Anthony Seibold remains safe as Manly’s head coach for the time being, despite his 0–2 start to the season, with Sea Eagles club management currently putting their faith in him to turn things around quickly.
Seibold and his beleaguered Sea Eagles are staring down the barrel of a 0–3 start to the season, considering they face the building Sydney Roosters in Round 4, though there is some relief this weekend with the club on the bye.
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That will do little to quell the growing calls for the northern beaches venture to swing the axe on its head coach and sack Seibold before the rot really sets in. The team’s already come in from $18 a pop to win the spoon in 2026 to sitting at $4.75 odds. Only the Cowboys, the Dragons (both $4.50), and the Gold Coast Titans ($4) are more likely for the bookies.
(For what it’s worth, this Sporting Base writer believes it will be the Sea Eagles and Cowboys battling it out for the spoon come the end of the year if neither acts quickly, with the Titans and Dragons both looking better.)
None of that will force the Manly brass to move early, though. Reports from Brookvale suggest they’re happy to keep backing Seibold for the time being, with the expectation that he can turn things around and potentially even still challenge for finals in 2026 with the roster he has under his command today. Tom Trbojevic, Tolu Koula, and Haumole Olaka’atu are all standouts in the team, but it is worth quickly noting they were all playing when Manly lost to both Canberra and Newcastle.
Things may change should the Roosters beat the Sea Eagles at Brookvale on March 26 (a Thursday evening, 8PM game next week), but Seibold will at least get the bye to plan out how he navigates the Roosters, Dolphins, and Dragons.
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Should Manly swing the axe, there are plenty of coach options floating around now. Brad Arthur, Dean Young, Jason Demetriou, Michael Ennis, and Willie Peters are all names that have been mooted in recent weeks, with that same batch the Papua New Guinea expansion team have earmarked as possible options to lead them in their inaugural season.
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The North Queensland Cowboys, who have been mulling sacking similarly under-fire head coach Todd Payten, have quietly been squaring up those same possible recruits in recent weeks, The Sporting Base understands.
On NRL360, Dave Riccio warned that if Seibold is sacked, it means Manly’s “season is over.”
