I'm impressed - not a 1 man team

[maxta]

I'm not for 1 second pretending a Superstar like Tom T is not a Massive out for Manly...he is.
But hear me out.
I have seen "So Much" reliance on Tom in many games where team mates imo, have basically just gone through the motions waiting for Tom to blow the game open with a freakish play and sometimes it happened....other times it didn't and the TEAM fell apart, with the Manly players lacking a plan B and looking lost.
The past 2 weeks, regardless of who we played it had a feel of "there's no Tom to save us, we are all we got" and instead of waiting for 1 player, everyone seems to be having a serious dig and playing their part.
It's like across the park everyone has put their hand up and lifted to a man.
A bloke like Garrick is playing out of his skin and now a quality 1 in his own right....he doesn't have to be Tom, no one can, but damn he competes hard and is a far better footy player than I thought possible.
The leaders like Foz and Jake have lifted again and showed the Championship qualities we crave and the team is realising unless it's all 17 in, we are shot....and maybe starting to believe, that even without 1 of the world's best player available, they can be a damn good footy side if all buy in.

 

[Deleted member 26876]

I'm not for 1 second pretending a Superstar like Tom T is not a Massive out for Manly...he is.
But hear me out.
I have seen "So Much" reliance on Tom in many games where team mates imo, have basically just gone through the motions waiting for Tom to blow the game open with a freakish play and sometimes it happened....other times it didn't and the TEAM fell apart, with the Manly players lacking a plan B and looking lost.
The past 2 weeks, regardless of who we played it had a feel of "there's no Tom to save us, we are all we got" and instead of waiting for 1 player, everyone seems to be having a serious dig and playing their part.
It's like across the park everyone has put their hand up and lifted to a man.
A bloke like Garrick is playing out of his skin and now a quality 1 in his own right....he doesn't have to be Tom, no one can, but damn he competes hard and is a far better footy player than I thought possible.
The leaders like Foz and Jake have lifted again and showed the Championship qualities we crave and the team is realising unless it's all 17 in, we are shot....and maybe starting to believe, that even without 1 of the world's best player available, they can be a damn good footy side if all buy in.

Been impressed with Jake lately. Been competing hard and playing simple. Hasn’t been getting the the way as much in attack and is taking good options with ball in hand. Getting dropped from origin and captaining manly seems to be something he needed. Excited to see him play over these next two weeks

Garrick has gained confidence and then some. Completely different player than he was, even compared to last year. If he stays fit fullback is not going to be an issue for us, which is refreshing.

Now it’s just about getting a big win and building belief

 

[Nordburg]

Should be fine if they play the Warriors and Tigers every week

 

[Eagles4Life]

We are a damn good footy side @maxta One of the problems this year has been the coaching staff getting all the team to buy into that idea simultaneously. Lately, I am seeing a team playing for each other and slowly realizing that they have the potential to beat most other sides in the competition.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

The whole “can’t win without Tom” thing has always been a media myth

They toss up the stats, but what those stats fail to show you, is that for a substantial amount of those games, we have had a stack of players out, up to 10 in some games at the start of last season

Opposition may not have been great the last couple of weeks, but to win like that without Tom and DCE is huge. If you want an example of the impact of those 2 positions, the Storm struggled the weeks Papenhuysen and Hughes weren’t available

 

[Eagles4Life]

Should be fine if they play the Warriors and Tigers every week

The Warriors and the Tigers have been the stepping stones we needed to get some form and confidence back into the squad. Jakes's leadership has been a massive part of that.

 

[mickqld]

They're playing as a team because they had a captain whose all about the club and his players for the last 2 weeks. But alas it's back to captain polariser, what's in it for me now. Watch them play like it too.

 

[Sheikheagle]

They're playing as a team because they had a captain whose all about the club and his players for the last 2 weeks. But alas it's back to captain polariser, what's in it for me now. Watch them play like it too.

I think DCE is popular with the other players however I think Jake is more of a follow me into the trenches captain. They see him cut someone in half and that inspires them to do the same. It will be interesting to see the players mood and intensity when DCE returns.

 

[Shoe1]

The Warriors and the Tigers have been the stepping stones we needed to get some form and confidence back into the squad. Jakes's leadership has been a massive part of that.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

They're playing as a team because they had a captain whose all about the club and his players for the last 2 weeks. But alas it's back to captain polariser, what's in it for me now. Watch them play like it too.

Luckily the players that actually know the bloke know that’s a complete load of rubbish

 

[Shoe1]

I love how the media say the eels are heavyweights, the roosters are in form, manly is patchy and saints are basket cases. Take out the byes and the teams are basically all going about the same.

 

[XV-1]

Sipley in the last two weeks has been the best he has played for Manly in succession.

If he can do it this week we will have another forward getting to consistent strong performances. What we have been lacking.

 

[eaglebuzz]

Luckily the players that actually know the bloke know that’s a complete load of rubbish

Pretty hard to call it a complete load of rubbish considering he was pushing for pay rises mid-contract in the era when our squad were all taking pay cuts to keep the team together, and now commands such a huge chunk of our cap that it's basically impossible to build a well-rounded side.

 

[Eagle 1]

Sipley in the last two weeks has been the best he has played for Manly in succession.

If he can do it this week we will have another forward getting to consistent strong performances. What we have been lacking.

Sipley's been simply awesome, he's really hitting the line hard and loving his one on one steals also.

 

[Stuey Davis’s Socks]

Sipley's been simply awesome, he's really hitting the line hard and loving his one on one steals also.

3 in last 2 games from Tof is awesome, they can be such momentum shifters

 

[Volley]

It’s the Ewing Theory in action.

 

[Sheikheagle]

Sipley's been simply awesome, he's really hitting the line hard and loving his one on one steals also.

The big fella is building some match fitness 👍

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

Pretty hard to call it a complete load of rubbish considering he was pushing for pay rises mid-contract in the era when our squad were all taking pay cuts to keep the team together, and now commands such a huge chunk of our cap that it's basically impossible to build a well-rounded side.

Thatis such a myth

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

Sipley's been simply awesome, he's really hitting the line hard and loving his one on one steals also.

Thing I love about sips the most is he's actually got footy smarts. Not many props have that trait anymore

 

[alafua siaosi]

I still believe with the basic errors reduced (drop balls , 6 agains ,penalties etc.) ,this team will be hard to beat from now on in barring any injuries .A big test in the next 2 games for us but also the opposition as they know they have a worthy opponent away from their comfort zone .Let's all get there and scream the MAAAANLY cheer for the boys .