'Blood, sweat and tears' pushes Sea Eagles great to front of the line for vacant coaching role

Manly are again searching for a head coach, with Anthony Seibold's departure marking the third leader gone from the club in eight years, joining Des Hasler and Trent Barrett.

Seibold was turfed from the role just three games into a new two-year contract with the Sea Eagles, ending a disappointing tenure with the club.

His exit will open the door for a full-time replacement for 2027 and beyond, but it will be Kieran Foran who gets first crack at fixing Manly's mess as interim coach.

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From dark horses and experienced figures to former players, Sea Eagles officials have no shortage of options - but this is a decision they must get right.

Wide World of Sports looks at the top contenders for the vacant role.

Matt Ballin

Even before Seibold was relieved of his duties, Matt Ballin's name was heavily linked with the club and touted as a future Manly head coach.

Ballin won two premierships with the Sea Eagles and was a club favourite, featuring on 217 occasions in the top grade during a brilliant playing career.

Since hanging up the boots, Ballin started his coaching apprenticeship at Manly, before making the move north to the Broncos, where he was part of the 2025 premiership staff.

The 42-year-old has also been a staple of Billy Slater's team at State of Origin level and according to the Maroons coach, he has what it takes to fill the Seibold void.

"I've got no doubt that Matt Ballin will be in the conversation," he said on Nine's The Billy Slater Podcast on Monday.

"He's a guy that has shed blood, sweat and tears for this organisation. I know how much he cares about the Sea Eagles and we jovially talk about the rivalry we had and those grand finals we played against each other and that stays with you forever.

"He's been at a number of different clubs under different coaches, including the State of Origin arena. He would have picked up things that he thinks will work for his coaching style and he's got a fair bit of experience behind him.

"I've got no doubt that he will be in the conversation. I know how much he cares about the footy club and I know he has a great passion to one day be a head coach."

Ballin has the support of the Manly old boys and appears to be the early front-runner.

Brad Arthur

Perhaps the safest option on this list is Brad Arthur, who has a litany of first grade head coaching experience across stints with Parramatta and Leeds.

Across his decade-long tenure with the Eels that included a grand final appearance, Arthur had a winning record of 52 per cent.

He took the blue and gold outfit to the finals five times before moving on in mid-2024.

Currently contracted with the Rhinos, there's a belief that Arthur would weigh up a move back to Australia for the right position - but so far, he has declined to comment.

Arthur would bring a wealth of experience to the Sea Eagles and is a calm head with a proven track record and given how tumultuous the past few years have been at the club, stability could be high on the list of priorities for Jason King and Scott Penn.

If it's Ballin with his nose in front to start, Arthur is a clear number-two pick.

Michael Ennis

You could say he jumped off a sinking ship at the right time, but Michael Ennis left the Sea Eagles at the end of last year to become assistant coach at another struggling club in the Dragons, who are yet to win a game through four rounds.

Ennis is a premiership-winning player and has undergone a lengthy apprenticeship since retiring a decade ago, holding roles with the Sharks, Raiders, Sea Eagles and Dragons.

When asked about a potential move back to Manly, the 42-year-old brushed it aside.

"I certainly didn't see it coming ... there's been no conversation around it in all honesty," Ennis said on Fox League after the news of Seibold's axing broke.

If you believe in conspiracies, Ennis was wearing a maroon and white tie at the time.

Since joining the Red V in the off-season and reuniting with Shane Flanagan, things haven't exactly gone to plan for Ennis, which could work against him.

While he is regarded as one of the best up-and-coming coaches with a great mind for the game, Ennis is probably a little bit behind Arthur and Ballin right now.

Kieran Foran

He's been thrown to the wolves with 21 games left in the season - but if Kieran Foran can turn Manly's fortunes around, why can't he get the job full-time?

Foran only retired from playing at the end of last season but has clearly shown enough since returning to the Sea Eagles as an assistant coach for the club to put faith in him.

The champion Kiwi playmaker was as tough as they come, loves the Manly club and has the respect of all involved in the game - including the current crop of players.

His appointment has already earned comparisons to Benji Marshall at the Wests Tigers and if results start going their way, Foran could be right in the mix.

"He has still got the opportunity to keep this footy team ... depending on how he performs over the next six months, I think he's well in contention," Slater said. 

Jason Demetriou

The dark horse in the mix could Jason Demetriou, who got a rough go of things at the Rabbitohs after stepping into the unenviable shoes left by Wayne Bennett.

Demetriou took over at South Sydney in 2022 and took the side to a preliminary final in his first year, before they dropped out of finals the following year.

There were extenuating circumstances during Demetriou's stint at Redfern, with a horror injury toll causing constant headaches within the squad.

He has since taken over as Papua New Guinea's coach at international level, while also joining the London Broncos this season.

Demetriou remains a highly-respected coach, so it will only be a matter of time before he's back in the NRL. The Manly job is the only vacancy at the moment, so if he was asked to apply he would have to seriously consider it.

Honourable mentions

Similar to the aforementioned Demetriou, another coach who got a rough trot is John Morris, who took the Sharks to back-to-back finals series before being told his services would no longer be required in the middle of the 2021 season.

Morris is now working alongside Marshall at the Tigers and remains a viable option.

Matt King has done a lengthy apprenticeship at the Sydney Roosters and has worked with the NSW Blues, while Ben Hornby finds himself in a similar boat at South Sydney.

Former coach Geoff Toovey is a left-field candidate that would no doubt bring nostalgia and appease some sectors of the club, but remains highly unlikely.

Paul McGregor, Kevin Walters and Adam O'Brien are all coaches with NRL experience, while current Titans assistant Brian McDermott is well-regarded by many.