After a dour 2018 season on and off the field, the Manly Sea Eagles surprised many pundits with a return to finals footy in 2019.
And they are now looking to improve heading into the 2020 season.
Following the return signing of head coach Des Hasler, there wasn’t much else to cheer about early on for the Brookvale faithful.
With star fullback Tom Trbojevic injuring himself in a pre-season match and five-eighth Dylan Walker awaiting trial for assault allegations, it wasn’t the best start to the 2019 season.
Trbojevic only managed to play in 12 games for Manly last season with an ongoing hamstring injury before a pectoral injury in round 24 ended his season.
Despite Trbojevic only playing 12 matches, his impact was profound as Manly won 10 of them.
Walker was eventually cleared of any charges and made his return in round 10, and then went op to play in the remaining 17 games of the season.
From this, the Sea Eagles finished the year in sixth position and lost to South Sydney 34-26 in the second week of finals.
There are many promising signs for Manly heading into the season as this will be Hasler’s second consecutive season at the helm, and as the record shows it’s where he looks to make his mark.
The loss of Hookers Api Koroisau to Penrith and Manase Fainu to off-field matters, the recent acquisition of Newcastle’s Danny Levi is a favourable one.
The 24-year-old has played 83 first grade matches for the Knights with a further four games for New Zealand.
With Levi being placed behind an already damaging Manly forward pack while also paired alongside Captain Daly Cherry-Evans, he’s one to watch this season.
Others such as Manly’s 2019 top-point scorer Reuben Garrick and their big-minute, forwards in Jake Trbojevic, Martin Tapau and Addin Fonua-Blake are all looking to improve on what was an already enormous 2019 season.
Finally, matched with Dally M contender and arguably Manly’s most influential player in Tom Trbojevic, Manly look to be a real challenger this season.
With this roster at full health, the Manly Sea Eagles are a team that have high expectations for this upcoming season, which is why I have them finishing amongst the top four and evidently competing for the premiership.