Things didn’t quite go to plan early in the year for rookie Manly coach Same Lane.

But after bouncing back and finishing the season well, the Marlins appear to be on the rise and seem to be one team almost every opposition coach is talking about as summer approaches.

Overview with Sam Lane: 

“We had a shocking start to the season and we certainly didn’t expect to be winless after seven rounds,” first year coach Sam Lane said honestly. 

“It was good to go through the review though and from that, there’s certainly some controllable things that we could have done better, particularly around our recruitment and when players arrived at the club through preseason. 

“We had a few unlucky injuries, but every team deals with that. 

“It wasn’t what we were hoping for, but at the same time, a lot of teams would have switched off and given up at 0-7 but our guys fought back and got back into the finals race at one stage. 

“For me, it helped me realise that this is what I want to do. Even when we were losing games, I’ve got to say I still really enjoyed the challenge and I think we’re going to learn a lot from it and be in a good position as a club moving forward. 

“We also had a really strong season in the lower grades. It was disappointing that second and fourth grade didn’t win their grand finals, but if you exclude first grade, it was one of the best seasons the club has had in quite some time. 

“Nathan Grey has come on as Director of Rugby and he’s been fantastic already. He has so much experience at all levels of the game and he’s a Manly guy, which always helps. 

“(Former Gordon coach) Harry Fehily has also come on board as defence coach and he and Nathan spent about two hours nutting out our defence the other night. 

“It’s great to have access to smart rugby brains like that.”

What is the focus at Manly between now and round one next year? 

“It’s a funny one because I think we could learn a lot from some of the teams and clubs that had success this year. 

“But at the same time, we need to develop a game style and model that suits our playing group. 

“It might seem silly after finishing 10th, but I don’t think we have to change that much if I’m being honest. 

“We want to fix up our recruitment and make sure we get players here earlier than we did last year and the new coaches will also have plenty of input. 

“But ultimately, it’s just about getting our group connected as quickly as possible so that we have a cohesive group that can hit the ground running from round one next season.”

Which of your players do you think can push on to the next level? 

“We’re going to have a pretty young core group of players next year and a lot of them have had exposure to top level footy in their younger year,” Lane said. 

“Benny Di Staso and Dally Bird are good examples of that, plus we’ll also get Joe Dillon back from the Brumbies. 

“We’ve got another young guy named Billy Dickens who is coming across from Easts. 

“They all have lots of potential and they are all extremely hungry, which makes our job as coaches a lot easier.”

What are you expecting in 2026? 

“It’s going to be interesting because I think the new player points or player cap system is going to take a few years to really have an impact and even out the competition. 

“In the long run though, I think the competition with continue to go from strength to strength. 

“At Manly, we’re going to have a really young, exciting group and we’ll be adding a few experienced heads to help those guys out. 

“A few of our guys are right on the cusp of Super Rugby and I’m hoping that combination of youth and experience works for us. 

“We’re not talking about rebuilding. We want to win, right across the club and I think if we can get some cohesion as a group, then we’ll be in the mix to do that next year.”