Seibold under fire as Manly slump deepens, radical Round 5 shake-up looms

Anthony Seibold was unsurprisingly asked about his future after the Manly Sea Eagles lost their third straight game on Thursday evening.

Third straight home game, it should be added.

2026 is off to a crawl for Manly, and Seibold, who was already under pressure for a poor 2025 campaign on the Northern Beaches, is now walking a tightrope.

Not that you could tell by asking him.

He admitted post-game that it isn't his decision, but said he is three games into a two-year extension, so he isn't focusing on whether he will still have a job or not in the near future.

"I can't control that decision, I mean, only Scott and the ownership group can control that, so there's no point in wasting any energy or time on that," Seibold said during his post-game press conference.

"I think I've invested a lot of time in the club over the last three or four years and made a lot of sacrifice with my time, but if I'm not the right person, I'm sure Scott will tell me.

"I still believe that we can do something together as a group, so I haven't really put any thought into it.

"I'm three games into a two-year extension, so it hasn't been a focus for me."

I wrote last week that Manly, as well as the battling North Queensland Cowboys, might want to consider moving fairly quickly on their coaches if they want to secure the best option on the open market, that being Willie Peters.

He has expressed his desire to have a crack at the NRL at some point after finding success with Hull KR in the English Super League, and it's believed the NRL and ARLC have him in their sights for the PNG Chiefs job.

Manly or the Cowboys could prove to be a thorn in the side of the game's governing body if they move quickly enough though.

And after Thursday night, as Manly squandered their incredibly kind draw to start the season to go to zero and three with a bye also worked into their opening month, there may be starting to be a serious desire from the board and ownership group to have a change of scenery at the top of the club.

If 2025 wasn't a bad enough season for the Northern Beaches-based outfit, 2026 should have alarm bells ringing.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 15: Sea Eagles players take to the field during the round two NRL match between Manly Sea Eagles and Newcastle Knights at 4 Pines Park, on March 15, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

They were up 14-0 in Round 1 against the Raiders before the wheels fell off, ending in a golden point loss. They then let in 36 points against the Newcastle Knights - yes, the Knights who then lost by 26 to the New Zealand Warriors in Round 3.

The bye in Round 3, a two-week turnaround and coming up against a Roosters side who have been on struggle street too, with another home game, should have seen an improved performance.

Instead, they scored three tries, all of them from long range and sparked by an individual piece of brilliance, while letting in another 33 points to a team who have barely registered a shot this season.

It's now clear, as Manly prepare for a tricky run of away games - the Dolphins in Redcliffe, the Dragons in Wollongong where they don't know how to win, and the Cowboys in Townsville, followed by games against even stronger teams in the Eels, Panthers and Broncos, that they must make changes.

There is a real chance that, without those changes, the Sea Eagles could be zero and nine to start the season heading to Magic Round.

That's not fear mongering, or a worst-case scenario. That is real right now. Three away games, three tough teams to follow. It's not rocket science to see how things could turn that pear-shaped that quickly for Manly.

There were probably always going to be teething issues this year with the exit of Daly Cherry-Evans, but the signing of Jamal Fogarty, who has made every team he has played in for the entirety of his career a better one, should have offset that.

Not that Fogarty is the problem this year either.

The most immediate change that must happen for Round 5 is the axing of Luke Brooks.

When he runs the footy, he looks solid enough, but it's not happening nearly as often as it needs to, and his overall impact on the three games so far this year has been skewed to the negative, rather than the positive.

With Joey Walsh ready for first-grade action, that is the change that must happen.

NRL Pre-Season - Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs — GOSFORD, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 11: Luke Brooks of the Sea Eagles passes during the NRL pre-season trial match between Manly Sea Eagles and South Sydney Rabbitohs at Industree Group Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Gosford, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Walsh has impressed with every opportunity he has been given at every level, and will bring a youthful exuberance to the halves for Manly that they need right now.

Is it fair to drop a rookie into a side who have lost three straight and are down on confidence while playing for their coach's job?

Probably not, but right now, Seibold doesn't have a choice. Selecting Walsh also provides him some wiggle room from a fan base who have had enough too.

Beyond that, Siosiua Taukeiaho's expected return next week will help in the middle of the park.

Jake Trbojevic, who it must be said did undergo a HIA last night, although passed, has had an awful start to the year. Despite playing 60, 66 and 46 minutes respectively across his three games, he has run for totals of 51, 23 and 17 metres. For a starting forward, those numbers are absolutely atrocious. There is no sugar-coating it.

Taukeiaho could yet come straight in for Trbojevic. Kobe Hetherington, who has impressed at prop, needs to be Seibold's first-choice lock.

Dropping your most experienced player is a big call, but the simple fact of the matter remains that Trbojevic is simply not playing well enough.

Nor is Taniela Paseka. He has had injury issues, but six runs for 80 metres on Thursday evening isn't going to cut it either given he played 58 minutes.

He was better than that in Rounds 1 and 2, but a message probably needs to be sent, even if he isn't dropped entirely.

The skinny of the situation is that Manly have explosive talent in their backline, as evidence by three long-range tries last night. They spent much of the game on the back foot, and that is down to the forwards.

Haumole Olakau'atu looked dangerous, but in patches. Outside of that, and an enormous defensive work rate from Kobe Hetherington, there was just nothing.

Whether Brandon Wakeham should really be starting at dummy half remains up in the air too, while Hugo Hart is another player who could be closing on some first grade action. How Ethan Bullemor didn't get onto the field last night is also baffling. In fact, of his 17 players, Seibold only used Paul Bryan for 7 minutes and Simione Laiafi for 13.

More than anything, Seibold needs to send a message to his side. What has been dished up simply isn't good enough.

Radical change is the only option for Seibold to save his job and Manly to save his season.

Here is how we'd have Manly lining up in Round 5 when they travel to play the Dolphins.