Fainu speaks out for Manager

Rising Manly star Manase Fainu has plenty to worry about at the moment, with his freedom - let alone his football career - in limbo. Fainu is fighting charges relating to an alleged stabbing and is now out on bail - but he reached out to Wide World of Sports this week. Not to protest his own innocence, but to plead for the reinstatement of his manager Mario Tartak. Tartak, who was instrumental in getting Fainu out of jail, has been suspended by the NRL over a bankruptcy claim and is not allowed to deal with players. But Fainu is desperate to see Tartak get his accreditation back. "Mario has helped me a lot, been through court and put his own problems aside and worked on me just to get out of jail. That's the type of person he is, putting others before himself," Fainu said. "He has helped me get my life sorted after football, because money gets chucked at us footy players and normally us Polynesian boys just go spend and buy the latest cars and shoes, but he spoke to me with my parents and told me start saving and buy properties. "He is more like a family member to me than a manager and I feel for him - he is going through hell." Meanwhile, Fainu is putting on a brave face as he fights his own legal battles. "I know a lot of the fans are asking about me," he said. "Tell them I'm coping well, surrounding myself with family and friends … I go to training at Manly to hang around the boys and get my mind off things and I am doing OK considering the circumstances."

Pressure on the big three with depth to be tested

The Sea Eagles will have to rely on individual brilliance from Daly Cherry-Evans and the Trbojevic brothers if they’re to reach the finals — as unlikely as that is. When the big three are at the top of their game Manly is extremely difficult to beat. But like last year, they don’t seem to have a support cast capable of stepping up when their involvement is down. It will certainly help their cause if class back Dylan Walker is cleared of his pending domestic violence charges, as he offers another point of attack. But if the former Test player is found guilty of assaulting his partner,
Manly’s lack of depth in the back five could be badly exposed. They released Brian Kelly to the Titans, Moses Suli isn’t known for being reliable (sacked by the Bulldogs and Tigers because of a poor attitude), and the likes of Brad Parker and Brendan Elliot are hardly world-beaters. They will have to try and penetrate teams through the middle with their sizeable and mobile forward pack, and wily hooker Api Koroisau. Former Titans five-eighth Kane Elgey is a key signing. Cherry-Evans has long been crying out for a halves partner capable of picking up some of the playmaking slack to allow him time to pick his moments. If Elgey can take some ownership of the team, DCE will be far more dangerous and the Sea Eagles will be a more competitive unit.

Sea Eagles: 2019 Round 1 predicted team

Manly Sea Eagles: 2019 Round 1 predicted team: Tom Trbojevic, Jorge Taufua, Dylan Walker, Moses Suli, Brad Parker, Kane Elgey, Daly Cherry-Evans, Addin Fonua-Blake, Api Koroisau,
Martin Taupau, Curtis Sironen, Joel Thompson, Jake Trbojevic, Manase Fainu, Jack Gosiewski, Lloyd Perrett, Kelepi Tanginoa