Manly, along with Parramatta, has been one of the over-achievers of 2017.
Under coach, Trent Barrett, the Sea Eagles were desperate to make the finals. Outside of the Northern Eagles years, the last time Manly failed to make the finals three years in a row was back in 1965, under the coaching of another โoutsiderโ, Russ Pepperill.
As Manly continue to nudge the top four, here are five reasons why they can go all the way this year; and five reasons they may fall short.
5 reasons why they can't
Despite all of the positives for Manly going into the business end of the season, there are plenty of reasons why they could be watching at home on Grand Final day.
THEYโRE NOT IN THE FINALS YET
Manly currently sit in seventh spot. Sure, theyโre a win short of third, but theyโre also a loss or two away from ninth. Manly have been known to lose matches they should win, and there is still a chance they could be bundled out of the finals race before the finals even begin.
LITTLE FINALS EXPERIENCE
Incredibly, Daly Cherry-Evans is the only surviving member of the 2011 premiership winning side. Jorge Taufua and Brenton Lawrence played in the 2013 Grand Final loss to the Roosters, but the rest have moved on or retired. The aforementioned Walker has Grand Final experience, where he played alongside fill-in hooker Api Koroisau at Souths, while Lewis Brown and Blake Green have been on the losing side on the big day. The well runs dry after that, and Manly may not have enough big game players to take out the title if they get to the first Sunday in October.
TRENT BARRETT
A fabulous player for Australia and New South Wales, Trent Barrett is still in his formative years as a club coach and still suffers from the outsider tag at Manly among some sections of their fan base, used to names such as Toovey, Hasler, and Fulton etc holding the clipboard. Barrett has moulded the Sea Eagles into a real chance and must be buoyed by the success of Robinson, Maguire, Green and Flanagan in recent years. Indeed, the last three coaches of losing Grand Final sides have been Bellamy, Bennett and Hasler. But whether Barrett can get his side up when it counts remains a mystery.
GOAL KICKING
In tight finals matches, every point counts. Manly seem unsettled in the goal kicking department, with Matthew Wright doing well at the moment; and Dylan Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans also filling in recently. Up against the accuracy of Cameron Smith or James Maloney, this may be a weakness for the Sea Eagles.
THEYโRE NOT MELBOURNE
There is an air of inevitability around this season. Are we going through the next two months just to see who Melbourne beat in the Grand Final? Manly and Melbourne have a rivalry that stretches back to the 2007 and 2008 Grand Finals, as well as the infamous Battle of Brookvale in 2011. Times have changed, but Melbourne are still the yardstick of the competition. There will be no 40-0 triumph for Manly this year, but whether they can match the consistency of the Storm remains to be seen.
Matthew Geddes has written 35 books on rugby league, cricket, tennis, wrestling and a number of other sports. More information can be found at www.parallelpartnersbooks.com.au
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