move elsewhere.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
South Sydney supporters have had a long history of mutual enmity with Manly fans and each others club. This dates back to the days when Manly stole South Sydney produced talent like John O'Neill, Ray Branigan, Tom Mooney, Jim Serdaris, Craig Field, Ian Roberts and Mark "Spud" Carroll (and YES, "Spud" came from the Panthers first but was a new emerging as yet undeveloped talent). More recently Manly has continued this proud tradition by poaching Dylan Walker, Api Korisou, Addin Fonua-Blake and Jack Gosiewski from Souths. The difference being that the Rabbitohs let these players go and so they were all fair game. So no harm no foul. I have always "hated" the Roosters and the Broncos more anyway. Particularly for the perceived favours I believe that the NRL has done for these two teams over the years. The Storm also comes into this category. Perhaps "hated" is too strong a word and it would be more accurate (or politically correct) to say I "had little respect for" the aforementioned. IMO each has been favoured in many ways over the years from being given the rub of the green in 50/50 calls to controversial decisions like Anthony Milford's blatant dropped ball knock-on in front of the ref which was overlooked to allow a field goal at the death to give the Broncos victory over Souths. In fact, there was also a blatant pass off the ground by a tackled Milford to Moga for a try earlier in that game and a ridiculous decision that allowed Korbin Sims, who was clearly 5 metres off-side, to be called on-side by a technicality and allowed a very suspect try. Another such example is Cam Smith being allowed to kick a match-winning field goal against Souths despite Kyle Turner being blatantly held back by Kenny Bromwich in the play the ball in front of the ref in a move I call "the Bulldozer". Let's face it, Cam Smith has been the 3rd referee for too many years to recall until a rule was brought in to silence him as well as all other captains. One of many "Cam Smith rules" with another being the 30-second shot clock for drop outs. Gamesmanship, as commentators call these Cam Smith tricks, is just a euphemism for cheating as is Nick Politis's "we just simply do it better than any other club" excuse for being blatantly over the salary cap and having the NRL in his back pocket to get away with it. Manly, on the other hand, have been given no special favours by the NRL and have been busted for salary cap breaches and off-field indiscretions by their players like any other club. At the end of the day, after years and years of "copping it" from Manly fans they have now eaten enough humble pie IMO. Now that Dessie is back in control and the "chips" are down, I expect the Sea Eagles fans diet to change from humble pie and eating crow to hot carbohydrates once again!
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
Shayne hayne was a disgrace. He was just wanting to get his revenge against Toovey who earlier in the year called for him to be famously "investigated". And yes the wolfman was very bad in that game. Not sure if he was betting on that game as he was later found out to be doing
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
Remember souths are also privately owned and so too are the roosters to a great extent thanks to uncle Nick's fat wallet
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
Brookvale oval is NOT owned by a private consortium its owned by the council and unlike other stadiums anyone can and does use it. In fact the locals use it for a variety of purposes including walking dogs. Other sporting codes also use the ground. The "private consortium" PAYS above commercial rates to the council for the use of the ground and invests a significant amount of its own money for the ongoing up keep of this publicly owned ground for the benefit of ALL. So tell us again why the government should not be putting money into brookvale (which is small change) when they are pumping billions into other grounds that benefit other teams. Ie. Eels, souths, roosters, tigers, dragons etc etc
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Greg Inglis's brain snap in trying to place a big hit on Williams instead of just wrapping him up and taking him into touch was the crucial turning point in the match. It was a tremendous individual effort from "the Wolfman", no question, but had Inglis wrapped him up instead of trying to knock him into the grandstand Williams would have had no opportunity to perform a pirouette and score. You could also see from the Souths boys expressions after the Merritt try that they thought Manly were going to capitulate and mentally they let their guards down and got K.O.ed by a proud Manly comeback as a result. In Rugby League surrendered momentum is usually the sword by which a side on a roll is often defeated. Clearly the Rabbitohs learned from this and it was evident in their finals campaign in 2014.
Tom
Guest
I'm still bitter over Shayne Hayne's refereeing and Wolfman's performance in that game...
Noah
Guest
Well you are gonna be hating manly till your dead cause we will never get the wooden spoon
Noah
Guest
Hay did you know that most sea eagles fans are not actually snobby. Im a manly fan cause my family lived in manly but I live in Canberra and i'm quite middle class. That's our club and with every club theres gonna be wealthy people.
Noah
Guest
Think you have the storm and manly mixed up. The refs share the same hatred for us as the rest of yous do.
Zenn
Roar Rookie
Regardless of the state of Brookvale Oval, aka Lottoland, the fact remains that it is used by a private for profit consortium. The NSW Liberals should not waste taxpayers money on corporate welfare propping up a failed business in a dying sport.
a
Roar Rookie
Why do we hate Manly because they always play the refs
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
why do we still hate Manly? because they are Manly & because we can