Sea Eagles must back their own
TRENT Barrett has urged Manly fans not to turn their back on his players as the Sea Eagles stare down the barrel of their worst season of average crowds at Brookvale in more than 50 years.
Manly fans were given no clarity on Barrett’s future yesterday, as the coach apologised for being told by the club not to speak on the matter for legal reasons.
Manly play their last home game of the season against the Titans tonight.
It’s the same 6pm timeslot in which they pulled crowds of 4189 and 5715 in their past two home Friday night matches.
In fairness, both those games were against the out-oftown Newcastle, with rain around on both nights.
But Manly’s average crowd at their traditional base of Brookvale this year is just 8880 – on track to be their lowest at the ground since 1966, according to League Information Services. The figures exclude the Northern Eagles’ three years.
And while Barrett conceded not just fans were frustrated by the uncertainty at Manly, he asked the club’s supporters to turn out in numbers for his players after two straight wins.
“It’s not the players’ fault, and you’ve got some players in there who are extremely passionate about the club,” he said. “I’d certainly hate for anyone to turn on the team in the dressing sheds.”