In: Jamie Lyon (St Helens), Jack Afamasaga (Eels), Glenn Hall (Roosters), Michael Bani (Torres Straight), Shane Neumann (Brisbane Easts)
Out: Ben Kennedy (retired), Mitch Creary (retired), Paul Stephenson (Sharks), Kylie Leuluai (Leeds Rhinos), MichaelWitt (Warriors), Nathan Tutt (Redcliffe)
Coach: Des Hasler
Scouting Report
Steady improvers over the last three years, the Sea Eagles have recruited the best player in Super League, Jamie Lyon, but lost one of the toughest of a generation in the retiring but never shy Ben Kennedy.
Lyon, a centre, is expected to be converted to five-eight a la Mark Gasnier and Greg Inglis. Quite what the genuine five-eights in the game think of all these positional converts muscling in on their action - a trend that's increased to near epidemic proportions since Darren Lockyer's successful switch - is anybody's guess, but expect to hear from their union soon, methinks.
Anyway.
If Lyon goes well then Manly may well do the same but I watched the Sea Eagles beat the Warriors at Mt Smart last year and was struck by just what a poor side they were. Not as poor as the Warriors, but poor all the same. I left thinking "neither of these sides will go anywhere". I was half right, with Manly somehow finishing fifth, before going nowhere in the playoffs.
Much the same expected this year, I say, although Laurie Daley reckons they'll finish fifth.
So who you gonna believe?
Coach Des Hasler will almost certainly say
"Steve Menzies is a credit to the game and everyone just wants to boof him. Blah, blah, blah."
Hasler probably won't say
"This game was much better in my day. Players just had better haircuts."
Reasons to be cheerful
Timing should be a strong point as star recruit Lyon has more watches than a ship at sea, having picked up a freebie for a man-of-the-match performance just about every time he laced up the clogs in his two-year Super League stint at St Helens.
Reasons to be fearful
Losing Ben Kennedy is like having your heart cut out with a blunt spoon. But he dropped a pass once with the line begging when I had $20 on him to score the first try, so good riddance, I say.
Prediction
7th. In the eight but lacking the class to contend in the playoffs.
