Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler should be sending the Wests Tigers an early Christmas card for without Wests Tigers and their ongoing remission into mediocrity, the Sea Eagles would be the team under the biggest microscope leading into round three.
On Sunday night, Manly host the Canterbury Bulldogs in their first match back at 4 Pines Park.
The Sea Eagles are also 0-2 – alongside Wests Tigers.
If this was the same time last season, you’d be putting your house on the Sea Eagles to bounce back and put a score on the battling old Bulldogs.
But the Bulldogs are not the same outfit they were last year.
Tipping Manly this weekend was tougher for most than they thought it would be.
There is an argument from Sea Eagles supporters that, yes, they have played the Penrith Panthers and the Sydney Roosters in the opening weeks of the season.
They battled away against the Panthers but were consumed, eventually, by a clinical monster.
Last week they were outplayed by the Roosters who were coming off an ordinary performance against the Newcastle Knights where they went down 26-12.
If Manly fans are so confident in their team, they should have little trouble against the Bulldogs who are coming off a wooden spoon and a 15th placing in 2020.
So what’s happened to Manly so far this year?
“We have been getting the ball in the spots where we don’t want it,” superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic told press on Wednesday.
“Our focus is winning that field position and battle and getting the ball in better positions.
“It’s more where we are getting the footy, often it’s in the corner where you’ve got no chance to run and we’re landing on our fronts when we catch.”
The best sides in the NRL have backup plans for situations like that.
Everybody saw what the Sea Eagles did last season with momentum.
Opponents have clicked on.
It looks like Manly haven’t prepared for that.
Did they expect rivals to just let them begin their attacking sets wherever they wanted?
When Billy Slater became the most dominant fullback on the planet, opposing halves started kicking the ball dead-in-goal.
Craig Bellamy and the Storm found a way.
The Roosters had the same problem when James Tedesco took the crown as the game’s best fullback and even then, he got better.
If teams continue to navigate Trbojevic then this might just be Hasler’s biggest test as a coach.
Manly desperately needs to win on Sunday.
A loss and an 0-3 record sets up a precarious three weeks against three respective mystery-box opponents.
In round four they play Canberra in Mudgee before an away trip to the surprise packet Knights and then a home clash against the Gold Coast Titans.
There are some other questions about the Sea Eagles.
Martin Taupau’s quiet starts and lack of game time.
And a growing elephant in the room – Jake Trbojevic’s lack of punch through the middle in the opening rounds of the season.
While Jake is still an integral leader, defender and ball-player within the Sea Eagles organisation, his numbers are shrinking.
In two rounds of the 2022 season, Jake Trbojevic has run 26 times for a total of 169 metres at an average of 6.5 metres a charge.
At his best, defenders needed to stand off in case the former Kangaroos and Blues lock decided to dummy and go himself. If this goes on, the opposing defensive line should be able to sit back and keep their structure knowing he isn’t going to threaten the line.
The point is, everything could change on Sunday.
Manly might snap out of their sluggish start.
But Canterbury won’t make it easy.
And then who knows where the Sea Eagles are after three rounds.
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