Star player Jamal Fogarty has expressed his discontent with Manly's choice to dismiss coach Anthony Seibold, deeming the decision unfair and suggesting that the Sea Eagles' management should have provided the coach with additional time to revive their struggling NRL season.
During a press conference attended by chief executive Jason King, Fogarty shared his surprise at the coach's termination, especially since Seibold had been instrumental in his transfer from Canberra just three games into the current season.
Despite a rocky start for the Sea Eagles, Fogarty has performed well, but he emphasized that the players also bear responsibility for Seibold's exit.
"It's pretty disappointing that we let the coach down and now ultimately he's not here anymore," Fogarty stated.
"[It's] above my pay grade, but if I was the owner of an organisation, I'd like to see him have an opportunity to turn it around."
He added, "He's not out there missing tackles or knocking the ball on and stuff like that."
The Sea Eagles have previously shown resilience in overcoming slow starts to their seasons.
In 2021, for instance, the club lost its initial four matches yet bounced back to reach the preliminary finals, largely thanks to Tom Trbojevic's exceptional form.
"We still have 21 games to go to turn the season around. I thought to be sacked after three is pretty harsh," said Fogarty.