As we farewell another season and look ahead to 2025, Marlins Fillets sat down with president Matt Curll to discuss the past, present and future of Manly rugby.

MF: How would you sum up the 2024 season - firstly on-field?

MC: Our primary goal was to have all 8 teams, including our Mermaids make the finals series. Seven out of the eight teams got there, our mighty Mermaids finished a close second (in their maiden year) and our 2s won the grand-final in the premier competition in NSW. I was really pleased with all this. It is so rewarding for the whole club to win a grand final and the post-match celebrations on Leichhardt Oval between supporters and team were a testament to that.

Week in week out club rugby is a roller-coaster. There is so much happening within the club and from without (Easts*). After 2023 when we had nine sunny dry home games, the weather for home games this year was atrocious, which made the conditions so difficult for the players and made it difficult to run a rugby program and gain momentum with our community on match days. The men and women who played this year on Manly Oval and Keirle Park will certainly be more resilient next year.

I was really pleased with the comradery of the playing group as a whole. The thing about rugby is it helps our players grow in a team environment and have some great experiences, lasting memories and friendships. Many of my close mates are my rugby mates. I am also pleased to see how we make a positive difference to players' lives. A highlight for me on grade final day when a premiership-winning player came up to me and said: 'I was getting into a bit of trouble in life before I came to Manly. Manly took me in and they made me. I am so proud to be playing at Manly. It is my family. Manly is my club.' All I could do in response was give him a hug.

Hopefully everyone who played and helped out in 2024 has a good memory to take away. I am excited as there is lots of opportunity for improvement in our rugby program next year which we can achieve and I can assure you we are completing a review and are looking forward to bolstering our coaching and fitness support program for our players.

I am also making what representations I can to NBC about some infrastructure needs, the priority being to get those lights at Keirle Park replaced before the dead of winter. Fingers crossed. Then there is the new training facility at Keirle Park, female friendly change rooms at Manly Oval and ultimately an upgrade of Manly Oval facilities.

MF: And how is the club looking off-field?

MC: We are heading in the right direction. I am pleased to confirm that we are back in the black this year i.e. we ran at a profit. We can build on this again. My highest priority this year to was to connect with our rugby community and our local community. Even though the weather did its best to thwart this, I am pleased with progress.

Sponsorship was up, sponsors were engaged, the 1883 club house was refurbished and corporate game day experience reimagined, membership was up, merchandise sales were solid, social media improved, the Fillets newsletter was award winning, the golf day was great, the annual lunch at Four Seasons was an epic day out (and a highlight) and my community engagement highlight had to be the Anzac Day Derby where we had 8,000 people.

On this front, I am pleased to say we have locked in Anzac Day for next year and it is on Friday 25 April 2025 - lock that in your diary!

I hope all readers have a good memory of a Manly Marlins experience this year and I would ask that you all come back again next year where we will be bigger and stronger and doing our best to improve your experience!

MF: What are the big learnings from your first year in charge?

MC: I have learnt that the Manly Marlins & Mermaids play such an important role in creating energy and connection in the community.

I have learnt how much goodwill there is in the community and how everyone is willing to do their little bit to help out, whether it be financial, favours, making connections, pushing our barrow, or volunteering. It all counts. Due to capacity issues we needed to focus this year on priorities and stay within our means, but with those basics in place, a year on there is so much to improve on, so much opportunity for the club, many more people to get onboard and so much more fun and entertainment for us all to experience.

MF: It's coming up to 30 years since we last won a Shute Shield. What do we need to do to take that next step?

MC: I think we are getting close. We won second grade and we were not that far off being contenders in first grade. We had an excellent squad and I am pretty sure the boys feel as though there is some unfinished business. There are a few little reasons why we didn't quite get there which when they add up were the difference. We have carried out an extensive post season review and we believe that everything that led to us falling a little bit short can be addressed by us - it is pretty much all in our control. While some clubs have a bigger budget than us and it is a little bit of an arms race out there in terms of securing players (and breaching the salary cap, which we do not) at the end of the day the other teams can only put on 15 players at a time and we are confident if we work on everything we can control and with a tiny bit of luck, we can replicate what seconds did this year and win three finals in a row!

MF: Are you confident this new coaching team can improve on 2024?

MC: Yes absolutely. As indicated, I am fully confident that Sam Lane and the coaching team are across everything we need to improve on.

Equally I am really confident in improvement throughout the entire program which is actually really important in achieving first grade success. We are quietly building on our depth throughout the club, underpinned by a strong batch of local players (30 to 40 players are coming up from colts) and a great whole of club culture. If players are having a great time and want to play for each other, then this will win out, nine times out of ten.

I have every faith that Sam and his team will build on the existing culture and with us improving our coaching, player retention and other fitness support initiatives, I think we are going to be stronger throughout the grades.

My goal is for all teams in the program to go top four. And we are going to win at two team premierships next year. No pressure coaches!

MF: You must be delighted with the Mermaids' progress?

MC: When we signed coach Ben Tuipulotu up at the start of the year, he promised we would be competitive. And weren't the Mermaids just that. They played an exciting brand of rugby that had me down there watching as many of their games as possible, no matter what time they ran on.

Being a brand-new program, it is not without its teething issues and we have completed a complete review of the season. But seriously, making the grand final in your first year, and only just losing in a tight match against what were supposed to be a star-studded Wallaroos outfit, is just an exceptional performance.

The progress we have made has turned a few heads and we are hopeful we can possibly look at a tens team too next year. It is important that the program be sustainable well after Ben has moved through the system and we are working on some priorities there - we have also received some constructive feedback from various people which we are working hard on improving.

Ben is already turning to local juniors running training sessions which we expect to form the basis of an academy program.

MF: Can fans expect any changes to the game day experience in 2025?

MC: I would like to think so. We are going to include some sunshine next year. There are a few people who are in the events space who have some ideas for us.

We definitely need twice as many 'refreshment' stalls on Anzac Day. We would love to be able to run more theme days, be it international jersey day, some various charity-based game day initiatives etc.

The Lions tour provides a great opportunity for us - what about watching the Lions Games live on the big screen!

MF: What's your message to the Manly rugby community as we head into the off-season?

MC: We appreciate all your support this year. To our volunteers, we thank you in particular. You are the heart and soul of the club.

Enjoy spring everyone, don't get too down on the Wallabies in their spring campaign, keep an eye on the Marlins newsletter and social media and get ready to be involved in an even bigger and better season next year under our new head coach Sam Lane.

Finally, we know we can do things better next year. If anyone has any feedback on this year (good, bad or ugly), any suggestions to improve next year and if anyone is interested to explore making a contribution being it advice, a favour, sponsorship, an idea, an interest in helping out in a formal or informal role, please let me know.

I am particularly interested in setting up a sponsorship committee / advisory group immediately so if anyone is interested, please shout out. Please reach out to our GM Greg Marr on manager@manlyrugby.com.au or 0416 070 027 or me on president@manlyrugby.com.au or 0419 653 192.