Having made the finals just three times in the past nine years, the Sea Eagles need a full season from their superstar No.1 and a slashing season from their new No.6 if they are to return to the September action.
A fit and firing Tom Trbojevic remains the key to Manly’s premiership dreams while the arrival of Luke Brooks offers a whole new avenue of attack that could open the way for speedsters Tolu Koula, Jason Saab and Reuben Garrick to run riot.
pan66.com examines the key talking points for the Sea Eagles as they launch into the 2024 pre-season.
Keeping ‘Turbo’ on the road
Since winning the Dally M Medal in 2021, Trbojevic has played just 18 of a possible 48 games for the Sea Eagles due to a horror run with injuries. It would be wrong to call Manly a one-man team but it’s impossible to overstate Turbo’s importance to the side – for his freakish skills and for the confidence his mere presence gives other players. The 27-year-old is like an extra forward when he pops up in the middle, taking a tough carry when his team needs it, or exposing tired defenders around the ruck. Sea Eagles fans will have their fingers and toes crossed that their main man can enjoy an injury-free season and lead them back to the finals after two years on the outer.
Tom Trbojevic muscles over
Can Josh Schuster deliver on his potential?
Blessed with abundant talent and self-belief, Schuster can single-handedly win games for Manly when he is switched on but he also has a tendency to drift out of matches. With DCE and Luke Brooks running the show, Schuster can focus on the job of being a game breaker and a difference maker. Having declared midway through 2023 that “I know what I’m capable of and I believe I can be the best player in the game one day”, it’s time for the 22-year-old to deliver on that promise. If he does, then the Sea Eagles will soar in 2024 and Schuster will elevate himself to cult hero status at Brookie.
No second-year blues for Seibs
The signs were good for Manly when they sat second after eight rounds in 2023 and new coach Anthony Seibold’s message was clearly resonating with his troops. Losses to the Titans, Broncos and Sharks in their next three games halted the momentum before the season-ending pectoral injury to Tom Trbojevic in Origin Two left them reeling. Having added speedsters Tommy Talau and Jaxson Paulo to his backline and Aitasi James and Corey Waddell to his pack, Seibold has the pieces in place to return Manly to the finals given an even share of luck with injuries. Took Souths to a preliminary final in his first year at the helm in 2018 and also tasted September action at the Broncos so he knows what it takes to get there.
It will get the best out of me: Luke Brooks
Can Luke Brooks finally play finals?
Free of the responsibility of carrying an under-performing Wests Tigers outfit, Brooks can break the shackles alongside one of the game’s true pros in Daly Cherry-Evans. At 28 and with 205 games to his name, Brooks has never played finals footy, but that could all change when he joins forces with a man who knows how to win big games like grand finals, Origins and Tests. If Brooks finds his groove early in the season and his confidence rises he could enjoy a career rejuvenation similar to the one we saw from Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson in a magical 2023 campaign.
Paseka makes a bust
Can Manly's forward pack match the heavyweights?
If Manly’s posse of quick men are to rack up tries at the rate they did in 2021, they need the engine room to be at full throttle and that’s where Jake Trbojevic, Taniela Paseka and new boy Aitasi James come in. The Sea Eagles were well down the pecking order for metres gained and post-contact metres in 2023 and all too often Daly Cherry-Evans found himself on the back foot and kicking from deep in his own territory. Trbojevic will put his hand up all day long for the tough carries and Paseka was good for 139 metres per game last season but they’ll need James to find his feet quickly to back them up. “Aitasi reminds me of Junior Tatola when he came to South Sydney from the Tigers. He has a similar body shape and is a similar type of player,” Seibold said when Manly signed the 22-year-old. “He has got that potential already. We are giving him an avenue to try and reach that potential.” The other X-factor could well be , who has joined the club on a train and trial contract. At his best the 30-year-old could be a weapon for Manly coming off the bench and tearing into opponents.