Manly’s Future – A Club in Decline?

[NZEaglesFan]

It’s becoming increasingly clear that many who were once proudly associated with our club are now choosing to walk away or seek opportunities elsewhere. Day after day, we hear of players wanting out, and potential recruits—both players and coaches—actively avoiding us. What was once a respected institution in the NRL now risks becoming a punchline.

Despite this, there seems to be little concern from our management and owners. The silence is deafening.

To make matters worse, I’ve noticed my membership was auto-renewed—despite having requested years ago that this not happen. I’m now seriously considering walking away from the club altogether until there’s meaningful change and accountability from the Board and Management.

 

[double hoops]

I opted out of auto renew a couple of weeks back when I received an email from the club.

I'll give Penn a chance to win me back. It's an investment of funds to make Manly competitive, 3rd party deals at arm's length of course is what makes the top teams the top teams.

The media is giving it to the club.

It can be a little difficult to seperate the club rightfully drawing a line in the sand with a players worth. And the media and players agents launching hysteria to add pressure, make money.

One or two fails isn't an issue. But it's easy to see why the MWSE is now a once was a great club, in decline narrative exists. We do need to be better at a lot of stuff.

Nov 1 and shortly after, is when stuff might get interesting in more ways than one.

 

[Ohgeez]

Who are the players you are hearing that want out?

 

[Woodsie]

Good Grief ... spare me please ..

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Good Grief ... spare me please ..

I have a month away from this place & can see nothing has changed much.

Pretty dramatic really.

These player agents feeding **** to the media , and supporters sucking it up big time like everything they read is absolute fact is becoming an epidemic.

The Facebook groups are full of anti club crap over Garrick at present , the nufties can’t see this is driven by the agent wanting big dollars from either the Bears or R360.

And they’ve whinged & bitched for a decade about having 3 players over a million a year , and now seemingly wanting the club to overspend on a winger because “ he’s a great guy “.

And then they’ll whinge because all we can afford are plodder forwards.

Fair dinkum , I wonder why I bother at times.

 

[bob dylan]

It's the agents not the players.

 

[manlyfan76]

We are not on decline.

We have already descend to a mid level club.

We've had nice things before but now we are also-rans and that is our lot. Also-rans can occasionally jag some wins and go deep in a single final series but live mid table.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

We are not on decline.

We have already descend to a mid level club.

We've had nice things before but now we are also-rans and that is our lot. Also-rans can occasionally jag some wins and go deep in a single final series but live mid table.

Yep , that’s pretty spot on.

And we know the only thing that could change that probably won’t happen.

 

[Rocky]

We are not on decline.

We have already descend to a mid level club.

We've had nice things before but now we are also-rans and that is our lot. Also-rans can occasionally jag some wins and go deep in a single final series but live mid table.

Yeh i think that's some pretty accurate comments

Many on here seem to live in the past when Manly did actually have an advantage over other clubs.

But in 2025 to be a consistent premiership threat you need at least one of these

1. An owner willing to spend and have third party deals lined up (Roosters, Bulldogs, etc)
2. An elite coach (Penrith, Melbourne, etc)
3. A pipeline of juniors (Brisbane, Penrith, etc)

We don't rate highly in any of those - so no surprise we are a mid table team.

The only thing keeping us from the very bottom feeders is we do have better playing talent than some of them.

 

[Waz13]

I have a month away from this place & can see nothing has changed much.

Pretty dramatic really.

These player agents feeding **** to the media , and supporters sucking it up big time like everything they read is absolute fact is becoming an epidemic.

The Facebook groups are full of anti club crap over Garrick at present , the nufties can’t see this is driven by the agent wanting big dollars from either the Bears or R360.

And they’ve whinged & bitched for a decade about having 3 players over a million a year , and now seemingly wanting the club to overspend on a winger because “ he’s a great guy “.

And then they’ll whinge because all we can afford are plodder forwards.

Fair dinkum , I wonder why I bother at times.

Time for another break Mark! lol
Tbh I barely come on here to post in the offseason. Occasionally just check in.

 

[Pete W]

Everyone knows MWSE collapsed in spectacular fashion after the Super League war. In reality, Manly shouldn't really exist at all, so we should all be kind of grateful I suppose.

I think we fooled the rugby league world (and ourselves!) into thinking we were still a force only as a result of an almost unreal tenure under an old Manly bloke by the name of Des Hasler.

 

[MissKate]

My big question is why does Penn insist on keeping the club, if the rumours are true that he has had a couple of decent offers to buy the club.

He isn’t interested in properly funding a great club, everything seems to be done on the cheap and as the saying goes, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, or in our case, you don’t fund properly you only get mediocre results

So why won’t he sell, is it an ego thing, does he think owning a club somehow makes him a special person. He doesn’t seem that interested in the club or the whole rugby league thing.

Just why won’t he sell and walk away into the US sunset

I am also letting my memberships go, after 20+ years, I used to love the club and never missed a game, even when travelling overseas. But all this floundering around, embarrassing loses (which the current coach seems proud of) has just killed my passion for the game. I can’t justify throwing in around $1500 to a club owner who doesn’t seem to care about the club going down the toilet

A shame but I am sure that I am not the only one feeling this way, just sad, sad, sad

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Time for another break Mark! lol
Tbh I barely come on here to post in the offseason. Occasionally just check in.

I thought a month would be enough , but no it wasn’t.

I’ll go missing again now , enough bitching during the season let alone about things in the off season 😂😂

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

My big question is why does Penn insist on keeping the club, if the rumours are true that he has had a couple of decent offers to buy the club.

He isn’t interested in properly funding a great club, everything seems to be done on the cheap and as the saying goes, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, or in our case, you don’t fund properly you only get mediocre results

So why won’t he sell, is it an ego thing, does he think owning a club somehow makes him a special person. He doesn’t seem that interested in the club or the whole rugby league thing.

Just why won’t he sell and walk away into the US sunset

I am also letting my memberships go, after 20+ years, I used to love the club and never missed a game, even when travelling overseas. But all this floundering around, embarrassing loses (which the current coach seems proud of) has just killed my passion for the game. I can’t justify throwing in around $1500 to a club owner who doesn’t seem to care about the club going down the toilet

A shame but I am sure that I am not the only one feeling this way, just sad, sad, sad

Easy answer Kate

It’s turning a healthy profit , propped up by the NRL paying the players / football department.

Winning is for fans.

A ROI is for owners , and this one has a good ROI.

 

[Brookie1973]

I’m confused. The club is in decline because of a penny pinching owner. But fans complaining about the club being in decline are just foolishly biting at media click baits. I must be missing something.

 

[Disco]

We certainly need to lift our game but nothing is insurmountable.

Bulldogs, Canberra and Broncos were all in turmoil just a few seasons back and all made the top 4 this year.

A week is a long time in footy, a season a lifetime.

 

[Budgie]

My big question is why does Penn insist on keeping the club, if the rumours are true that he has had a couple of decent offers to buy the club.

He isn’t interested in properly funding a great club, everything seems to be done on the cheap and as the saying goes, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, or in our case, you don’t fund properly you only get mediocre results

So why won’t he sell, is it an ego thing, does he think owning a club somehow makes him a special person. He doesn’t seem that interested in the club or the whole rugby league thing.

Just why won’t he sell and walk away into the US sunset

I am also letting my memberships go, after 20+ years, I used to love the club and never missed a game, even when travelling overseas. But all this floundering around, embarrassing loses (which the current coach seems proud of) has just killed my passion for the game. I can’t justify throwing in around $1500 to a club owner who doesn’t seem to care about the club going down the toilet

A shame but I am sure that I am not the only one feeling this way, just sad, sad, sad

I'm the same Kate. I didn't renew, coudn't see the point of giving money to a bloke who lives in NYC.

Interestingly, I was listening to a podcast today with Jonathan Anderson who is considered the fashion designer of the moment and has recently joined Dior. (BBC Radio 4 - This Cultural Life, Jonathan Anderson - gosh I love This Cultural Life)

You'd imagine that someone like him was all about design but he talked about how it goes hand in hand with a successful business etc etc.

Started me thinking about what S. Penn thinks the successful business of Manly is. I'd have imagined it would be winning premierships in order to attract higher sponsorship and the like. I really don't know what the business plan is?

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

You could argue that the organisation has been in decline since 1978, its 32nd season in the competition. It had won four first grade titles at that point, in a tight cluster over the previous seven seasons.

It took another 34 seasons to win the next four.

Sure, the club has had long periods of competitiveness since, but not on the scale of the 1968-78 period.

 

[mickqld]

Yep , that’s pretty spot on.

And we know the only thing that could change that probably won’t happen.

Impossible to compete with 1 city clubs i.e Storm, Broncos, Raiders, Cows, Warriors, that are or clubs that are bankrolled by massive corporate $$$ i.e rorters , dogs, panfers , parra. We're a sardine in a pond full of barracudas. Until we find a billionaire backer who wants to seriously take the club back to the top then get used to also ran finishes be ause Penn is no chance of being that sort of benefactor.

 

[mickqld]

You could argue that the organisation has been in decline since 1978, its 32nd season in the competition. It had won four first grade titles at that point, in a tight cluster over the previous seven seasons.

It took another 34 seasons to win the next four.

Sure, the club has had long periods of competitiveness since, but not on the scale of the 1968-78 period.

That's because back then we were the barracuda , the corporate big fish , out bidding and out $$$ any other club. Superleague killed us but the decline was inevitable with the shifting demographic of the Northern beaches and the corporate backed power of the top table teams.