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AUS v BAN live on SN ExtraAnatomy of a downfall: how Manly's season spiralled
Scott Bailey, AAP •  August 13th, 2026 3:04 pm
Manly's "Fozball" honeymoon period now seems like ancient history, after five straight losses | Photo: Jason O'Brien/AAP
Senior Manly players say they must go back to playing "boring" football in a bid to save their season, ahead of Friday night's must-win clash with the Dolphins.
Data from the second half of the season shows Manly have fallen off in every key category, in a dramatic end to Kieran Foran's "honeymoon" period.
After sitting third at the halfway point with eight wins from their first 10 games under Foran, Manly have fallen to 10th, having won one of their past eight.
Manly couldn't stop winning through the middle of the season, but losing has now become a habit | Photo: James Worsfold/AAP
The Sea Eagles are scoring 11 fewer points per game and conceding an extra 12, while making more errors, missing more tackles and having less good ball.
Manly's fall has also coincided with the NRL's drop in set restarts, with faster rucks having previously suited their style.
But players point to an unwillingness to get into an 80-minute grind as the main issue, with an 18 per cent increase in errors and completion rates slipping.
"We're not building the game," prop Nathan Brown said.
"That period when we were winning we were doing that for 80 minutes and weren't getting bored of doing the little stuff.
"Now we do it for 10-15 minutes and get too comfortable. We try to force things."
Kieran Foran is now experiencing the tougher side of coaching in his first season | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
That is heaping more pressure on Manly's defence, having gone from dominating possession in most matches to now making an extra 20 tackles per game.
"By not executing, that throws our confidence and we just tend to go into our shell and everyone starts pointing fingers at each other," Haumole Olakau'atu said.
"It just piles and piles on, and you get under fatigue easily, and you stay out of the game more."
Also exposed has been the Sea Eagles' lack of depth, with a significant drop-off between their top side and the bottom third of Manly's top-30 roster.
That is an issue the club knows must be addressed, with their NSW Cup side last with just one win all year and several depth players unlikely to be re-signed.
Siua Taukeiaho's badly broken leg was the first costly one for Manly in 2026 | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Players are adamant the recent run cannot be put down to injuries, despite four first-choice middle forwards missing for Friday night at Brookvale.
"We've been dropping like flies," Olakau'atu said.
"But it doesn't give us any excuse for how we performed on the weekend (against Melbourne).''
One particularly costly injury was to Luke Brooks, who was in career-best form before rupturing his ACL in June.
Luke Brooks was in sizzling form for Manly before rupturing his ACL in June | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Manly are yet to win with Joey Walsh and Jamal Fogarty in the halves together, raising questions over whether the two natural No. 7s can work into the future.
"I don't think that's an issue," Fogarty said.
"We've had good moments, and being the senior half I have to take a lot of pressure off Joey and let him do what he does well with the running ball and making tackles.
"He's only a kid, he's still finding his way. We know he is going to be an excellent footballer."
After Manly's initial run began with a flogging of the Dolphins in April, Fogarty insists all hope is not lost.
Joey Walsh is having a tough initiation to week-to-week NRL | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
"At the start of the year losing became a habit," Fogarty said.
"We only needed to get one win and then all of a sudden our habits become winning habits. One loss probably started the losing habits again.
"When we're completing our sets at above 85 per cent, we're winning. And when it drops below that we're losing. It's a simple fix."
