Manly’s Future – A Club in Decline?

[madmax]

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.

Bye mate……you’ve chosen to believe hacks like Dunny Weilder & now considering turning your back on the club. I’m as disappointed as you are but I’ll never stop believing & supporting Manly. I’ve had similar thoughts but always seem to find a positive & get switched back on. No one is privy to what goes on behind closed doors! Not the media, not me, not you……hacks like Dunny Door sensationalise the smallest issue & turn it into a catastrophe engulfing the club. I used to love watching NRL360 back in the Ben Ikin days……but this rubbish that Anusta, Mundane Ginnane & the others come out with is bordering on Dunny Door crap. Correct me if I’m wrong but has anything that these morons have blasted Manly for come to fruition? DCE & Dunny said on live TV that no offer was made? Yet now there was an offer made! Apparently Trbo was pissed off at the offer made to him? Was he actually? Doesn’t seem to show when he’s interviewed or verified by his management? Nothing from the brothers either. These fu<king useless pretenders calling themselves sports journalists are nothing but bull$hitmongers!
Stay loyal mate….next year may be different. Either way gives us something to talk about!!!!

 

[Disco]

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.

Premierships in the last 20 years

Manly - 2
Broncos - 2
Cowboys - 1
Dogs, Eels, Warriors, Raiders - 0

We measure up okay to the above 'barracudas'.

 

[Jerry1]

Prior to Penn getting control we were going OK. Coincidence.... I think not...

 

[MightyEagles]

I renewed, as I've said before, I support the players

 

[Wombat64]

Prior to Penn getting control we were going OK. Coincidence.... I think not...

It all starts with Penn .....

 

[MissKate]

It all starts with Penn .....

Or it all end with penn

 

[sheridanstand78]

There is no doubt that there is a concerted narrative out there from many sections of the media, the fact is that any negative news about Manly means they get a lot of ratings from the rabid Manly haters.

I always figure that we because we are despised and people are jealous of our location, hisstory and club that its kind of a badge of honour when they do it.

However, the elephant in the room is the consistent dysfunction that is evident in the way we as memebers and fans are given tidbits of information about player signings and retention. The older Manly administrations just got it done, it seems right now that getting simple re-signings done are a challenge.

The club needs to consider how it communicates with the fan base and give our factual news rather than tha adnauseum dribble we get from a large section of the press.

Always remember that our success really grinds their gears and if we can be a success again its really going to annoy them.

Its a fact that we cant afford to be too sentimental when it comes to player retention, for 10 years we had a lopsided salary cap that has not harvested and premiership success and this is a chance to balance it out and ensure that our 30 man squad has depth to go with the talent we have,

It now a 15 year drought and we are well behind our rivals in many ways, we either sharpen things up now or face more years of disappointment!!

 

[eaglebuzz]

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.

Yep you pretty much nailed it.

 

[eaglebuzz]

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.

Cleary is not an elite coach, he's a good coach benefiting from an elite crop of juniors.

 

[Heckenberg]

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.

Exceptionally short sighted. That ROI won’t last if we don’t invest towards success. Nobody wants to support a spoon club

 

[Fibro Eagle]

Players and coaches come and go
Many years ago I picked a team to support
That was Manly and during those years I’ve experienced many highs and plenty of lows and that will continue but I’ll always support this team Manly will win a comp again and hopefully I’ll witness it and say I never gave up on this team

 

[TheSoaringEagle2023]

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.

Imo I think the Super League agenda was always going to reign long term. The NRL won the battle in the late 90s but News Corp etc have won the war. I can only see a few teams existing in Sydney in say after the next two decades. I believe that Manly, Wests Tigers, Dragons will be the ones to be culled. Its the only way that can make economic sense. Unfortunately having too many teams in Sydney is counterintuitive to that vision. Unless a big billionaire investor comes along and decides to take the club on as a passion project, extinction looms more likely. The already formation of the Perth Bears and PNG, I believe a Pacific Islander team will take form. The clubs dying a slow death is less dramatic and less publicity ridden than if the club were to just get culled overnight like Manly with the Northern Eagles.

 

[Loyal Eagle]

Sky is falling chicken little…. guess people see the world through different lenses?

Seriously, clubs go through performance cycles during the season and year on year.. ie highs and lows are all part of it… the difference in professional sports, between winning and losing is usually only 5-10%. Wait till we ride some success again, in the next year or two and everybody will champion the club again… lol. Resilience isn’t as common as it once was…

 

[MissKate]

How great it was to cancel our memberships and they just said ok, didn’t even bother asking why. Seems like no one at the club really gives a stuff about anything. It’s pretty rotten from the head down

 

[Eagles4Life]

Nothing is permanent; everything eventually changes. This applies to our club's current management, coaches, players, and the eras of greatness and mediocrity, as well as the perception of our current temporary "decline."

 

[Budgie]

Players and coaches come and go
Many years ago I picked a team to support
That was Manly and during those years I’ve experienced many highs and plenty of lows and that will continue but I’ll always support this team Manly will win a comp again and hopefully I’ll witness it and say I never gave up on this team

I don't think that people saying they are no longer willing to give $2000 a year to a second generation rich kid, means that they no longer support the club. What a silly thing to say.

It just means they're taking a stand against the team ownership. It is not a club, it is the plaything of a man who lives in New York.

 

[Jimmie]

Nothing is permanent; everything eventually changes. This applies to our club's current management, coaches, players, and the eras of greatness and mediocrity, as well as the perception of our current temporary "decline."

Nothing will change as long as Penn is the owner…starts at the top…rinse and repeat and you get mediocrity.

 

[manlyfan76]

There is no doubt that there is a concerted narrative out there from many sections of the media, the fact is that any negative news about Manly means they get a lot of ratings from the rabid Manly haters.

I always figure that we because we are despised and people are jealous of our location, hisstory and club that its kind of a badge of honour when they do it.

However, the elephant in the room is the consistent dysfunction that is evident in the way we as memebers and fans are given tidbits of information about player signings and retention. The older Manly administrations just got it done, it seems right now that getting simple re-signings done are a challenge.

The club needs to consider how it communicates with the fan base and give our factual news rather than tha adnauseum dribble we get from a large section of the press.

Always remember that our success really grinds their gears and if we can be a success again its really going to annoy them.

Its a fact that we cant afford to be too sentimental when it comes to player retention, for 10 years we had a lopsided salary cap that has not harvested and premiership success and this is a chance to balance it out and ensure that our 30 man squad has depth to go with the talent we have,

It now a 15 year drought and we are well behind our rivals in many ways, we either sharpen things up now or face more years of disappointment!!

I don't dislike your post, agree in the main.

But when are going from announce the Orford signing? 🙂

 

[Arko-admirer]

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.

After a period of success spread among many clubs I think we are now in a era where there's going to be two clubs perpetually out in front - Broncos and Penrith because of their juniors and other resources. Storm will probably remain somewhere close behind because of their professionalism, considerable resources and built-in advantages. Three other clubs have the financial means to at least keep pace - Easts, Souths and Canterbury. Then there is the rest, which sadly includes us, unlikely to seriously challenge. More teams are coming in to dilute the playing talent available, in my view already stretched too thin. Manly, of course, is the plaything of socialite dilettante who obviously enjoys the cachet of owning a club enough that he is unwilling to sell to someone who would put serious money in with serious intent of winning. If I am right and the competition becomes obviously lopsided will the NRL step in? League is now run for gambling purposes - so the winners can't be too obvious every year

 

[manly al]

Little bit bemused with this emphasis on R O I unless there are some specific exemptions
Manly club is a franchise , Penn has roughly a 62% stake so presumedly any general profit would be distributed in accordance with shareholding input or proportion
Penn , majority shareholder but just like the other stake holders , would legitimately be entitled to any available profit l
Just as the loss making years would have required contributions from all relevant part owners and i bet Penn was the only one providing for those previous loss years
Manly had a terrible run with injuries in 25 , not as bad as the Bunnies but i would contend this was the main reason , apart from the D C E fiasco that resulted in just missing the 8
What is the difference this season in missing the 8 , if that is being used a general benchmark, then for instance the outcomes in 2018 , 2020 , 2022 and 3
Who is to say that any new owner or owners or majority ownership with even a less affinity with the club would be prepared to put more money into the club or even be prepared to run it into the ground
Third parties are a different matter but the owners have limited control over that
So some protest action in not renewing memberships will achieve exactually what ?
, Help or boost the club and team with general public standing , enhance sponsorships potential , promote more third party deals , help improve the club overall
What is the point of being or claiming to be a genuine supporter if one can not support the club even in a basic way or form to help get the side to a good competitive level
With all things normal , may be able to be within range of a title again before not too long
Eels with again their last title in 86 , Broncs 2 in the last 20 years Sharks , one title in 58 years
Disappointing times for sure but in the despair or rock bottom territory right now , hardly think so