Sea Eagles powerbrokers swear there’s no fire. You can smell the smoke from Dee Why.
Anthony Seibold’s time at Manly is entering the red zone. The players can feel it. The old boys can’t stop talking about it. And the board keeps insisting nothing to see here while the curtains burn.
You don’t need a stethoscope to hear the heartbeat going faint. Seibold’s seven-minute “crisis chats” with players – complete with print-outs of their errors – landed like a lead balloon and deepened the split inside the sheds. That’s not gossip; that’s from the club’s own preferred megaphone: crisis talks happened, and “Seibold is falling out of favour with certain players”. Another wrap spelled it out even plainer: internal rumblings, player dissatisfaction, coach on the clock.
And while all that churns, the Manly old guard has quietly organised the cavalry. A bloc of ex-players – fronted by Anthony Watmough – are pushing for a change and, just to save time, they’ve even named the replacement: Matt Ballin. That’s not a whisper, that’s on the record; the club owner Scott Penn even called out “people throwing grenades.”
So, if the axe falls, who actually coaches Manly next? Let’s deal with reality, not romance.
The old boys’ ticket
Matt Ballin
The push is real: Watmough and mates want him. Ballin’s more substance than sizzle — diligent, details-first, respected. The head-coach sample is tiny but on paper: Blacktown (NSW Cup) 2021: 16 games, 4W-8L-4D. That’s a COVID-kinked year, not a career verdict, but it’s a number.
The in-house handover
Michael Ennis
Already in the building sharpening Manly’s spine. Yes, the succession plan chatter flared — and Ennis publicly called it “inappropriate” right now — but the fact it exists tells you plenty. If the board wants minimal turbulence and maximum deniability, this is the cleanest switch.
The romance
Geoff Toovey
Every time Manly forgets who they are, Toovey’s name boomerangs back. And with reason: 57.6% win rate last time he had the whistle, plus a 2013 grand final. That’s elite by modern standards, not nostalgia.
The proven program builders
Willie Peters (Hull KR)
If Manly want standards and a modern system, this is the market leader. As of Aug 1, 2025: 89 games, 65 wins, 24 losses — 73%. That’s not hype; that’s the ledger.
Justin Holbrook
He turned St Helens into a machine: 70 wins from 87 and a title. Whatever you think of the Titans chapter, the Super League record screams program coach.
Sam Burgess (Warrington)
Presence, standards, instant uplift. Year one haul: 20 wins from 27, best attack and defence across the regular season per the league’s own review. Not bad for a rookie.
The “Des plan” that never died
Josh Hannay
Remember this? When the Hasler saga was boiling, the media-reported succession map had Hannay apprenticing then taking over in 2025. That wasn’t fan fiction; multiple outlets ran it. He’s done caretaker tours at the Cowboys (2020) and Sharks (2021) and has Origin stripes. Whether he’s the right voice for Brookvale is the only question left.
Left-field
Adrian Lam (Leigh) — Challenge Cup winner in 2023, twice Super League coach of the year; turns attacks from beige to barbed wire.
Steve McNamara (ex-Catalans) — free and on the market after parting ways in June; built Catalans into contenders for years.
So where does it land?
Right now, the players’ faith is brittle, the ex-players are mobilised, and the board’s patience is performative. That’s the trifecta that buries coaches. The Watmough-Ballin ticket has momentum, the Ennis handover is the tidy internal option, and the Peters/Holbrook/Burgess tier are the “pay now, win sooner” imports.
If Seibold wants to live through September, he needs results, not meetings. The room is drifting; the alumni are plotting; the replacements are lining up. Manly can swear it’s business as usual — but everyone knows the business is finding the next coach.