Manly Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold is optimistic about his team's potential to rebound from a challenging beginning to their 2026 season.
After a commendable effort against the Canberra Raiders, reigning minor premiers-where they fell just short in extra time-the Sea Eagles had a disappointing showing in front of a lively crowd at Brookvale last Sunday.
This match should have provided the Sea Eagles with motivation; however, they struggled to leave an impression against the Newcastle Knights, who played without key players Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown for a significant portion of the game.
The Sea Eagles appeared lackluster in both their attack and defense, allowing Newcastle to capitalize even with millions in salary cap value on the sidelines.
Nevertheless, Seibold remains hopeful about the team's ability to turn things around for the remainder of the season.
"One thing we won't do is panic or change the schedule. We're very well prepared and well planned. I've been 0-2 before and been the top-four side as a coach," he stated in the post-match press conference.
"Look, the really good teams in the competition win at 60%, the good teams win at 50%, and so there's another 22 games to go."
While he maintains a positive perspective on the start, Seibold acknowledged that the team had been outperformed throughout the game.
The Sea Eagles will undoubtedly need to utilize their upcoming bye week to reassess their strategies for future improvements.