An open letter from Tony Mestrov, CEO Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
'I am writing to you from the CEO’s office. One of the best parts of any given day since sitting in this chair is looking out the window at our players training hard on the oval we know as 4 Pines Park.
It’s a spectacular view. And by that I mean the fierce running, silky ball-work and drills, hard tackling, and the passion and commitment with which our players and coaching group are going about it.
There is an obvious camaraderie shown in their smiles (between sweaty grimaces) and genuine encouragement of each other. They look happy and united. And they look fit!
I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone: our members, sponsors, supporters and every MWSE staff member, as we head into the 2023 NRL season.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are in good shape. Club membership has reached a record number of 13,385, sponsorships are growing, we have a focused coaching group, we have an exciting mix of senior and junior players and we have a clear plan to be a successful business operation.
We are aligned from the board room to the ball boys and ball girls.
In the past couple of weeks, it has been pleasing to see our senior coach, Anthony Seibold, fine tune the group with two promising pre-season trial wins.
Our club’s depth of young talent was on show in the impressive 28-16 win over the Sydney Roosters last Friday, which backed up the 30-28 comeback win over South Sydney a week earlier.
Those performances were enough to earn the club the $100,000 prize-money cheque for winning the inaugural Pre-Season Challenge. Part of the proceeds ($10,000) will be donated to charity (Bear Cottage), which is news we shared at our MWSE official season launch on Wednesday.
Other than the momentum of two pre-season wins, I am delighted by the spirit around the club – both on and off the field. As you know, there have been changes since last season ended. In many ways, these are new beginnings. We have committed to each other to make it work. We have done it for the club, and for the people who love the club – for you.
Flanked by his coaching group, including Shane Flanagan and Jimmy Dymock, “Seibs” looks like a man on a mission. The players look like they are ready for that mission.
I am buoyed by the many messages of support. Since becoming CEO six months ago, it has been an honour to reconnect with so many fans and past players at the club I once proudly played for.
It has also been great to meet many of our corporate partners, sponsors, and the families of our current playing list. I personally thank you for your unwavering support. This famous club represents so much for so many, and has done since 1947 when it first joined the NRL.
As a newly formed coaching and management group, we acknowledge we are only the latest custodians of this club, and we invite members and supporters to share feedback with us.
Finally, I hope to see as many of you as possible at our first game – at home – against Canterbury Bulldogs on March 4.
Be quick, it’s looking like a sell-out!
Thanks again to every member of the MWSE family'.
