Anthony Seibold called into question after shock Manly move backfires brutally

Manly coach Anthony Seibold has copped the wrath of NRL fans after admitting his side's questionable tactic to kick on the first tackle against Penrith was pre-planned. The Sea Eagles put up an admirable fight in the 24-12 loss to the two-time defending premiers, but some sloppy moments as well as a controversial refereeing decision that resulted in a Panthers try.

On two different occasions, Manly decided to bring back an outdated tactic not seen in decades after deciding to kick the ball away on the first tackle. Josh Schuster was the first culprit in the opening forty minutes after he took an intercept and raced downfield, before kicking for Brad Parker and ultimately giving up possession, rather than just take the tackle.

NRL LADDER PREDICTOR: Where every team will finish regular season

FINALS WARNING: Darren Lockyer's truth bomb for Payne Haas and Broncos

Rueben Garrick then tried the same tactic in the second half when he retrieved a ball kicked downfield from Penrith on their last tackle. Rather than take the hit-up, Garrick booted the ball up the other end of the field but the bizarre tactic backfired spectacularly as Penrith exploited gaps in Manly's defensive line to put Sunia Turuva through for a try that helped the Panthers take an 18-12 lead.

League world stunned by bizarre tactic

Commentators and fans were left baffled by Garrick's wild play, with many describing it as one of the dumbest things they've seen on a rugby league field. “It’s Reuben Garrick … He thought it was the 80s,” Michael Ennis said in commentary for Fox League. Warren Smith added: “I think that is the last we will see of the kicking duel for another three decades.”

Mat Thompson said on Channel Nine's broadcast: “He’s kicked straight away — it’s a kicking duel. We’re back to 1989. This is the most bizarre passage of play in 2023.” Billy Slater was just as gobsmacked and echoed the sentiment of viewers around the country by pondering: “What just happened?"

Manly coach says 1st tackle kick 'was a plan'

When asked about the crazy moments in his post-match press conference, Manly's coach revealed the questionable tactic was actually a pre-planned attempt to disrupt Penrith's rhythm and keep them pinned down in their own half. “It was a plan,” Seibold confirmed.

“We couldn’t just come here and arm-wrestle them. We spoke about returning serve during the week and we practised it at training, one or two guys missed their job their defensively, otherwise we’re making the tackle down there on Dylan Edwards or whoever got the footy.

“We had to think outside the box because we were missing quite a few troops and we lost another two in the first four minutes of the second half. I was proud of the guys, they showed a lot of courage, and we had to show courage and we were hard to beat tonight. That’s all the Manly supporters can ask that we’re hard to beat. It’s frustrating because I thought we did enough to win but we weren’t quite good enough.”

Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans also confirmed the side did practice the move at training, and suggested it could have worked if the team got their defensive duties right. “It didn’t come off but yes we did practice it,” Cherry-Evans said.

“And as Seibs mentioned before, there were maybe a couple of people who missed their job defensively on the kick. It wasn’t out of the blue for us, we knew it was coming. Defensively and with the ball there were certain moments we just didn’t execute tonight and a good side made us pay.”

Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.