Manly chairman Scott Penn has given coach Trent Barrett his short-term support, but it seems the club boss might need a lesson in the NRL team's recent history.
Penn backed Barrett on Tuesday, saying the club's hefty injury toll, including ongoing issues with halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and captain Jamie Lyon, while centre Steve Matai has been ruled out for the season.
But he also indicated that once Manly were back to somewhere near full-strength this season, he would not be so supportive with Barrett if he fails to turn results around.
"We have used 28 players which is unprecedented," Penn told News Corp Australia.
"I don't think in our history we have played 28 players by halfway through a season."
The only problem for Penn is that it isn't so unprecedented - in fact, it happened just last year - in former coach Geoff Toovey's last season.
Representative players Matai, Lyon, Brett Stewart, Kieran Foran and Jamie Buhrer were just some of the players to miss games early in 2015 due to injury, while Clinton Gutherson and Brenton Lawrence were both ruled out for the season after an opening round loss to Parramatta.
It meant Toovey's Sea Eagles had also used 28 players at the same point in 2015.
The Sea Eagles have slumped to 14th on the NRL ladder in 2016 after recording just four wins from their opening 13 games, and are on track to record their worst attacking record since 1992, averaging just 17.8 points per game.
They have also recorded their worst start to a season in the club's history at Brookvale Oval, with their round three win at the ground - albeit against high-flyers Cronulla - their only victory in six attempts this year.
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