'I called him over the weekend': Tom Trbojevic lifts lid on apology to Anthony Seibold after Manly axing

Sea Eagles captain Tom Trbojevic admitted the players "feel responsible" for the premature exit of head coach Anthony Seibold.

After a winless 0-3 start to the season, Seibold was sacked by Manly on Friday despite having until the end of next year on his contract.

It's the second time Seibold has been relieved of his duties as an NRL coach after his disastrous tenure at the Broncos was brought to an early conclusion.

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Manly missed the finals last year and Seibold was under pressure before a ball was even kicked this season, with three-straight losses at Brookvale Oval the nail in the coffin.

Speaking to media on Monday, captain and fullback Trbojevic revealed his phone call with Seibold over the weekend and why the onus is on the squad to fix it.

"We aren't playing the footy we want to and I feel for Seibs," he said.

"As a playing group, we feel partly responsible for where we are sitting and for that decision to be made, so I'm disappointed.

"Obviously, there was noise there, but we just really wanted to focus on winning football games and making that noise go away ... unfortunately, we couldn't do it.

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"We definitely feel responsible and accountable for where we sit and for the outcome.

"I called him over the weekend and it was just an apology to a degree, letting him know that I'm sorry as a playing group that we couldn't put in the performances that we wanted to for him, the club and for everyone and this was the outcome."

Trbojevic also conceded that the well-documented lack of stability at Manly came down to a lack of on-field success in recent years.

Off-season recruit Jamal Fogarty was also tasked with facing the music and admitted it was difficult to see Seibold gone just three games into the year.

"That's above my pay grade, but if I was the owner of an organisation, I'd like to see him have an opportunity to turn it around," the halfback said.

"We've probably been underperforming, especially the Newcastle game. We were so far off what we know we have here as a squad and as a player, you've got to own that.

"It's disappointing that we let our coach down and now he's not here anymore."

Seibold's exit has opened the door for club great Kieran Foran to take over as interim coach, with the opportunity for it to become a permanent appointment.

Trbojevic believes his former teammate has what it takes to succeed in the role.

"I think he's just going to coach the way that he played the 300-and-something games that he did. He's going to give everything he can to being a coach and helping us be the best team we can be," the Sea Eagles superstar said.

"Every time he stepped on a footy field, he died for that jersey that he wore. It's no different when he wore a Manly jersey, and it'll be no different now as a coach.

"He's the ultimate competitor and he will lead us well. I think definitely his greatest attribute was his work ethic and his competitive nature and what he did to win.

"I'm sure he's stepping into a bit of an unfamiliar role, but that's just the person he is. He goes after everything, and I'm sure he's going to do a great job for us."

Manly will take on the Dolphins in round five at Redcliffe Stadium.