The Manly Sea Eagles have had a very tough few months to start their 2015 season, in fact it goes back further than that to halfway through their 204 season. Glenn Stewart left the club after not being offered a contract to remain with the Sea Eagles as they couldn't afford to make him a suitable offer, saving money they hoped would be later used on a certain halfback. They then lost Anthony Watmough to the Parrmatta Eels in similar circumstances, except Watmough wasn't happy with the treatment of his homie and the wheels were set in motion.

So they lost two core players who were partially responsible for the rise of Manly over the past decade, but this got a whole lot worse when that certain halfback and his halves partner both signed deals with rival clubs for 2016. Not ideal; throw into the mix that winger Jorge Taufua is battling off-field issues and there's an injury cloud that is setting up shop right above a uber sandy Brookvale Oval. Pretty shit all round isn't it.

Throughout all of this, we heard how tough Manly were and are. They somehow remained competitive last season despite rumours of a disgruntled group of players and there's still constant whispers that coach Geoff Toovey is on the outer. We now have the Manly Sea Eagles rooted to the bottom of the NRL ladder, rather strange territory for a team who have, along with the Melbourne Storm, been the teams of the past 10 years.

In the era of the salary cap, it's a given that NRL clubs go through ups and down, that's just how professional sport rolls. Sure, the Sea Eagles could have managed things a whole lot better; having Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran off contract at the same time was pretty stupid but there are going to be periods where the talent just simply isn't there. But cool ya jets, there's no reason why Manly can't limit the damage and not suffer the lows that other clubs do. 

Take one look at the side named to play the Penrith Panthers this weekend, look at the names and rewind yourself back to 2013. If you told me that a side like this will be rolled out by the Sea Eagles, I would have done a sloppy poo in my pants because it's the complete opposite to what Manly have been. They have always had super solid NRL players who have been around the game for a while, they have always known what the NRL is about but now Manly have a group of youngsters who have been tasked with turning things around. 

This group of youngsters should offer hope, not depression. Tom Trbojevic made his debut last weekend, scoring two tries in the process and is the main man to take over from Brett Stewart when he retires. He's got to do his thing on the wing until then, but with Brayden Williame and Peta Hiku in the centres, the Sea Eagles have three young players who could have long NRL careers on Sydney's northern beaches. We can't forget about Clint Gutherson who suffered a season ending injury in week one, he is a highly touted young outside back as well. That's four lads who have promising futures, something I'd be pretty happy to have and all but Gutherson will get decent game time this season.

Cheyse Blair has a wing spot at the moment but is off contract next season, which makes the life and times of Jorge Taufua crucial. A backline of Trbojevic, Taufua, Hiku, Williame and Gutherson is pretty impressive and that's what Manly has to aim for once the likes of Steve Matai and Jamie Lyon start to wind down. Until then they can wet their tastebuds and offer a environment where the young players can continue to learn.

The forward pack is equally as interesting. Everyone except Willie Mason could have a medium to long term future with the club, if that's the direction the club wants to go. Luke Burgess is 28 years old and there's no reason to think that he can't be the veteran of this group of forwards, leading the likes of Jamie Buhrer (25 years), Tom Symonds (26), Dunamis Lui (25), Jesse Sene-Lefao (25), Ligi Sao (22), Justin Horo (28) and Jake Trbojevic (21). That's their forward pack for this week and it's a group of young/ish forwards who are approaching the primes of their respective careers. 

They've even got the Trbojevic brothers to replace the Stewart brothers.

Take one look at this side and think back to the Sea Eagles 10 years ago. All those players who created that culture within the Sea Eagles were young, they were figuring out what the NRL was all about and they had a few wise heads to guide them. That's exactly the situation right now, they have players who have been exposed to Manly's values and now it's their turn to run with it. The likes of Stewart, Lyon, Matai and Matt Ballin are all still there and will be for the next few years which will help this group continue to grow and find their identity.

You're going to bring up the halves, which is cool but Manly have always found a way. When they lost Matt Orford, in came some bloke we had never heard of in Trent Hodkinson. When he left, they brought in another bloke we hadn't heard of in Daly Cherry-Evans. There are enough halves on the market who could thrive in the system and culture of the Sea Eagles. Their name has been in the mix for both Aidan Sezer and Kane Elgey who currently play for the Gold Coast Titans and I've got no issues with the future of their halves. In fact, I'm excited to see what happens there, I'm excited to see who they give the opportunity to because it's a prestigious role, playing in the halves for Manly.

Looking at Under 20's players is a dangerous activity, I'd rather look at the reserve grade side and look at guys who are gaining experience in and around the NRL. They have a talented halfback in Jack Littlejohn, a promising half/centre in Manaia Rudolph while hooker Jayden Hodges and Michael Chee-Kam are names that should excite Manly fans. Tyson Andrews impressed for the Indigenous All Stars and is a big boy while Blake Leary is a 24 year old who has already played two NRL games with the North Queensland Cowboys. There's plenty to work with.

At some stage the Sea Eagles had to offload some portion of their core group, it was bound to happen and while they did so in dramatic fashion, they did it nonetheless. It's not a bad time to do so either, they are able to give young players opportunities while milking the veteran soldiers of all their wisdom. If they can manage their roster efficiently, make some nifty signings and most importantly stop the petty boardroom bullshit they could make the top eight at least. That's got to be their 'at least' goal, and making the top eight this year will put them in a good position to build on when their classy halves duo move on.