Manly CEO Tony Mestrov has stepped in to back Anthony Seibold after rumours swirled that the head coach had only two weeks to save his job.
With the Sea Eagles sitting just outside the eight and pre-season optimism fading, Mestrov moved to publicly clarify his support, noting his earlier comments may have fuelled the wrong narrative.
โI know that, and it probably would've been the wording I used,โ Mestrov admitted when asked by Danny Weidler if he regretted how the situation had been presented.
โHe's safe, I've got his back.โ
With finals hopes still alive and injuries piling up, Mestrov said the focus remains on unity.
โWe all have to win games, we're all on the boat together, including myself. We're supporting him every way we can, he's a good coach, he's a good person.โ
Recent reports have linked assistant coach and Fox League commentator Michael Ennis to a long-term succession plan that would see him take the reins in 2027, with Seibold moving into a front-office role.
While Mestrov acknowledged prior conversations between Ennis and Seibold, he denied any formal plans had been locked in.
โThere's nothing formally in place,โ he said.
โThere's been discussions that have been had in the past with Anthony and Michael, but there's nothing at the moment.โ
Meanwhile, Tom Trbojevic has addressed his own positional switch and the media storm surrounding his coach, calling it all just โexternal noise.โ
โIt's because we're not winning footy games,โ he said on Channel Nine.
โThe reality is we start winning footy games, that will all go away.โ
He gave Ennis a nod as a future head coach, calling him a โvery smart footy brainโ and โgood talkerโ who would โbe a very good coach one day.โ
