7th Tackle: Why Jason King's mum walked away from Manly
There was a very notable absentee from the Brookvale faithful last Saturday - Pam King, mother of former skipper Jason King.
She's been an ardent fan since childhood and rarely misses a game.
Until a few days earlier Pam was working at Sea Eagles HQ, as personal assistant to new CEO Tim Cleary.
The pair had worked side-by-side for years previously, across the road from the stadium at St Augustines College, where Cleary was principal.
Cleary brought her to Manly in late January, shortly after he started. Less than six weeks later she quit; virtually without warning.
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Much has been made this week of the sacking of Kristy Fulton - daughter of football department boss, Bob Fulton.
It's no co-incidence Cleary swung the axe on Kristy in the same week his long-serving PA resigned.
Sacking Kristy sparked an internal war with the club's all-powerful patriarch, and it wouldn't be an understatement to describe it as a battle for survival.
Whoever wins will ultimately be determined by the Penn family, which hired Cleary and had to foot the bill for a $1.7 million loss in 2016.
What's certain is that it will get personal - and ugly.
There's already been attempts to smear Cleary about the family of Eddie Obeid Jnr being invited into a corporate area for the Round One clash against Parramatta.
Obeid Jnr and his family are all Eels fans and approached Cleary for tickets through a third party, who has worked at the Sea Eagles for over a year.