There are plenty of teams in the top eight that are glad Manly are not playing in the big games ahead.
That's the Sea Eagles' enigma – on their day they have been capable of beating any team in the league … but they just didn't have enough of those special days in 2025.
In the end, they missed the finals by just two points, but were so inconsistent they probably didn't deserve to be there.
READ MORE: Ange 'gamble' probed as Postecoglou returns to Premier League
READ MORE: Giddey inks monster $150m deal to end NBA contract standoff
READ MORE: Broncos U-turn as teams named for NRL finals
Many critics believe the Sea Eagles' season began to unravel way back in March, when Daly Cherry-Evans made the shock declaration that he would be quitting the club for 2026.
His words seemed to rock the club – the captain, senior player and face of the franchise had one foot out the door.
The Sea Eagles lost four of their next five games and were always chasing their tails in the battle for finals footy after that.
One positive is they finished the season with three straight wins, scoring more than 100 points in the process, to very possibly save coach Anthony Sebold's job and lay a foundation for next year.
Both Tom and Jake Trbojevic – two such important men at Manly – had their injury problems during the year and that only added to the club's woes.
Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Injuries up front resulted in the Sea Eagles struggling in the trenches, with Josh Aloiai managing just four games, Taniela Paseka three, Lachlan Croker three and Tof Sipley two.
The 2026 season will see the start of a new era, with Canberra recruit Jamal Fogarty to steer the ship around and boom youngster Joey Walsh set to push Luke Brooks for a starting spot.
Seibold will be under pressure to perform but expect a few more new buys before the season kicks off, including the re-signing of premiership-winning forward Siosiua Taukeiaho.
Best player: Tolu Koula came of age as a try-scoring weapon in 2025, bagging 17 tries in 22 games including several dazzling long-range efforts. At 23, he has a huge future.
Biggest disappointment: Haumole Olakau'atu is one of the most feared wide-running forwards in the game when fit and firing but had a quiet year by his standards with just five tries in 15 games.
Injuries didn't help – Manly need him fit and firing.
Key signing: With Cherry-Evans leaving, the Sea Eagles managed to pick up a very capable replacement in Fogarty. A crafty ball-player, Fogarty also has an excellent kicking game.
2026 gains: Jamal Fogarty (Raiders)
2026 losses: Daly Cherry-Evans (Roosters), Toafofoa Sipley, Michael Chee Kam Tong, Tommy Talau (all released)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.