Unfortunately for Marlins fans, it was a familiar story at Manly Oval in 2018. After showing promising signs throughout the regular season, three draws in the final six rounds saw Manly drop to fourth place heading into the playoffs, where they were beaten by Warringah and Sydney Uni consecutively. Coach Billy Melrose knows that last year’s finish wasn’t good enough and has spent the summer preparing a new look Manly side for what may be their toughest challenge in recent years. Overview with Billy Melrose: “Everyone is feeling good at this point of the year, it’s the same at every club because we’re all winning the comp,” Melrose said. “Looking back at last year, ultimately it wasn’t good enough. We’ve been so close for so many years now but we haven’t been able to get the end result. Sydney Uni were the outstanding team last year and that really showed through the finals. “It’s not rocket science to work out that you need to be in form and be