Journalist Andrew Webster has described Manly as a club in “absolute turmoil” amid claims top Sea Eagles players “have issues” with coach Anthony Seibold.
Manly has struggled on the field in recent times, slumping to four straight defeats with their season now on life support given they’re two wins outside the top eight with just three rounds remaining.
Skipper Daly Cherry-Evans announced in March he would depart the club at the end of the season, which has created an ongoing distraction for the playing group.
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Cherry-Evans is expected to announce at the end of the season that he will join the Roosters for 2026 on a one-year deal, with doubts now cast over whether the club will even want him given his recent struggles for form.
“I don’t know if you guys have heard any of the stuff I have about what’s going on at Manly, but even if a fraction of it is right, it’s a club in absolute turmoil,” Webster said on NRL360 on Tuesday night.
“It’s a club that’s not happy. There’s division between obviously (Daly) Cherry-Evans and (CEO) Tony Mestrov since the start of the year despite all the platitudes that have been said in the last few months.
“I think senior players – if you listen to any of what you hear on the grapevine, so many of those senior players have issues with Anthony Seibold.
“That’s just a fact.
“We’ve all heard it.
“From what I’m told, management are more than aware of the players that are saying it and are openly saying it – and nothing’s happening with it.
“Meanwhile, there’s fingers being pointed in the background towards saying one player’s management is responsible for this and that, when it’s not right. There’s so much turmoil going on at Manly, and if I’m Cherry-Evans, why would you be … no wonder you are struggling at 36.
“I think that’s a factor (in the Cherry-Evans’ form).
“But whether that’s a factor when he goes to the Roosters or not.”
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Panellist Paul Crawley said Manly as a club were at fault as well in the DCE saga.
“Manly were part of the problem too, mate,” Crawley added.
“If we go back in time, this all started with Daly Cherry-Evans was that last November when he wasn’t offered a contract right, and I heard you boys speak about it last night and the fact would Manly be looking back now and thinking ‘well we made the right choice,’” Crawley added.
“Well, remember also that during an episode of NRL360 when Cherry-Evans went on a rival network and spoke about it, they then rang here (laughs) and the counter offer came through. “You know what I mean? That to me showed that they conceded that at that point they had made a mistake. Then you talk about the players and it’s no secret Webby, and it’s been going on for months that they don’t necessarily – it’s not that they have a problem as I understand it with Seibold as a bloke, it’s his coaching methods that they perhaps don’t understand.
“And it screws them up in the head a bit.
“And then you’ve got the boss of the club Scott Penn coming out and basically saying ‘well we’re going to back him, we know where these rumours are coming from and we’re not going to fall for it’ – isn’t that just sticking your head in the sand?
“Because 12 months down the track are these players suddenly gonna jump on board with Seibold’s coaching method and it’s all going to sort itself?”
If the Sea Eagles miss finals in 2025, Seibold will have gone two of his three seasons as coach without playing finals football.
