The Manly Sea Eagles come into the 2022 season with plenty of expectation after a surprising season.
Here is their full season preview.
2021 season
Manly were nothing short of incredible in 2021. Many, myself included had them finishing outside of the eight only for Tom Trbojevic and co to make us all look stupid.
Turbo had one of the greatest individual seasons ever seen. He won the Dally M medal despite missing the opening month through injury.
Reuben Garrick and Jason Saab ascended from bit part NRL players to genuine, point scoring superstar wingers.
Haumole Olakau'atu and Josh Schuster became overnight megastars with their performances in 2021. Fair to say Des Hasler's eye for young talent has returned at the very highest level.
Off-Season Moves
:
2022 gains
Ethan Bullemor (Brisbane Broncos, 2023), Gordon Chan Kum Tong (2023), Jamie Humphreys (2023), Jacob Sykes (2022)
2022 losses
Cade Cust (Wigan Warriors), Tevita Funa (rugby union), Jack Gosiewski (St George Illawarra Dragons), Zac Saddler (released), Curtis Sironen (St Helens RLFC), Moses Suli (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Recruitment Impact
Manly have built themselves a situation where they didn't need to recruit. Ethan Bullemor was their sole pick up of note but he should provide a valuable input from the bench.
Curtis Sironen, Moses Suli, Jack Gosiewski and Cade Cust are all NRL experienced players who have left the club however all fell out of favour and are easily replaced.
The Sea Eagles went on a re-signing spree, tying down the likes of Reuben Garrick, Haumole Olakau'atu and Josh Schuster. All three emerged to become genuine stars in 2021.
Manly picked up one young player with a huge upside whilst keeping three of their brightest stars. Well worth the losses.
Talking points
Can they go again?: Manly's 2021 season is going to be near impossible to replicate. There's no way Tommy Turbo can possibly be as dominant as he was in 2021, right? 15 other sides have had an entire off-season to prepare for the Sea Eagles attacking onslaught. The young second rowers aren't a surprise anymore either. Des Hasler coached a near perfect season in 2021. He'll have to produce something even more special to ensure Manly can go even further this season.
Depth tested: Manly's top 17 is as good as it gets. They have the most potent back three in the competition and a forward pack to match. Daly Cherry-Evans is an elite level player and Kieran Foran looks 25 again. That said, if Manly suffer injuries in key positions then they are a completely different prospect.
Dylan Walker looks the only option as backup in the halves, while Manly still don't have a stand out number nine. Their forward depth will be tested right away thanks to injuries to all of Martin Taupau, Haumole Olokau'atu, Josh Schuster and Ben Trbojevic.
Back Up plan?: The balance of probabilities suggests that no matter how good a player, or team, their plan A isn't always going to work. Tom Trbojevic has had major injury concerns in the past. If he goes down then so does Plan A.
Do Manly have a plan B? They were confirmed as 2021 wooden spoon favourites following a horror first month without their main man. He was kept quiet in two Finals and Manly were blown out. Do Manly have a back up plan? Do the game to out work sides when they can't out class?
Key player: Tom Trbojevic
Could it be anyone else?
Tom Trbojevic's 2021 season had to be seen to be believed. His 18 games produced 28 tries, 28 try assists, 33 linebreaks, and 209 run metres per game.
Rules introduced last season suited Turbo to a tee and it's fair to suggest he took full advantage and then some.
Turbo became the game's most valuable player in 2021 and judging by his trial form there's no likelihood of him taking the foot off the pedal this year.
If opposition defenders can't shut Trbojevic down then there's no chance they stop the Sea Eagles.
Big season for: Lachlan Croker
Lachlan Croker stood up for the Sea Eagles in 2021 in a big way. He was asked to play big minutes in a largely unfamiliar role at hooker.
In his 33 games prior to the shift he made a total of 489 tackles. In 2021 he made over double those tackles in just 26 games.
He also had seven try assists compared to his career total of two up until that point. To say he stepped up is an understatement.
Croker will have to do the exact same in 2022 to keep the Sea Eagles in the hunt for consecutive top four finishes. He showed he was capable.
Breakout star: Ethan Bullemor
22-year-old Ethan Bullemor looks the very personification of a Des Hasler pick up. He's a raw talent who screams huge upside.
With Taupau's injury, expect to see Bullemor play plenty of minutes early on. Josh Aloiai is likely to take the starting role but Bullemor will be first off the bench.
Expect to see his involvement, average metres and overall impact rise considerably across 2022.
This is a brilliant pick up on the cheap. I have a feeling that the Broncos will really regret letting this kid slip through their system.
Watch Rugby League Outlaws discuss the Sea Eagles in their Season Preview
Fixtures to watch
Round 1 vs Penrith Panthers: What a way to start the season! The reigning premiers vs one of their greatest threats to going back to back. It seems a long shot but if Cleary is available and both teams run out at full strength, the season's opening game may also be one of it's best! Selfishly I wish this was a month in to ensure no early season rust but if I were preparing the draw I'd probably have led with this contest also.
Round 7 vs Cronulla Sharks: Rivalry games aren't always the best on-field but they're absolutely the most anticipated. Manly hold a near-flawless recent record over their black, white and blue rivals, and they will be confident that they can keep that going in 2022. It's a shame it's on Thursday night as Manly fans won't be in the best position to travel in their attempt to take over the Shire. Turbo owned the Sharks last year. Short money says he will again this year.
Round 21 vs Parramatta Eels: If the Sharks rivalry isn't the most heated then it's the Eels. On the field the Sea Eagles have utter disdain for their Parramatta counterparts and the feeling is very similar in the stands. This game means so much. Gutho vs Turbo and DCE vs Moses headline the direct clashes but I'm looking forward to seeing two brutal forward packs go at it for 80 minutes. If you offered Manly a guaranteed win in the regular season, they take this fixture!
Prediction
This is a side capable of anything. On any given day the lethal Sea Eagles backline can run riot on their opposition. Five times in 2021 they ran up 50 points.
Des Hasler returned to form following a few lean seasons and now has this young and brilliant Manly side firing.
Nathan Cleary and James Tedesco are close but there is no more dangerous player in the game than the Manly number one. They can blow any side out of the water.
The only reason Manly will finish outside the top four is their defensive frailties. They conceded 40 and 36 points in their two losses in last year's finals Series.
There will be games where they can't simply outscore their opponents.
If Manly start fast then there may be no stopping them. 5th may be underselling them yet again.
5th.
