It was the equivalent of spinning a world globe and travelling to wherever it stopped when Sam Daly decided his rugby career needed a massive change of direction.

The blindside breakaway had just finished up a stint at Plymouth Albion in England's National League 1 competition and was looking for a new challenge and a new destination.

"I was in professional rugby in England and I just felt like I needed a bit of a change," Sam explained.

"I was coming up to 25 and wasn't satisfied with what I was getting.

"My fiancé (Maycee) and I wanted to travel and see the world and we started thinking about how we could use rugby to do that.

"I asked my agent to look around and see what he could do and he said, 'what are you after? Money or lifestyle?'

"For us it was definitely about lifestyle and experiencing something different.

"I've never been to this side of the world or even to the southern hemisphere, but we got in touch with Chris (Delooze) and here we are."

Asked his immediate reaction after landing in Manly, Sam replied: "Amazing. The sunshine, the beaches… in that first week I proposed to my now fiancé at sunset over at Watsons Bay.

"We will always have special memories of this place."

The rugby is proving pretty memorable as well.

Daly has come off the bench or started in all nine games, scoring two tries and terrorising defences.

"The standard's really good and I am enjoying playing with so many good players," he said.

"There are some hugely talented individuals in and around the Shute Shield, including at the Marlins, and I'm surprised they're not playing at an even higher level."

Away from the field, the Englishman is something of a coffee aficionado.

He knows his Ethiopian Harrar beans from his Venezuelan Cucuta and has landed a job at the Showbox café, just down the road from Manly Oval in Whistler St.

"I heard about Showbox and that it was into specialty coffee, so I came in on the second day I got here, knocked on the door and said, 'I'm here, I'm available, I'm experienced'.

"I came in on a Wednesday for a trial shift and had my first shift on the Thursday.

"The expense is the only downside to living in such a beautiful area so I need to do five or six shifts a week, but it's a job I love so I'm not complaining.

"Between this and the rugby, it’s been a great way to see a bit of the world and meet some great people."

Big Sam will suit up against the coffee lovers of Eastern Suburbs in Saturday's big showdown at Woollahra Oval.

Head Colts coach Ed Morgan reckons we'll know a lot more about all three Manly sides over the next month.

We sit fifth in 1s, sixth in 2s and fifth in 3s after a hot and cold opening first half of the season.

Morgan said: "We have a tough run over the next few rounds, facing two of the top four teams, including the undefeated Easts (at Manly Oval on Friday night).

"The boys have demonstrated they can score against any team so if we muscle up and demonstrate 80 minutes of defensive starch, we're capable of taking it to anyone."

Always the realist, Morgan acknowledged the competition ladder doesn’t lie.

"We currently sits where we deserve to be on the respective ladders in 1s, 2s, and 3s," he said.

"We've played some outstanding footy at times and put in some really gutsy performances on other occasions.

"We still need to improve our defence and discipline, which has seen us lose too many close games.

"We've contended with a hefty injury list, particularly in the tight five, but have literally dozens of players returning to the fold for the second half of the season.

"We are in a very exciting position to have all teams playing deep into the finals provided we home in on our work on the wrong side of the ball."

The coach was also keen to highlight the grade debuts of Rory Morgan and Joe Dillon to second grade and Seb Bush in thirds.

These are the first Colts players to take the field in the full grade competition in over two years.

"We are delighted they have been rewarded for their hard work, consistency, and determination," Morgan said.

"There was a necessary cultural shift in the approach to hard work and excellence across the playing group and the boys are really starting to lean into this, which will only see further improvements as the season wears on."

After a fortnight's break, the boys will be back in action at Manly Oval on Friday night against three very powerful Easts teams.

It all kicks off with third grade from 5.15pm.

We'll have the BBQ and bar running downstairs and will also open the upstairs clubhouse (drinks at bar prices for adults).

So jump off the ferry/catch a bus/drive or walk down and support the next generation of Marlins.

The Bergelin family needs little introduction to anyone in the Manly rugby fraternity.

But here's one anyway because it's a bloody impressive CV.

The late, great Bernie Bergelin played 331 games over three decades, captaining the side for a record number of first grade matches before turning his hand to coaching.

Bernie sadly passed away in 2011 from melanoma but sons Anthony and Harry proudly followed in his footsteps.

Harry notched up 150 top grade games and Anthony led fourth grade to a memorable grand final win in 2015 and then served three years as president (2017-19).

The boys' mum Deanna saw her two rugby-playing brothers – Adam and Andrew Hill – represent Manly while cousins Phil and Mitchell Cox along with uncle Brian all played for the Wallabies.

Away from football, Bernie was originally a Century 21 franchise holder before starting Bergelin Property around 2000.

Deanna and her children - Anthony, Harry and Laura - have run the show since we lost Bernie and now operate out of their base in Wentworth St, Manly.

The family continues to give back to Manly rugby in so many ways.

"Bergelin Property and our family have now been supporting the Marlins for decades. Our current position as back-of-jersey sponsor has been consistent for around 10 years and prior to that the business has supported financially in other regards such as the foundation and club apparel," Anthony explained.

"More importantly, we have been able to assist many players, and members of the club community, find accommodation and even provide employment in the past to players and partners.

"We’ve always found ourselves meeting many new people arriving at the club and have always enjoyed making them feel at home, especially foreign players and players from the bush.

"Our sponsorship with the Marlins has always been a rewarding experience. We have been entrusted with the sale of homes and investments of club members and also secured the management of a number of rental properties to our expanding portfolio which we are most appreciative of.

"Our major take away from sponsorship is that it really is a two-way street and my advice for other sponsors is to really drive it as the club will always be receptive to ideas outside of the core privileges.

"Although we have been long-time supporters from a sponsorship perspective, what the club has provided for us in our own livelihoods is immeasurable."

We can assure you, the feelings are mutual.

To read more on Bergelin Property, click here: https://bergelin.com.au/