Two new eras began on the Northern Beaches as Anthony Seibold’s Manly downed Cameron Ciraldo’s Bulldogs 31-6 on a sunny afternoon at 4 Pines Park.
The new look Sea Eagles produced plenty of new things, but it was their old firm that carried them home: Daly Cherry-Evans ran the show and scored a hat trick, Tom Trbojevic was back and brother Jake was as good as ever.
There’s a lot to be said for Seibold’s tactical innovations, but plenty too for having close to $3 million worth of salary cap on the field and firing.
The Dogs debuted eight players, and at times, it looked like it – they never managed to build significant pressure thanks to successive errors and, crucially, plenty of yardage errors into the bargain.
This wasn’t the day for Canterbury, but there will be others.
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Seibold era begins in style
Anthony Seibold’s debut had provoked questions about how he would switch up the Sea Eagles, especially given his reputation for big-braining at Brisbane and a sabbatical in rugby union in England.
Jake Trbojevic was clearly removed from ball-playing duties and told to tackle his heart out, while Haumole Olakau’atu and Kelma Taulagi seemed to have advanced roles in the back row, with ball moved to them earlier.
The most impressive aspect, in the first half, was the ability to play from inside to out quickly, with both backrowers, in combination with Turbo, able to generate attack towards the corners, with their tackle-breaking forcing the defenders to stay honest and, in the process, creating areas for Reuben Garrick and Christian Tuipulotu.
Manly’s defence was also well up to the task. Their defensive intent was excellent, forcing errors and, in particular, causing several wayward kicks through kick pressures. Manly were last in that metric in 2022, but that appears to have changed.
Ciraldo’s defensive plan works, but plenty to improve
If Ciraldo had to gauge how well the Dogs had taken on his defensive messaging, then he got it in the first half. They gave Manly more than their fair share of chances to attack their line, with eight errors before the break and multiple kicks that flew out on the full.
Despite the huge territory imbalance, the resolve was there and it took Kyle Flanagan going to the bin for them to be prized open. The desperation from Max King to deny Cooper Johns a try late in the first half exemplified the sort of effort the Bulldogs showed.
Errors are to be expected at this time of year, but typically they are through lack of cohesion: these, largely, were through contact.
Reuben Garrick scores. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The Dogs, as if spooked by their poor handling in the first half, seemed gunshy in the second and all too frequently played to points and then attempted a shift.
Their left edge is filled with superstars, but if the defensive side can pick the move, even the best will struggle to make an impact. On top of that, Flanagan played far too far from the line to convince anyone that the big move left wasn’t coming.
The tiredness from all the tackling eventually caught up with them, further blunting their ability to attack. It’s a mixed report card for the first outing for Ciraldo. Defence, his calling card, was good – but they had to do far too much of it.
Turbowatch 2023
Pretty much everything in 2023 rides on the health or otherwise of Manly’s best player: not just his ability to stay on the field, but his chances of impacting the game when he does turn out. Last year’s edition of Tommy T looked unfit long before he actually went down, and as evidenced by subsequent injuries, he was never at 100%.
Now that he’s fit, he has to fit back into the side, and that means vibing with Daly Cherry-Evans. Within the first 15 minutes, that connection seemed to be as good as ever, with Turbo touching down from a clever inside kick.
He returned the favour, too, with an assist for DCE midway through the second half in a classic, up the guts Sea Eagles move that could have been airlifted from 2021.
He might have had more too, with one chase forcing Kyle Flanagan to commit a professional foul and another ending the half in chaotic fashion.
There were other moments that were less convincing, however. Faced with a long sprint to the line after a break, Trbojevic chose not to stretch the legs. It could be nothing, but it could be everything.
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