The Manly Sea Eagles have been labelled a “disconnected” team in crisis, with coach Anthony Seibold’s future uncertain and captain Daly Cherry-Evans’ body language raising fresh concerns.
Manly’s 26-12 loss to the Wests Tigers on Sunday was their fourth consecutive defeat, effectively ending their chances of playing finals football in 2025.
Across those four games, the Sea Eagles have managed just 32 points while conceding 116, leaving many questioning the team’s direction.
Fox League analyst Cooper Cronk summed up Manly’s struggles:
MORE: DCE fires back at Roosters backflip rumours as Manly’s finals dream dies
“To summarise Manly’s performance today, they played like individuals trying to survive themselves without actually connecting together.”
During the match, Cherry-Evans cut a frustrated figure when an errant pass to Ben Trbojevic went into touch as the Sea Eagles pressed for a try.
Post-game, the 36-year-old halfback was seen hugging his children and sharing an emotional moment with his wife, a scene that caught the attention of commentator Andrew Voss.
“There were signs yesterday particularly post match — there was an exchange had with his wife on the fence — it was very much ‘last game’ areas,” Voss said on SEN’s Vossy & Brandy.
“It was like he was breaking the news, ‘Nah that’s it love, I’m done’. There was a very extended conversation, it seemed quite emotional. I thought that seemed a bit strange, three weeks from the end of the season, he’s playing on next year, it’s not the end of road for Manly. It was unusual.”
Voss went on to question Cherry-Evans’ in-game reaction as further signs of a possible retirement:
“In the game, the reaction to the errant pass to Ben Trbojevic, it was emotionally a little over the top for Daly Cherry-Evans.
“Putting those pictures together, I thought, ‘There’s a player who’s going to announce his retirement’.”
Cherry-Evans, however, remains contracted until 2026 and will bring up a major milestone when he plays his 350th NRL game this Saturday at Brookvale Oval against the Dolphins.