By MARK CASHMAN

Manly head coach Matt McGoldrick reckons it’s the best investment that the Marlins have made in years and he’s already seeing the benefits on an almost daily basis.

It’s not a surging start-up on the Aussie ASX or even a nice piece of property on Sydney’s increasingly exclusive lower northern beaches.  

It’s a humble shed at the Marlins’ training base at Kierle Park just minutes drive north of Manly Oval and the Village Green!

The club has turned the 1950s style dressing sheds on the land that was reclaimed from a swamp at the back of the Queenscliff Lagoon in the 1920s by property developer and then Mayor Arthur Kierle, into a no-frills footy style gymnasium drawing on the trade skills of many of the club’s supporters and players.

“In all my time at Manly we haven’t had a space that the players could call their own and this is just that,” McGoldrick said.

“There’s nothing too flash about the decor and the equipment, it’s just a place that you can go to and become a better rugby player.

“One of the great things about it is that we are all together in the one place and we’re not all over the place doing the work.

“I just know that you are more likely to finish off a set of squats or bench presses surrounded by the guys you are playing with than with your girlfriend at Fitness First .

“It’s a place where our players can get work done, learn how to lead on a hands on way and collect those one percenters that add up to real change.

“They’ve really taken ownership of it which has been great. 

“Just today on our WhatsApp group there was something about one of the players wanting to get his weights out of the way early on Saturday at 5.30am and immediately a number of guys jumped in.

“That’s great to see.”

The Marlins finished 2020 in ninth place with four wins of a draw in their Shute Shield campaign that was marked by a succession of season ending injuries to a number of first graders in critical positions.

Without a doubt the highlight was the 39-19 win over Warringah in the big northern beaches derby at Manly Oval in Round Eight but they were out of finals contention a number of weeks from the cutoff.

“In many ways we were just glad to get the season out of the way with everything that went on in 2020,” McGoldrick added.

“Like any club some players have moved on to different challenges and some like Mick Adams have retired, but that happens.

“So our recruiting has been driven by getting people in who will add to the club not only on the field but off it as well.

“The teams that played finals footy generally had big packs with a No.9 and 10 who were able to control the tempo of games and that has driven our recruitment strategy.”

The major features of that are Tevin Ferris, a No.7 who missed out on a contract at the Western Force, the No.8 George Noa and a big bodied lock from the Rebels system in Victoria in Mana Koko.

There has also been a major addition to the coaching group with Nathan Grey, recently of the Waratahs and Wallabies, coming on board as defence coach.

“Greysie’s been great and will on tap and on hand when his coaching commitments with Rugby Australia permit,” McGoldrick said.

“‘Hux’ (Julian Huxley) has also been with us a year now and he’s a better coach for that.”

There is also the group that the club has contracted at the Waratahs in Sio Tatalo, Max Douglas and Dave Porecki.

All things going well the Marlins are unsure of much they will see of the trio but McGoldrick says having Super Rugby and Wallabies at the club is essential for growth.

On field sessions started at the end of January and numbers have been good across grade colts and the club’s women’s program with Yool Yool looking good and Hunter Ward bigger and faster than last year.

IMAGE: ADAM MCDONALD