2016 NRL Preview - Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

After missing the finals for the first time in a decade last season, the Manly Sea Eagles will be hoping the arrival of several big-name signings alongside rookie coach Trent Barrett yields positive results. Having finished 2015 strongly after a sluggish start, the Sea Eagles will be looking to re-establish themselves as competition heavyweights courtesy of a mixture of established veterans and rising stars.

Managing just one win from their opening seven matches in 2015, the Sea Eagles found themselves in an uncharacteristic situation down the bottom of the ladder. With contract dramas surrounding halves Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran plaguing the club early on it was quite an effort for Manly to recover late in the year, however it ultimately was not enough as they missed the finals for the first time since 2004. Amid poor on-field results, the Sea Eagles benefitted greatly from the performances of local juniors Jake and Tom Trbojevic; largely unknown at the start of the year, the pair showed plenty of promise with Jake featuring in all but one game, while Tom crossed for a try with his first touch on debut. Five wins from their last seven matches put the Sea Eagles in contention for an unlikely top eight finish, but losses at home to Parramatta and the Roosters saw club stalwart Geoff Toovey finish his tenure at the club on a negative. In spite of last season, the Sea Eagles have wasted little time in amassing a new roster in order to breathe new life into the Silvertails.

Starting the year off against the Bulldogs at Brookvale Oval, Manly will need to be at their best early on as they face off against the likes of the Sharks and Roosters as well as an away trip to Leichardt Oval in the opening month of football. While the Sea Eagles should remain relatively strong during the representative period, with the exception of Nate Myles and possibly Daly Cherry-Evans, coach Trent Barrett will only be without his Origin players once, against the Titans in Round 15. With three games at home and away in the final six weeks of the regular season, the Sea Eagles will be looking to ready themselves for the finals against the likes of Canterbury and Melbourne, before finishing up with clashes with Canberra and Penrith.

WHY THEY'LL WIN IT

With more than half the side featuring in representative football in the past, the Sea Eagles will have the benefit of numerous big-game players capable of making an impact throughout the year. 200 game veterans Brett Stewart, Steve Matai and Jamie Lyon remain among the sides best players, while halfback Daly Cherry-Evans will be desperate to start afresh following a tumultuous season and win back his representative jerseys. Complemented by a forward pack oozing with power and skill, Manly will fancy their chances of returning to the finals and going all the way in 2016.

WHY THEY WON'T

While the Sea Eagles do boast countless representative players throughout their roster, their major weakness lies in the lack of experience in their spine. With premiership winners Kieran Foran and Matt Ballin departing, a major void has been left for the likes of Dylan Walker, Apisai Koroisau and Matt Parcell to fill if they are to compete against the best sides in the NRL. Having sustained a horror injury toll at last weekend's Auckland Nines, including a season-ending ACL tear to Jayden Hodges as well as a broken jaw to utility Jamie Buhrer, coach Trent Barrett will be without several playmakers to offset the off-season losses. With Walker expected to fill in at five-eighth and the hooking duties being shared between the inexperienced duo of Koroisau and Parcell, the Sea Eagles will need to be careful or else they may miss consecutive finals for the first time since re-entering the competition after the failed Northen Eagles venture.

KEY PLAYER

Dylan Walker
At just 21 years of age, Dylan Walker has achieved a remarkable amount in just three seasons of first grade. Winning a Grand Final, World Club Challenge and representing Australia make for impressive reading, but the former Rabbitohs centre will be crucial to the Sea Eagles success in 2016 playing alongside Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves. While Walker does come into the role with limited experience, he will have the benefit of learning from Jamie Lyon who filled a similar role for Manly several years ago after joining from St. Helens. Having left South Sydney in unfortunate circumstances, Walker natural talent may be the X- factor needed to propel the Sea Eagles back into the top eight.

ROOKIE TO WATCH

Matt Parcell
Stuck behind Andrew McCullough and Kodi Nikorima at the Broncos, hooker Matt Parcell looks set to form a deadly combination with Apisai Koroisau from the bench. Renown for his blistering pace, the former Ipswich Jet propelled himself onto the map with a five-try haul during the Queensland Cup finals, before helping to lead his side to glory in the Interstate challenge against Newcastle last October. Equally adept at playing in the halves, Parcell showed his skills with two match-winning tries in the Auckland Nines, proving to be one of the Sea Eagles best buys given his versatility and creative spark.

PLAYER MOVEMENT IN
Lewis Brown, Isaac John, Apisai Koroisau (Panthers)
Nathan Green (Dragons)
Darcy Lussick (Eels)
Tim Moltzen, Martin Taupau (Wests Tigers)
Nate Myles (Titans)
Matt Parcell (Broncos)
Dylan Walker ( Rabbitohs).

PLAYER MOVEMENT OUT
Matt Ballin, Michael Chee-Kam (Wests Tigers)
Cheyse Blair (Storm)
Kieran Foran, Clinton Gutherson, James Hasson (Eels)
Peta Hiku (Panthers)
Justin Horo (ESL - Catalans)
Dunamis Lui (Dragons)
Willie Mason, David Williams (Released)
Ligi Sao (New Zealand Warriors)

BEST 17
1. Brett Stewart
2. Jorge Taufua
3. Jamie Lyon (C)
4. Steve Matai
5. Tom Trbojevic
6. Dylan Walker
7. Daly Cherry-Evans
8. Jake Trbojevic
9. Apisai Koroisau
10. Nate Myles
11. Feleti Mateo
12. Lewis Brown
13. Martin Taupau

14. Tom Symonds
15. Darcy Lussick
16. Blake Leary
17. Matt Parcell