| 2005 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles season | ||||
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The2005 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 59th inthe club's history. Coached byDes Hasler and captained byMichael Monaghan, they competed in theNational Rugby League's2005 Telstra Premiership, finishing 8th (out of 15), just reaching the finals series. The Sea Eagles were then knocked out in their first play-off match by minor premiers, theParramatta Eels.
Manly-Warringah made an unexpected bright start to the2005 season, at one stage leading the competition outright after round seven. However their season was marred early by the dismissal ofJohn Hopoate who was given a 17-match ban for strikingCronulla-Sutherland Sharks forwardKeith Galloway in the round two match.Steve Matai made his first grade debut in that match, a late replacement afterJohn Hopoate was suspended, then sacked by the club. Furthermore, the season overall was dominated by the team's fear of playing matches at night, with most of their defeats occurring under lights. This was pointed out by theChannel Nine commentators prior to its round eight, Friday night match against theBrisbane Broncos atSuncorp Stadium (which was in fact Manly's first Friday night match in six years) which the Sea Eagles indeed lost by a scoreline of 38–12.
Controversial physiologist, Steve Dank was working with the Sea Eagles this season.[1] Manly'sBen Kennedy,Steve Menzies andAnthony Watmough were selected to play in the2005 State of Origin series forNew South Wales.
This season also marked the beginning of the Sea Eagles'rivalry with the Melbourne Storm. In round three, both teams had won their opening two matches leading into an early-season top-of-the-table match which Manly won 25–18. Although Manly's time at the top of the ladder was short-lived, it proved that Manly could compete with the best sides in the competition. In round five, Manly suffered an embarrassing 6–32 loss to the previously winlessSt. George Illawarra Dragons atWIN Stadium, a week after the Dragons were thrashed by theCanberra Raiders in Canberra.[2] Manly were, however, able to beat the Raiders the following week, but failed to dislodge them from top spot on the ladder.[3]
The Sea Eagles suffered a late-season form slump with injuries plaguing the club, however wins over the Broncos in round 22 and theRaiders in the final round ensured their first finals appearance since 1998. They were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs following 46–22 loss to the minor premiersParramatta.
The club's leadingtry scorer wasBrett Stewart with 16. Their leading point scorer wasMichael Witt with 140.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Parramatta Eels | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 704 | 456 | +248 | 36 |
| 2 |  St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 655 | 510 | +145 | 36 |
| 3 |  Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 597 | 484 | +113 | 34 |
| 4 |  Wests Tigers(P) | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 676 | 575 | +101 | 32 |
| 5 |  North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 639 | 563 | +76 | 32 |
| 6 |  Melbourne Storm | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 640 | 462 | +178 | 30 |
| 7 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 550 | 564 | -14 | 28 |
| 8 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 554 | 632 | -78 | 28 |
| 9 |  Sydney Roosters | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 488 | 487 | +1 | 26 |
| 10 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 554 | 554 | 0 | 26 |
| 11 |  New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 515 | 528 | -13 | 24 |
| 12 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 472 | 670 | -198 | 23 |
| 13 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 482 | 700 | -218 | 23 |
| 14 |  Canberra Raiders | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 465 | 606 | -141 | 22 |
| 15 |  Newcastle Knights | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 467 | 667 | -200 | 20 |