Manly will go into 2023 with a new coach and potentially new-look side as Anthony Seibold looks to get the club back to the top after a disappointing past year rocked by injury and controversy.
The Sea Eagles have a squad on paper capable of challenging any team (see the 2021 version) when firing, but it’s no surprise a lot of that hinges on the fitness of star fullback Tom Trbojevic.
Health watch
The Sea Eagles finished the year with a heavy injury toll and that looks set to continue into the pre-season with several players either recovering or rehabbing their setbacks over the summer.
Josh Aloiai (shoulder) and Taniela Paseka (knee) had end of season surgeries and are being eased back to training while Jason Saab (knee) and Karl Lawton (knee) continue with their recovery following ACL injuries.
Reuben Garrick, Morgan Harper and Ben Trbojevic (all shoulder) underwent surgeries while Tom Trbojevic’s hamstring injury suffered in December is a concern but all should be available by the time the season opener comes around.
Morgan Boyle (foot) had surgery in the off-season after a luckless 2022 campaign but has been re-signed for a further year.
Most contentious position
The departure of Kieran Foran gives Josh Schuster his big chance to cement the five-eighth spot at the club but if the move doesn’t pay off early, there will be pressure on Anthony Seibold with what to do next.
Schuster sacrificed a World Cup appearance with Samoa to get himself into shape to make the No.6 jersey his own but as highlighted above, there is minimal depth in the halves in the current squad if it doesn’t work out.
The rest of the 17 should be fairly straight forward, although Dylan Walker’s exit to the Warriors also leaves Seibold with a decision to make around the bench make-up.
Ben Trbojevic could be an option here, or Karl Lawton, who will be eased back into the competition after rupturing his ACL in 2022.
Biggest strength
Any side led by Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic in it at the same time will lift to another level regardless of who is in the team.
For as long as the pair are on the field together, everything else around them should flow.
Both players, particularly Trbojevic, help players around them go to another level and their combination around the ruck is a constant worry for the opposition.
The Sea Eagles are strong in the middle and on the edges which should give DCE and Trbojevic the ability to work their magic.
Biggest question mark
How reliant can a team be on one or two players, specifically Tom Trbojevic?
The side showed without Turbo that Reuben Garrick is a worthy replacement, but Manly’s woes off-field cancelled out anything good on it towards the end of the 2022 season.
Source: NRL.com