Manly coach Anthony Seibold reportedly held several crisis talks with many of his players following another shock loss.
Despite possessing a roster stacked with talent, the Sea Eagles slumped to 11th on the ladder after defeat last Friday at the hands of last-placed Gold Coast Titans.
According to the SMH, Seibold has since held seven-minute chats with his players to detail his concerns.
It is understood players were presented with a document in which Seibold highlighted performance issues.
Seibold’s approach and criticism reportedly did not go down well with all players, creating further friction at the underachieving club.
FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.
This latest development is another chapter to what has been a difficult season for Manly so far.
In addition to the public circus surrounding Daly Cherry-Evans’ decision to leave the club at season’s end, star fullback Tom Trbojevic continues to be hampered by niggling injuries.
Trbojevic will reportedly move into the centres when Manly return from a bye, while speedy winger Jason Saab could be dropped to reserve grade.
Fox League’s James Hooper spoke on the internal issues at the club, stating that Cherry-Evans’ decision “pulled the pin out of the hand grenade”.
“There are a lot of issues. There are a hell of lot going on at the Manly Sea Eagles at the moment,” Hooper said on NRL360.
“The DCE decision has not sat well with Jake Trbojevic. I don’t think those two are ever going to go for a beer or spend a lot of time together in the future.
“(That decision) is having reverberations. You can tell by the way the team are performing.”
MORE NRL NEWS
‘COLD FEET?’: Doubts raised amid Roosters’ DCE rumour as talk ‘goes quiet’
CRAWLS: Proof Flanno living in denial over Kyle; why crazy DCE saga won’t go away
HOOPS: Inside Dogs selection headache as surprise Galvin impact sparks huge dilemma
TEAM TIPS: ‘Don’t think it’s fair’: Brutal Panthers reality as Origin stars set to sit out
Hooper also confirmed that Seibold is falling out of favour with certain players.
“You have Anthony Seibold as the head coach and there are some rumblings about his style. Nothing personal, but just the way he presents the tactical periodisation and all of that thing,” he said.
“The game plans he’s devising, that there are holes in those and that some of the players aren’t entirely invested in all of that.”
“There’s no doubt there is friction,” veteran journalist Brent Read added.
“They are juggling a lot of balls at the moment Manly.”
The Sea Eagles were widely tipped to challenge for a title this season, but halfway through the season, don’t look anything like a premiership threat.
While there have been some strong performances in 2025., losses to the Titans, Eels and Knights (after leading 16-0) have placed massive doubts over their top eight aspirations which in turn has dialled up the pressure gauge on Seibold’s job.
However, despite the struggles, Manly CEO Tony Mestrov has stressed that Seibold is “safe” for now.
“At the moment, Seibs is safe at this point,” Mestrov told the SMH.
“Seibs understands this as well as I do, it’s all about winning games. Seibs is safe at this point.”
