Mark Geyer Questions Sea Eagles’ Work Ethic Under Anthony Seibold
Mark Geyer has raised questions about the work ethic of the Sea Eagles under coach Anthony Seibold following a convincing victory over the Dolphins on Thursday. The match, held in Redcliffe, saw Manly secure a 52-18 win, marking a strong start to Kieran Foran’s tenure as head coach.
Throughout the first month of the season, there had been hints of what Manly was capable of achieving. However, it was only with Foran at the helm that the team truly unlocked their potential. While Foran expressed his excitement about beginning his coaching journey with such a resounding win, he also acknowledged that some old habits resurfaced during the game.
For the playing group, the atmosphere was noticeably different from previous weeks. Their spirits were higher, and their performance reflected this renewed energy.
Geyer, however, remains skeptical about whether the attitude and resilience displayed by Manly on Thursday were consistent under Seibold’s leadership. “If Manly were a racehorse, the stewards would be calling for a swab. That was just unbelievable,” Geyer said on 2GB’s The Continuous Call Team.
He added, “The Fozball era has begun. This clearly isn’t the same team we’ve seen over the opening month of the competition.”
Tommy Turbo (Trbojevic) was back to his 2022 form, with Jake Trbojevic averaging about three runs this year, but he managed to achieve three runs in the first 10 minutes. Geyer pointed out that the attitude was present, but he couldn’t help questioning the team’s work ethic. “If they could do it on Thursday, then they could’ve done it every week under Seibold, but obviously they didn’t like him as a coach. And they did everything in their power to make sure that he got the boot.”
Foran has been with the team all season, serving as an assistant to Seibold in the first three games. This is his first role since retiring from the NRL last season. It seemed as though Manly’s path to finals football would be long, but Geyer believes Foran has made this goal more achievable.
“This is a team that looks like they could make finals footy if they played like that every night,” he said.
As for the Dolphins, Geyer recognized that they have a significant amount of work ahead of them. “They were woeful,” he continued. “Some of that defense on Haumole Olakau’atu – he looked like a first grader playing against the under 7s. It was just embarrassing for the Dolphins.”
Foran’s next challenge with Manly will be against the Dragons next Friday.
