The 2021 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Season was the 72nd in the club's history since their entry into the then New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1947. Des Hasler coached the team for the third consecutive year and eleventh overall at the club. Daly Cherry-Evans captained the club for the fifth consecutive year.

2021 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Season
NRL Rank4th
Play-off resultPreliminary Finals
2021 recordWins: 16; draws: 0; losses: 8
Team information
CEOAustralia Stephen Humphreys
CoachAustralia Des Hasler
Captain
StadiumBrookvale Oval (restricted capacity)
Avg. attendance5,705 (Not including home matches away from Brookvale)
High attendance6,801 (Vs NQL Round 14) Not including home matches away from Brookvale
Low attendance3,218 (Vs SOU Round 2) Not including home matches away from Brookvale
Top scorers
TriesAustralia Tom Trbojevic (28)
PointsAustralia Reuben Garrick (334)
< 2020 2022 >

Brookvale Oval (4 Pines Park) upgrade and home ground capacity

Construction started for a new 3,000-seat grandstand and a centre of excellence on the Northern Hill. The $33.1 million project was to ensure that players and fans get access to better facilities than what the stadium currently provides.[1] Due to that and limited capacity on the hill (due to COVID-19), there were only small crowds allowed in at home games. Grandstands were allowed at 100% on the final game before the games started to play behind closed doors.

Transfers

Source:[2]

2021 gains

2021 losses

Season summary

Horror start to the season

Manly had one of their worst start to a season in club history, losing all of their first four games and at a combined score of 156–34.[3] It got so bad that there were talks that coach Des Hasler may get sacked, however he was re-signed on a two-year deal and was told he wouldn't be coaching in 2023 if the club didn't make the finals in 2021 or 22.[4] Captain Daly Cherry-Evans suitability for the role was also questioned. The club achieved their first win in round 5 of the season playing the New Zealand Warriors at Central Coast Stadium when Daly Cherry-Evans kicked a winning field goal to win 13–12. Despite the terrible start to the season it is worth noting that the four clubs that Manly lost to (Sydney Roosters, South Sydney Rabbitohs, St. George Illawarra Dragons and Penrith Panthers) all made up the top four after the first 5 rounds.[5]

Turbo returns

In Round 6 the club faced the Gold Coast Titans in what was expected by many people to be yet another hammering against the club. However, with Tom Trbojevic returning to the side from his fourth hamstring injury in just two years, Manly played the reverse card winning 36–0 with Trbojevic being named man of the match after scoring a try, making 3 assists and being involved with a crucial pass to Cherry-Evans that led to the second try.[6]

Following that performance Trbojevic produced man of the match performances against the Wests Tigers, New Zealand Warriors, Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels, only losing to the Penrith Panthers in that time frame in what was a much better performance than the first time they played. Manly ended the first half to the season with a poor (but controversial) loss to the Newcastle Knights.

Origin period

After a bye, Manly thrashed the North Queensland Cowboys 50-18 without Trbojevic, with many players being the potential Man Of The Match, this match also was special as it was a game for Manly icon Bob Fulton, who had died a few weeks earlier (a moment of silence occurred before the match against the Parramatta Eels in Round 11 but this was the first home match since his death).[7]

The following week, Manly produced one of the biggest comebacks in history against the Gold Coast Titans after being down 24–8, the team scored 48 unanswered points to win 56–24.[8]

The following week, Manly produced their biggest win in club history beating the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 66–0.[9]

The origin period rounded off with a 30–16 loss against the Canberra Raiders and a 32–18 win against the St. George Illawarra Dragons.

Run to the finals and records broken

Manly started off their run to the finals with a 44–24 win against the Wests Tigers, a 40–22 win against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and a 28–18 loss to the Melbourne Storm.

In Round 22, Manly beat the Parramatta Eels 56–10 in a very strong performance. Reuben Garrick also achieved a record in the match passing the record for most points scored for the club in a season by a player, passing Matthew Ridge's record of 255, with Garrick having scored 258 points at the end of the round.[10]

Manly continued their winning performances against the Canberra Raiders, winning 19–18.

In Round 24, the club's 36–18 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs propelled them into the top four and ensured that Tom Trbojevic would win the prestigious Dally M Medal for player of the year.[11][12]

Round 25, the club beat the Cowboys 46–18 in a strong second half performance. Reuben Garrick (304) also passed Hazem El Masri's (288) record for most points in a regular season. The game also saw a collective effort from Reuben Garrick, Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic to score the try of the year.[13][14][15]

Finals

Manly started off with a poor performance to begin the finals, losing to the Melbourne Storm 40–12 at Sunshine Coast Stadium forcing them into a second chance semi due to them finishing in the top four.[16]

Manly produced a 42–6 win against the Sydney Roosters advancing them to the preliminary finals.[17]

On the lead up to their preliminary final match against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, many people, especially former Penrith player Ryan Girdler criticised Manly for making the top four but not beating any side that finished in the top four labelling them as 'flat track bullies' stating that they don't deserve to be 80 minutes away from a grand final.[18] Manly went on to lose the match 36–16, with Tom Trbojevic breaking Phil Blake's record (27) for most tries in a season for the club scoring 28. Putting an end to a successful season.[19][20]

Tom Trbojevic finished the season as top try scorer for the club scoring 28 and Reuben Garrick finishing as top point scorer with 334.

Results

2021 NRL season
Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Melbourne Storm 2421031815316+49944
2 Penrith Panthers (P) 2421031676286+39044
3 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2420041775453+32242
4 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2416081744492+25234
5 Sydney Roosters 2416081630489+14134
6 Parramatta Eels 2415091566457+10932
7 Newcastle Knights 24120121428571−14326
8 Gold Coast Titans 24100141580583−322
9 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24100141520556−3622
10 Canberra Raiders 24100141481578−9722
11 St. George Illawarra Dragons 2480161474616−14218
12 New Zealand Warriors 2480161453624−17118
13 Wests Tigers 2480161500714−21418
14 Brisbane Broncos 2470171446695−24916
15 North Queensland Cowboys 2470171460748−28816
16 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2430211340710−3708

Pre-season

Source:[21]

Date Round Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance
Sun 28 February 5:00pm 3 Wests Tigers Leichhardt Oval 52-18 K. Wakes, B.Trbojevic, J. Schuster R. Garrick (1/1), T. Funa (2/2) 5,212

Regular season

Source:[22]

2021 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles NRL fixtures
Date Round Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Field Goals Attendance
Sat 13 March 5:30pm 1 Sydney Roosters Sydney Cricket Ground 46-4 R. Garrick R. Garrick (0/1) 15,097
Sat 20 March 5:30pm 2 South Sydney Rabbitohs Brookvale Oval 12-26 L. Croker, M. Taupau R. Garrick (2/2) 3,218
Fri 26 March 6:00pm 3 St. George Illawarra Dragons WIN Stadium 38-12 R. Garrick, D. Cherry-Evans R. Garrick (2/2) 9,253
Thu 1 April 8:05pm 4 Penrith Panthers Brookvale Oval 6-46 C. Cust R. Garrick (1/1) 6,076
Fri 9 April 6:00pm 5 New Zealand Warriors Central Coast Stadium* 12-13 J. Saab, J. Schuster R. Garrick (2/2) D. Cherry-Evans 4,982
Sat 17 April 3:00pm 6 Gold Coast Titans Glen Willow Oval 36-0 B. Parker, R. Garrick (2), T. Trbojevic, J. Saab (2) R. Garrick (6/7) 6,380
Sun 25 April 1:45pm 7 Wests Tigers Bankwest Stadium 6-40 D. Cherry-Evans (2), M. Taupau, T. Trbojevic, R. Garrick, J. Saab, K. Foran R. Garrick (5/7) 14,095
Sat 1 May 3:00pm 8 Penrith Panthers Carrington Park 28-16 T. Trbojevic, D. Cherry-Evans, J. Saab R. Garrick (1/1), D. Cherry-Evans (1/3) 5,798
Sun 9 May 2:00pm 9 New Zealand Warriors Brookvale Oval 38-32 T. Trbojevic (2), M. Harper, J. Saab (3), R. Garrick R. Garrick (5/8) 6,726
Fri 14 May 8:05pm 10 Brisbane Broncos Suncorp Stadium 50-6 T. Trbojevic (2), S. Keppie, J. Saab, J. Trbojevic, L. Croker, J. Schuster R. Garrick (9/9) 41,367
Sun 23 May 4:05pm 11 Parramatta Eels Bankwest Stadium 6-28 B.Parker (2), K.Lawton, R. Garrick, T. Trbojevic R. Garrick (4/5) 24,411
Sun 30 May 4:05pm 12 Newcastle Knights McDonald Jones Stadium 18-10 B. Parker, J. Saab R. Garrick (1/2) 17,348
13 Bye
Fri 11 June 6:00pm 14 North Queensland Cowboys Brookvale Oval 50-18 B. Parker (2), H. Olakau'atu (2), K. Lawton, L, Croker, K. Foran, R. Garrick, D. Walker R. Garrick (7/9) 6,801
Sun 20 June 4:05pm 15 Gold Coast Titans Cbus Super Stadium 24-56 T. Trbojevic (3), J. Saab (2), R. Garrick (4), H. Olakau'atu, D. Cherry-Evans R. Garrick (6/11) 14,408
Sat 3 July 3:00pm 16 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Bankwest Stadium 0-66 R. Garrick (2), T. Trbojevic (3), T. Sipley (2), K. Lawton, J. Saab (3) R. Garrick (11/11) 0
Thu 8 July 7:50pm 17 Canberra Raiders Brookvale Oval 16-30 D. Walker, H. Olakau'atu, M. Suli R. Garrick (2/3) 0
Fri 16 July 7:55pm 18 St. George Illawarra Dragons Cbus Super Stadium** 32-18 M. Harper, H. Olakau'atu, K. Foran, C. Cust, B. Parker R. Garrick (6/6) 15,038
Sat 24 July 5:30pm 19 Wests Tigers Suncorp Stadium** 44-24 M. Harper (3), L. Croker, D. Cherry-Evans (2), T. Trbojevic, D. Walker R. Garrick (6/8) 5,071
Mon 2 August 8:05pm 20 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Suncorp Stadium** 22-40 J. Saab (2), M. Harper, T. Trbojevic (3), R. Garrick R. Garrick (6/7) 0
Sat 7 August 7:35pm 21 Melbourne Storm Suncorp Stadium** 18-28 J, Saab, R. Garrick (2) R. Garrick (3/4) 0
Sat 14 August 7:35pm 22 Parramatta Eels Sunshine Coast Stadium** 56-10 B. Parker, R. Garrick (3), T. Trbojevic, D. Walker, J. Saab, M. Suli (2), H. Olakau'atu R. Garrick (8/10) 3,613
Fri 20 August 6:00pm 23 Canberra Raiders Suncorp Stadium** 18-19 H. Olakau'atu, M. Harper, C. Sironen R. Garrick (3/3) D. Cherry-Evans 6,181
Sun 29 August 2:00pm 24 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Moreton Daily Stadium** 36-18 J. Saab (2), H. Olakau'atu, T. Trbojevic R. Garrick (6/7) 4,910
Sat 4 September 5:30pm 25 North Queensland Cowboys Queensland Country Bank Stadium 18-46 J. Saab, J. Trbojevic (2), T. Trbojevic (3), R. Garrick, D. Cherry-Evans R. Garrick (7/8) 14,336

Finals Series

2021 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Finals Campaign
Date Final Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Field Goals Attendance
Fri 10 September 7:50pm Qualifying Final Melbourne Storm Sunshine Coast Stadium 40-12 J. Saab (2) R.Garrick (2/2) 9,120
Fri 17 September 7:50pm Semi Final Sydney Roosters BB Print Stadium 42-6 T. Trbojevic (2), K. Foran, D. Cherry-Evans, M. Harper, D.Walker, J. Saab R. Garrick (7/7) 5,824
Fri 17 September 7:50pm Preliminary Final South Sydney Rabbitohs Suncorp Stadium 36-16 R. Garrick (2), T. Trbojevic R. Garrick (2/3) 26,249

*Game relocated due to border restrictions between Australia and New Zealand

**Game relocated due to the new COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney

Records/honours

  • In Round 22, Reuben Garrick beat Matthew Ridge's record for most points scored in a season for the club with the Ridge's record being 255. Garrick now sits at 268 points with another three weeks remaining in the regular season and then the finals series
  • In Round 25 Garrick beat the all-time points record in a regular season passing Hazem El Masri's record of 288 with 304 points
  • That also means that Garrick was the first player to score more than 300 points in a regular season
  • In the Preliminary Finals, Tom Trbojevic broke the club's record for most tries in a season by an individual player scoring 28 tries passing Phil Blake's record of 27 tries in the 1983 season

Club awards

Source:[23]

Dally M Awards for Manly players

Source:[24]

References

  1. ↑ "Sea Eagles ready to fly high with new Centre of Excellence". Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "2020 Signings Tracker: Roberts exits Souths; Dogs nab Averillo". National Rugby League. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Bruce, Jasper (1 April 2021). "Messy Manly hits horrific new NRL low". news.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Fine print reveals Hasler contract truth after Sea Eagles re-signing". Fox Sports. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Ladder". National Rugby League. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Attitude adjustment sparks Turbo-charged Eagles to rout of Titans". National Rugby League. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "Cherry on top: Skipper dazzles as Manly honour Fulton in style". National Rugby League. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Hot and cold Coast: Titans blow big lead as Manly surge past half-century". National Rugby League. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  9. ↑ "Saab and Turbo hit top gear as Sea Eagles cruise Rout 66". National Rugby League. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "Eels' humiliation complete as Matterson marched in Manly mauling". National Rugby League. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "Contentious Turbo try helps Sea Eagles fly past Bulldogs". National Rugby League. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Tom Trbojevic wins 2021 Dally M Medal to cap off stunning NRL season". ABC News. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Cowboys v Sea Eagles". National Rugby League. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "Records keep falling for Reuben Garrick in superb season". Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  15. ↑ 2021 Try of the Year: Tom Trbojevic, retrieved 21 October 2021
  16. ↑ "Storm v Sea Eagles". National Rugby League. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "Sea Eagles v Roosters". National Rugby League. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  18. ↑ "'Flat track bullies' Manly ripped after 42-6 finals win". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  19. ↑ "Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles". National Rugby League. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  20. ↑ "Tom Trbojevic sets new Club record for Most Tries In A Season". Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  21. ↑ "Draw". National Rugby League. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Draw". National Rugby League. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  23. ↑ "Tom Trbojevic wins Sea Eagles top award for 2021". Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  24. ↑ McMurtry, Andrew (27 September 2021). "Turbo's 'absolutely crazy' win defies logic". news.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
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