Arch rivals Parramatta, also languishing at the bottom end of the ladder, haven’t a single Origin or top-tier Test player on their books. The Sea Eagles sit only just above them, despite fielding stars such as Daly Cherry-Evans, Martin Taupau, Dylan Walker and Tom and Jake Trbojevic. ‘‘It’s been a hard year,’’ Manly chief executive Lyall Gorman says. ‘‘They happen in footy clubs; everyone has a turn. ‘‘No one is broken in the club. It’s one of those years. Every club has had them. It’s how you address that that defines who you are. Our wagons are well and truly circled.’’ Ties: Manly coach Trent Barrett has been linked with a return to Penrith. Credit:NRL Photos After the latest loss, a heartbreaker in which the Sea Eagles squandered an 18-point lead in record time against Penrith, coach Trent Barrett was a shattered man. Your correspondent can’t remember a more disconsolate figure during his time covering the game.

But the coach wasn’t the only one feeling the pain. ‘‘We had four blokes crying after the loss and the coach wasn’t one of them,’’ Gorman says. The setback has done little to quash speculation Barrett could be a man on the move. In recent months he has been linked with a return to Penrith, a notion that has been vehemently denied by Panthers supremo Phil Gould. Rumours of unrest persist, particularly after Barrett sought assurances from the club in May that he would be properly resourced or be forced to explore other options. The club can’t be accused of over-resourcing its football department. Football guru Bob Fulton hasn’t been replaced and the search for a list manager continues. The staff are housed in demountables at their Narrabeen headquarters, although the modest digs didn’t prevent Des Hasler from leading the side to two premierships. The big advantage Hasler had during his tenure was a strong group of senior players. Glenn and Brett Stewart, Matai, Anthony Watmough, Jason King, Jamie Lyon, Brent Kite and Steve Menzies were just some of the stalwarts that provided a steadying influence during difficult times, something Barrett cannot call upon. ‘‘You look back and I was lucky to play through some great eras, but we had some tough times as well,’’ Menzies says. ‘‘If you look over the last three years, there’s been a pretty high turnover of players. The squad is still relatively inexperienced, you haven’t got a core group. For a long time Manly had seven or eight really experienced guys who have been there for a long time. In tougher games and times, in periods where you’re not going as good, that experience helps.’’

They were also a united group during those the glory years, but fractures have appeared. Sides were taken in the stoush between Cherry-Evans and Jackson Hastings, the latter forced to England despite a growing injury toll. So, too, prop Darcy Lussick, who unloaded on the culture of the club after he was squeezed out due to salary-cap concerns. ‘‘Is the Manly culture there any more?’’ Lussick mused. ‘‘Probably not what it was.’’ Insiders allude to the fact Hastings didn’t enjoy the pranking antics of his teammates, an issue believed to be behind a punch-up between staffers Dan Ferris and Willie Peters last year. DCE, meanwhile, has a history of falling out with colleagues. The dramas raise fresh questions about the culture at Brookvale, but Gorman refutes suggestions there have been a series of incidents this season. ‘‘You’ve just got to work hard on the narrative of our club, its values and culture, which have been somewhat challenged in the public arena around things like match fixing,’’ Gorman says. ‘‘Of course there was nothing evidentiary around that, there was no action about that. Some of that mud sticks in some environments. And the salary-cap matter is the subject of an ongoing appeal.

Loading ‘‘Obviously, Gladstone was very disappointing for our club. What we have to do is reshape the narrative and tell the story of what this club truly stands for. The people within it, the brand and its contribution the very proud northern beaches community. We could have told that story better this year and not let those things have some of the external impact they had.’’ There is not a more volatile environment than Manly’s head office. Gorman has become the eighth chief executive in the post-Northern Eagles era, the latest through a revolving door has claimed Tim Cleary, Joe Kelly, David Perry, Grant Mayer, Graham Lowe, Paul Cummings and Ian Thomson since reformation. Lowe, who left the chief executive’s post for health reasons, feels the club needs a ‘‘big stick’’ and a ‘‘good dose of Ken Arthurson’’ to get it back on track. Penn is spending increasingly more time overseas, but Gorman insists he and his fellow owners remain ‘‘rock solid’’ in their commitment. Indeed, he has rejected a huge bid when the club’s stocks were at their lowest. Only time will tell whether it was a prudent decision.