A host of promising local juniors are among the first group of players back on deck for pre-season training at the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, highlighting the Club's continued commitment to developing its own talent and building for the future.
The 19-strong group is brimming with youth, with the vast majority either products of the Northern Beaches junior rugby league community or players who have progressed through Manly's pathways system.
For many, it marks an exciting new chapter in their football careers, with their first opportunity to train as contracted players within the Sea Eagles' NRL squad.
It is also a reflection of the growing strength of the Club's pathways program, which continues to provide talented young footballers with a pathway from local junior league through to the professional ranks, with the ultimate ambition of one day representing Manly in the NRL.
Following an initial day of fitness testing and player orientation, day two provided a far more rigorous introduction to the demands of an NRL pre-season.
An early start at the Club's Penn Centre of Excellence included team meetings and medical assessments before the physical work began.
Weights first, followed by a session on the mats, recovery, lunch, then a trip from Brookvale to the Academy of Sport at Narrabeen for their first field session of the new pre-season.
Joey Walsh is one of only a handful of Manly's NRL top 30 players in the opening group of returning players. Just two years ago, like many of the young faces around him, Walsh was also experiencing his first pre-season at the Sea Eagles.
The 20-year-old Curl Curl junior is now entering his third season at the Club after playing nine NRL games in 2026 and recently extending his contract through to the end of 2029.
Other top 30 players reporting for duty in week one include Simi Laiafi, brothers Onitoni and Ashton Large, and winger Navren Willett.
Alongside Walsh, a number of other Northern Beaches juniors were among those getting their first taste of pre-season field work at Narrabeen.
Many of the players in this opening group are on train-and-trial contracts and are experiencing NRL pre-season training for the first time.
These young players have spent a number of years together in Manly's development programs and junior representative teams, having played in either the Harold Matthews Cup (under 17s) or SG Ball Cup (under 19s) competitions.
Among them are Narraweena Hawks juniors Sifa Oldfield and Tamoko Berryman-Duff.
Oldfield is an 18-year-old edge forward coming off a strong season in SG Ball after captaining Manly's Harold Matthews Cup team in 2025. He remains eligible for a second season in SG Ball in 2027.
Berryman-Duff is a talented hooker and utility who progressed through the grades in 2026. After completing a full season in SG Ball, the 19-year-old made eight appearances in the Jersey Flegg Cup before earning his NSW Cup debut late in the season.
Other local juniors rewarded with train-and-trial opportunities include Max Davies, Oscar Crotty, Freddie Benson-Sparks, Tom Longland and Carlito Vesely.
Benson-Sparks, Longland and Vesely all played their junior football with the Harbord Devils and have been well entrenched in Manly's pathways program over recent years.
Benson-Sparks is a promising 19-year-old prop who made his NSW Cup debut for Manly in 2026 after progressing through the Club's Harold Matthews, SG Ball and Jersey Flegg teams.
Longland and Vesely, both just 17, are versatile outside backs who were regular starters in Manly's Harold Matthews Cup team in 2026. Both remain eligible for SG Ball representation in 2027 and 2028.
Davies is another talented outside back earning an opportunity through the train-and-trial system. The 19-year-old centre played his junior football with the Narrabeen Sharks and attended Pittwater High School. He was a regular starter in Manly's SG Ball team in 2026, which lost just one match during the regular season.
Also returning in the opening week of pre-season are several players on Supplementary List contracts, including Hugo Hart, Andes Johannson and Tyler Melrose.
Another player on Manly's Supplementary List and a new face at the Club heading into 2027 is promising edge forward Max McCarthy, who joins the Sea Eagles from South Sydney.
For these young footballers, the opening week of pre-season represents an important first step.
For the Sea Eagles, it represents a further investment in the next generation of local talent, reinforcing the Club’s pathways and its commitment to developing home-grown players.
