2014 Season Preview: Manly Marlins

by Paul Cook –

After featuring in finals football for the last five years – and making the Preliminary Finals in the last three – it’s time for Manly to go at least one step further and contest their first Grand Final since 1997, the last time they lifted the Shute Shield.

That’s the mantra coming out of the Village Green as the Marlins look ahead to this year’s competition, and after an off-season where they have retained all of last year’s 1st grade squad while adding a sprinkling of talent in key areas, the signs are that they should be serious contenders once again.

Coach Phil Blake begins his first full season in his second stint at the club, after returning midway through last year to replace France-bound Tim Lane. Rugby News got his thoughts on the months ahead for the Marlins, the introduction of the NRC and more…

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Rugby News: Phil, you came in part way through the season last year and off the back of a few bad results for the Marlins – were you pleased with where the side finished up?

“I think it was ok, you’re never pleased not making the last week of the competition because over the last three or four years, Manly had made the second last week so we need to push through that barrier and that’s been a huge focus for us since the last time we got together through to the start of the competition this week.”

Were you satisfied by the end of the season that the team were producing – for the most part – what you intended when you came on board?

“Yes and no in certain aspects. I hadn’t done the hard yards with them [when I came in] and we didn’t have the time with them in an off season to implement my thoughts or structures because it’s hard to go in there midstream and change everything up. We’ve worked on certain things this off season and hopefully, that will stand us in better stead at the back end of the year when the more important games come around.”

Phil Blake is in his second stint in charge of the Marlins
Photo: SPA Images

You last coached Manly in 2010 before your return, have you noticed any differences in terms of the personnel around the place or the club itself  to your first stint in charge?

“Not really. It’s always been in good hands, it’s a good environment and the kids love their football. Some people are the same and there’s a lot of new people from when I was here last. Some have moved on into Super Rugby, a lot of kids are coming through the colts system but as a club we’re in a pretty healthy situation. It’s a great place to be a part of and not much has changed apart from the year is now 2014 and they seem to be going quicker!”

We saw with performances such as the last minute loss to Sydney University towards the end of the year what the team was capable of, it is about doing that consistently now?

“That’s always been the problem. If you want to be there on the last week of the year, you’ve got to get the job done when the stakes are high and when the pressure’s high. You’ve got to learn to deliver in the key moments and that’s probably something we haven’t done in the past three or four years, the big moments have probably got the better of us. On any given day we’re capable of beating anyone and we’ve had some fantastic results over the last few years but sometimes we’ve been pretty poor too.”

The Marlins have been to the semis in three of the last five years, what’s it going to take to go that extra step?

“The way we ended last year was terrible, not only for 1st grade but as a club. We had three sides that lost on that second last weekend so we had some things that we addressed as a club and we continued to address them throughout the preseason and hopefully we’ll be in a better place when that time comes again.”

There’s an earlier start to the competition this year, a couple of extra rounds and a six team finals series – are you happy with the changes?

“I’m not a big fan of six teams in a semi-finals to be honest. I don’t like the fact that you can play all year and be very successful and on the first week you happen to lose and your semi-final campaign is over. There’s got to be greater emphasis on making the top three and that hasn’t happened. I don’t know why we’ve appeased sides that finished 6th, 7th or 8th in the past, I’d rather see a top four or a top five at worst and if you get in the top two but happen to stumble, you still actually have an opportunity rather than seeing one game or one bad half of football end a season off the back of it. I’m a fan of seeing the sides that have had a consistent year and are on the verge of having a fifty/fifty win/loss ratio making the semi finals.”

Manly: Ins & Outs

The NRC looms on the horizon, what are the pros and cons of this competition for club rugby?

“All I know is that Sydney club rugby is the premier third tier competition in Australia, probably just slightly ahead of Brisbane, and they need to put time and resources into it. A big part of that is not having kids warehoused in Super Rugby franchises playing in inferior competitions around the country where they are not learning anything and they’re not getting any valued game time. Some of them are there for three years and they don’t learn much, haven’t played much and aren’t conditioned to play, not only Super Rugby but 1st grade club rugby.”

With the Super Rugby final only two weeks before the Shute Shield grand final this year, those clubs with Super Rugby players will have less access to them depending on the relative success of each state. Can we expect a more level playing field across the regular season as a result?

“Well, apples are apples all season and then you come to the end of the year and all of a sudden, it’s apples versus oranges and that’s certainly not fair for anyone. Some sides benefit from having players representing New South Wales because it’s their home state and they can come back and play club rugby. For a side like ourselves, we have kids in Melbourne, the ACT and Perth who aren’t allowed to come back and play, so again, you’re playing with two sets of rules and I don’t think that’s fair.”

Blake tips Marlins captain Ed Gower for
a standout year ahead – Photo: SPA Images

What trends, if any, do you think we might see appearing in the way the game is played or approached by teams this year in regards to law interpretations – particularly at the breakdown?

“There are sides that are good – not so much in regards to their work ethic – but sides that always compete well. If you’re undisciplined it’s going to cost you on so many different fronts so the laws haven’t changed that much in regards to the breakdown. They have changed dramatically in the hit when it comes to the scrum so that’s obviously going to have an effect on certain sides. From what I’ve been told, even Super Rugby sides are still trying to get their head around the engagement in regards to striking or non-striking. We just train in regards to what you can and can’t do and you just hope that at the end of the day, the boys make the right decision under the pressure of playing football in the heat of the moment, and that they actually know the laws.”

Players to watch out for in 2014?

“I know he’s been around for a while but I’m expecting Ed Gower to go well this year. He’s looking a powerhouse and he’s really just starting to come into his own. He reminds me a bit of Scott Fardy. He’s a seasoned first grade footballer, he’s built like a man and really, he just needs to be given an opportunity. There are 20-25 second rowers in Australian Super Rugby and it astonishes me that he’s not amongst them. In the couple of trials we’ve had already he’s really looking fantastic, he could have a huge impact for us this year.”

Finally Phil, what is a successful season for Manly this year – finals footy again or that elusive title?

“For us, if we don’t make the final weekend it would be considered a poor season to be quite honest. We’ve been knocking on the door for four or five years now and we’ve had some good wins throughout the season but mixed fortunes come semi-finals time but it’s time to break through the ceiling. I understand that it’s very hard to win a competition but if you’re not there in the final two sides you can’t win it, that’s just the harsh reality of it all. We have to get through that elusive second week and get to the final and see how we go there.”