NRL 2023 team previews: Manly Sea Eagles free agency wrap, crystal ball, Tom Trbojevic updates
One of the most intriguing teams heading into the 2023 season, Manly could be boom or bust. Check out our deep dive into their premiership hopes – and what Anthony Seibold has ahead of him.
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Welcome to the Seibold era.
Manly endured a painful 2022 – with two-time premiership-winning coach Des Hasler ultimately leaving the club after a rough season punctuated by key injuries and regrettable internal dramas.
Dean Ritchie goes through everything you need to know about Manly in our exclusive club-by-club deep dive series ahead of the 2023 season.
2022 RICH 100 REPS: 4
Daly Cherry-Evans (2, $1.2m), Tom Trbojevic (6, $1.1m), Jake Trbojevic (16, $900k), Marty Taupau (53, $700k)
FREE AGENCY WRAP
Secured Kelma Tuilagi from Wests Tigers but Manly has been relatively low key in the open market.
Also picked up Ben Condon (Cowboys), Cooper Johns (Storm) and Nathaniel Roache (Eels) but the club has a fairly stable roster moving from 2022 into 2023.
Lost key players Kieran Foran (Titans), Dylan Walker (Warriors), Martin Taupau (unsigned) and Andrew Davey (Bulldogs) amid fears too many big-game players have walked out at the same time.
Tuilagi is a hot prospect who is expected to prosper among an exciting pack, while young Johns should prove more than a handy back-up when Daly Cherry-Evans is called up into representative football.
RATING: C
COACH STATUS
Anthony Seibold (2025)
Given he has just signed, Anthony Seibold’s position is safe in terms of his immediate future but expectations will be high.
He arrives at Brookvale on a three-year deal but will be expected to secure immediate success. Those who questioned his signing will be quick to point out any early failings.
Seibold comes after a successful stint at Souths – he was 2018 Dally M coach of the year – and then a horror tenure at Brisbane, where he was sacked one-and-a-half seasons into a five-year deal.
Seibold claims to have altered some of the intense methods he employed at Brisbane.
He has already worked hard on his relationship with Manly’s three most influential players – Jake and Tom Trbojevic and skipper Daly Cherry-Evans.
SAFETY RATING: B
LIKELY DEBUTANT(S)
While no relation to his NRL namesake, rising young Viliami Fifita has shown encouraging signs.
Just 21 years old, Fifita will be considered for the NRL some time this year – more likely later in the season.
He has always been a player of immense promise, coming through Manly’s pathways academy after first joining the club as a 14-year-old. He stands 194cm and weighs 112kg.
Fifita was part of Manly’s Harold Matthews and SG Ball grand final sides in recent years and is now part of the Sea Eagles’ top 30 with club officials claiming he is a player ready to blossom.
WHO TAKES THE NEXT STEP?
No doubt it is five-eighth Josh Schuster. A player with rare and high-level skills, Schuster has not quite come along as quickly as many thought but is ready for a breakout season.
He was selected in the back-row under coach Des Hasler but with Kieran Foran now at Gold Coast, new coach Anthony Seibold will give Schuster first crack at five-eighth.
Bulked up significantly in recent years but has, by all reports, trimmed down during the off-season. The key question is whether Seibold will tame and temper Schuster’s flamboyant style?
THREE BURNING ISSUES
1. Can Seibold make an immediate impact?
He has surrounded himself with top-level coaches in Shane Flanagan and Jim Dymock.
No doubt Seibold has a remarkable football brain but can he win over the playing roster?
Had troubles at Brisbane – some players found him difficult to understand – but appears to have pulled back in terms of his approach.
2. Can Tommy Turbo recapture his best?
Manly will be sweating on US-based reconditioning guru Bill Knowles sorting out Trbojevic’s troublesome hamstrings to get him firing for their 2023 campaign after he suffered yet another set back this pre-season. The club moved quickly to send Trbojevic to the US after a grade two strain and they will be hoping Knowles can deliver a similar result to the one he got with South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell’s hamstring issues.
Mitchell returned from Knowles’ sessions to steer Souths to a preliminary final before helping the Kangaroos to a World Cup win. Seibold will be well aware that without Trbojevic at his best, Manly’s chances of competing with the competition heavyweights becomes an extremely difficult one. Trbojevic isn’t expected to return to training until mid--February and it’s unlikely he’ll play in any trial games before the Sea Eagles open their campaign against Canterbury on March 4.
3. Can Manly overcome the pride jersey fiasco?
That depends on who you talk to at Manly. Most are adamant the 2022 drama has now gone but others aren’t so sure.
There was damage done that some feel may be irreparable. The players have attempted to clear the air.
All will be revealed after the first few rounds where Manly will either look like a split club or a united front ready to push forward.
CRYSTAL BALL
Manly has the roster to be a top-eight side and should at least reach the playoffs. Injuries aside, the rainbow jumper drama appears the only distraction that can derail Manly’s 2023 hopes.
The Sea Eagles have a strong spine with a big and mobile forward pack. Maybe the club lacks some depth in the outside backs but when Jake, Tom and DCE are on the field, Manly can topple any of their heavyweight opponents.
FINISH FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS
2022: 11th
2021: 4th (eliminated in preliminary final)
2020: 13th
2019: 6th (eliminated in finals week two)
2018: 15th
2023 ODDS
Premiership: $23
Minor premiership: $29
To make grand final: $11
Top four: $5.50
Top eight: $2.20
Most losses: $23
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