News: Manly mentality: Why Sea Eagles have gone back to the future with ‘old school’ hits

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Bencher
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SMH

By Dan Walsh

March 24, 2023 — 7.30pm

Just like Jake Trbojevic scything those shoulders of his through yet another unsuspecting ball-carrier - and whispering an apology afterwards - the timing was almost too good to be true.

Manly’s pre-game “Golden Eagles” barbeque invited some of the club’s finest front-rowers down to Brookvale for a Friday lunch with Anthony Seibold’s squad.

Among the old warhorses, including Jason King, Peter Peters and current Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov, were David “Cement” Gillespie and Solomon Haumono - Eagle Rock has never been as intimidating as when those two took it literally in the mid-90s.

Two games is a small sample size. But Andrew Johns, Billy Slater and Wade Graham are just a few to have noticed ahead of Saturday’s clash with South Sydney. Manly are hitting with “old school” intent and technique in defence, as Johns puts it.

Shots on Maika Sivo, Viliame Kikau, 124kg Eel Wiremu Greig and most everyone else running the ball for Parramatta or Canterbury have stuck out like the proverbial in a modern game where catching a ball-carrier and wrestling them into a slow play-the-ball have become the norm.

“We’ve been bashing each other all off-season,” Haumole Olakau’atu, one of Manly’s main heavy-hitting exponents, tells the Herald. “And we’ve got a saying now about our ‘Manly Mentality’. You don’t take anyone lightly and when they come to our home ground, we just... bash them. We want them thinking, ‘I don’t want to be going to Manly’.”

South Sydney, wearing John Sattler’s half-rabbit jersey no less, offer a fair litmus test at Accor Stadium.

When Manly’s ball and all defensive approach goes to plan, rival ball-carriers are rattled into error.

In the opening 10 minutes of round one, Canterbury’s Max King was belted around his midriff by Brad Parker. The very next carry, Ryan Sutton followed up and was smashed in the same vein, shoulder to the Steeden, into a mistake by Parker again.

Less than two minutes later, the same two Bulldogs were given the same treatment, this time by Trbojevic and Olakau’atu, who unceremoniously dumped Sutton square on his back. The next play Matt Burton looked to kick his team out of trouble, overcooked a 40-20 attempt and sent it out on the full.

“Hearing the noise and hearing the noise that comes out of the [opposition’s] guys and being able to have a team on their tryline and getting excited to make one of those tackles, it’s a nice change for us,” hooker Lachlan Croker, who is replaced by Karl Lawton against the Rabbitohs due to a shoulder injury, says.

“I think the last couple of years we’ve had that perception that we just want to score tries and not really defend. Seibs has really brought in that steely focus and defensive edge that has been lacking the last couple of years.”

When the defensive assassins miss their mark though, it can be spectacular.

Tolutau Koula’s rush up on Clint Gutherson last Friday saw him shrugged off as the Eels skipper scored his second for the night. Gutherson’s first came after Koula and winger Christian Tuipulotu failed to launch in similar circumstances.

Rival teams, no doubt Cody Walker especially this weekend, will already be considering kicks in behind the line to keep them honest, while Manly’s defence flagged badly and still conceded six tries against the Eels.

“If we are going to keep playing that way, we do need to find a way to finish halves and finish games,” Croker acknowledges.

For Seibold, a deliberate focus on smashing opponents out of a contest is as much about using his best assets as it is reinventing, or rediscovering, the wheel.

Manly still conduct gruelling weekly wrestling sessions overseen by assistant Jim Dymock and his brother Milton.

Full story link.....
 
Three things:

1) Yeah! rip in Manly. Smash the game outta them!
2) Er, I like the info but maybe not give other teams info nor motivation, and
3) Someone teach 'journo' Walsh that headlines aren't mini essays.

Thanks for posting!
 
Three things:

1) Yeah! rip in Manly. Smash the game outta them!
2) Er, I like the info but maybe not give other teams info nor motivation, and
3) Someone teach 'journo' Walsh that headlines aren't mini essays.

Thanks for posting!
I think they want opposition's knowning what's coming.
 
I'd say Spudd has had a bit to do with the "old school" defence. A lot of the boys, mainly forwards spent time being bashed at Spudd's gym. No tougher Manly forward to show these boys how to hurt the opposition. Keep it up boys. Bash em and hurt them in the middle with some steel just like the good ol' days. Time to become the most feared forward pack again.
 
... and then the club gives away two emerging beasts for some dead Wood.
If it’s true, perhaps Manly thought they should offload some players who are some way back in the queue, with the added bonus that (Tartak presumably) had two less players in Manly’s squad.

An early sign perhaps of the ‘de-Tartakification’ of the club.
 
There was no old school big hits tonight. This had an impact on our morale, we always play best when we put on the big hits
 
I thought we clearly won the contacts tonight
In fact we won many exchanges in that game of footy
I feel with all the Sattler emotions and South's expected to win s fairytale game, we helped them by falling short at key moments
The good thing is we lose that game in 2022 by 20+ points, yet tonight had a real chance to get the win if a tad better
 
I thought we clearly won the contacts tonight
In fact we won many exchanges in that game of footy
I feel with all the Sattler emotions and South's expected to win s fairytale game, we helped them by falling short at key moments
The good thing is we lose that game in 2022 by 20+ points, yet tonight had a real chance to get the win if a tad better
Good to see some positivity about tonight, and I knew someone like you would have it @maxta

There are many positives from tonight. Yes again far from perfect, but like you've said compared to 2022.....we get rolled by 20+.

I'm upbeat from tonight, because we are going to lose games, but we gave ourselves every chance, sure we blew a few. But the effort was there, some of the polish.....meh, it's our 3rd game.....this season if we maintain the rage.....I have us 5th or 6th.
 
I didn't see the same hard old school hits tonight as what i witnessed in the first two rounds. I think the intensity dropped off tonight somehwat. Croker vs Lawton difference, or a team thing?
 
I didn't see the same hard old school hits tonight as what i witnessed in the first two rounds. I think the intensity dropped off tonight somehwat. Croker vs Lawton difference, or a team thing?
They were gassed last week; maybe they lowered the intensity slightly last night to leave more in the tank for the end of the match?
 
They knew deep down that we wouldn't be allowed to win this one with all the Sattler stuff going on.
 
I thought we clearly won the contacts tonight
In fact we won many exchanges in that game of footy
I feel with all the Sattler emotions and South's expected to win s fairytale game, we helped them by falling short at key moments
The good thing is we lose that game in 2022 by 20+ points, yet tonight had a real chance to get the win if a tad better
No sign of the Alex Johnston picnic against our outside backs that I was half expecting, so that was good.
 
What a difference actually "coaching" the team makes .... the last 4 years were a waste of opportunity .
another swipe from the cheap seats.

Probably should have kept Barrett on then yeah? or got bellyache, or Robbo or ????????? Hell even Madge turned down the job for the tigers..... thank ****.....

In 4 years we make a semi-final where we were robbed (nrl bias) against the bunnies.
we make a preliminary final with some spectacular footy.
we miss the 8 twice with one of the best players in the NRL sitting in the stands and the club blowing itself up from the inside again.

by your metric woodsie in our existence, we have wasted 95% of seasons then?
 
another swipe from the cheap seats.

Probably should have kept Barrett on then yeah? or got bellyache, or Robbo or ????????? Hell even Madge turned down the job for the tigers..... thank ****.....

In 4 years we make a semi-final where we were robbed (nrl bias) against the bunnies.
we make a preliminary final with some spectacular footy.
we miss the 8 twice with one of the best players in the NRL sitting in the stands and the club blowing itself up from the inside again.

by your metric woodsie in our existence, we have wasted 95% of seasons then?
Des is gone. You need to get over it EOL and GET ON BOARD!!!!
 
another swipe from the cheap seats.

Probably should have kept Barrett on then yeah? or got bellyache, or Robbo or ????????? Hell even Madge turned down the job for the tigers..... thank ****.....

In 4 years we make a semi-final where we were robbed (nrl bias) against the bunnies.
we make a preliminary final with some spectacular footy.
we miss the 8 twice with one of the best players in the NRL sitting in the stands and the club blowing itself up from the inside again.

by your metric woodsie in our existence, we have wasted 95% of seasons then?

Here's another shot from the cheap seats you triggered buffoon ...

GET some ointment on those haemorrhoids for goodness sake .
 
Des is gone. You need to get over it EOL and GET ON BOARD!!!!
Hello Budgie.

I have. I was one of the first to embrace the new change once it happened.

I was simply responding to another dig from Woodsie in the neverending story that is the 'I hate Des' crusade.
 
Here's another shot from the cheap seats you triggered buffoon ...

GET some ointment on those haemorrhoids for goodness sake .
Right on cue you resort to the same old tired playbook..... You can't give a sensible response so firstly let's call X a disparaging name ( probably worked in primary school for you did it?) and then some comment about Haemorrhoids??????

More power to you woody. good job.....
 

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