A new year brings new hope and the Manly Marlins have hit the ground running as they look to build on a promising 2023. Adam Lucius sat down with head coach Chris Delooze to talk pre-season training, the playing roster, deeper fan involvement and a special visit to the Penrith Panthers.  

AL: Are you happy with how the pre-season has gone so far?

CD: I'm actually over the moon with where it sits at the moment. The boys have shown up ready to work, the intensity has been great. There's a lot of purpose behind everything we're doing and there is a really good vibe at training. We're working hard, we're learning and we're moving in the right direction.

AL: What's the focus at this stage of preparations?

CD: We're working closely with (head trainer) Dave Kennett. Obviously, he's got some input to what we need from a strength and conditioning point of view. The pre-Christmas block was to bring everybody up to our foundations and the levels that we needed to be at come the start of our return in January.  Everything is on track.

AL: When will the boys hit the playing field?

CD: We play Sevens throughout February and we've got the trial against the Waratahs A on the 17^th at Rat Park. We will play them in the first half and the Rats will play them in the second half. That's incredibly exciting for our players. We have a few boys with points to prove and this is a wonderful opportunity for them.

AL: As with any new campaign, a few players have left and a few have walked in the door. How is the roster shaping up?

CD: You know I don’t like talking about individuals but there are some fresh faces bringing their own new energy and players who are coming back from overseas as well. A lot of players are looking at what Manly did last year and they obviously see that it's a great place to play, they like the brand of footy we play and hopefully we keep inspiring more players to come. We also have a lot of familiar faces from last year and our usual blend of quality locals. They all have one thing in common – improving on what we did last year.

AL: What does that improvement look like?

CD: Making the finals in four grades and coming second in the Jeff Sayle trophy (club championship) last year was obviously something to be proud of, as was winning the third grade Colts premiership. It was a big step in the right direction but there's a lot more to achieve. We sat down as coaches prior to our off-season training block starting and everyone had an input to where we actually want to be as a club, not just in 2024 but beyond. We have new Colts coaches, a new women's coaching staff, some additional S and C (strength and conditioning) staff and they all brought ideas to the table. We're excited about what the future can bring. We want to be Sydney's premier rugby club.   

AL: The fans, members and sponsors will, as always, play a big part. You have established the "24" campaign. Can you tell us more about that?   

CD: What we're trying to achieve at Manly is to have a stronger connection with our entire rugby community. Our purpose as a club is that through great experiences, you create long lasting memories. That entails inspiring our community through the style of rugby we intend to play. We've changed our slogan this year – it used to be Our Town, Our Team but we play at the Village Green (Manly Oval) so it’s now Our Village, Our team. It's a small but significant change. You will hear a lot about "24" throughout the season. It’s not only about the year but also making supporters the 24^th member of our team. Our club values this year are resilience, integrity, community and opportunity. A big part of that is going to be putting some silverware into the locker and we can't do that without a high-performing environment. And a big part of our environment is going to be community and doing it as one club.

AL: You touched on silverware. No one needs to be reminded it’s been 27 years since we last won the Shute Shield. What’s the key to ending the drought?         

CD: We're starting with a clear vision of where we want to be at the end. We don’t want to be riding the win-loss rollercoaster. We've competed for many years but we need to take the next step in that journey, which means getting results (at the end of the season).

AL: You recently spent some time with Ivan Cleary and the Penrith Panthers. What did you learn from that experience?

CD:  On a number of fronts it was an eye-opener. It was a great example of how their values turned into behaviours and how they're celebrated within a professional environment. That was probably one of the best environments I've seen, where players were really enjoying themselves. They had a semi-final coming up after a loss and were without one of their most valued players (Jarome Luai), but it was still one of the most upbeat environments I'd seen. It was very different to the way I've seen other places deliver it. The common theme at these successful clubs is that sense of belonging, that sense of feeling valued, and that connection – not only with your teammates but the whole community.

AL: How did you find Ivan? And does he remember the Marlins from his younger days?

CD: He sure does. He's a beaches boy and obviously has a relationship with our new president (Matt Curll) from way back, so it was a nice discussion to have. He is an incredibly impressive person…just the way he held himself, the calmness in the way he delivered his message and the trust he had in the rest of the organisation to do their job. Hopefully we can build on our relationship because they are obviously doing a lot of things right. 

AL: Finally, we're still a couple of months away from the comp starting but what's your message to Marlins fans?

CD: Just get involved. We obviously want you at games but we want the relationship to go even deeper than that. There are a lot of big events being planned and we want the entire community to come along on the ride. We want to be something bigger than just ourselves. The fans inspire us and we want to inspire them in return.