After losing their past three games and sliding from the top eight to 10th on the ladder, it’s no surprise talk has begun about Anthony Seibold’s position at the Manly Sea Eagles.
“We know what’s going on and the people behind it,” an unnamed source told Wide World of Sports in their report on the calls for Seibold's axing.
Manly’s CEO, Tony Mestrov, and owner Scott Penn have publicly insisted that Seibold’s job is safe for now, even as talk of succession plans swirls behind the scenes.
Calls for Seibold to be axed have reportedly been pushed by a group of prominent former Sea Eagles players, said to be orchestrating a campaign to remove him by season’s end.
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At the centre of the campaign is club great Anthony Watmough, believed to be leading the charge with the backing of his former manager George Mimis.
Their preferred candidate to replace Seibold is Matt Ballin—a two-time premiership-winning hooker with experience as an assistant at Manly, Brisbane, and with Queensland, and a former teammate of some of the ex-players involved.
The whispers come amid reports that several current Sea Eagles players are aware of and sympathetic to the push for change within the squad.
Seibold's position has been under scrutiny since the team’s heavy 28–8 loss to the Titans in Round 15, a performance that significantly escalated the pressure on his tenure, with losses mounting since.
The timing couldn’t be more critical—Seibold’s fate is now closely tied to results in the coming matches, with the team’s fragile unity only adding to the uncertainty.
There have been several well-publicised distractions this year, notably captain Daly Cherry-Evans publicly announcing he won’t remain at Manly, as well as more recent reports of Seibold’s questionable seven-minute player reviews.
In rugby league, assurances from the board or powerbrokers often mean little, and at the end of the day it’s results that determine how long a coach remains in the job.
If the Sea Eagles fail to make the finals this year—which looks likely—it will mark two of Seibold’s three seasons in charge without September football.
It would also cement a three-year tenure in which the club has won less than 50 per cent of its games under Seibold, and as history shows in the NRL, if you’re not getting results, the drums will only keep beating—only louder.