Amid growing scrutiny, Manly coach Anthony Seibold has urged for calm, stating that it is premature to evaluate the Sea Eagles' full potential in 2026.
With a crucial matchup against Daly Cherry-Evans' Sydney Roosters on Thursday night, a win has become essential for Manly, who have not experienced three consecutive home game losses since 2004.
Seibold received a two-year contract extension for 2026 and 2027 following his successful tenure that led the Sea Eagles to the finals in 2024, although his position appeared precarious midway through last season.
The intensity of scrutiny surrounding his future has escalated after the team's disappointing performance against Newcastle leading into last week's bye, following a narrow, golden-point defeat to Canberra in round one.
"We're two games into a two-year extension, the club showed a lot of faith in me," Seibold emphasized on Wednesday.
"They signed me for another two years, and I felt a real loyalty to stick around for the players.
"We felt as though we've been really building, and we've developed some young players like Tolu Kola and Lehi Hopoate to name a couple.
"It's early days, we'll get better. We've just got to stay the course. It's really early in the season."
Even though the season is just beginning, Thursday's game remains significant in the ongoing discussion about Seibold's future with the club.