Des Hasler's eventual successor will need to overturn 76 years of Manly history if they are to find any real joy during their tenure in charge of the Sea Eagles.
Question marks over Hasler's future have continued to rumble on at Brookvale, with owner Scott Penn back in the country and keen to resolve the ongoing issue.
Hasler could make a decision as soon as this week on whether to stay on as head coach, with Manly desperate to set up a succession plan.
The veteran coach's preferred option of Josh Hannay as his long-term replacement now appears unlikely, with Anthony Seibold the firm favourite to take on the role.
One option remains for the eventual successor to come on as an assistant for next season, before taking over as coach in 2024.
But that timeline will depend on whether Hasler is happy with the circumstances, or instead accelerates those plans with his own immediate exit this summer.
The first group of Manly players are due back at training within three weeks, highlighting the need for the club to put a month-and-a-half of headlines behind them and find clarity.
Regardless, Manly's history shows that the next coach will already have a battle on their hands.
Since the Sea Eagles' inception in 1947, only coaches who have previously played for Manly have taken the club to their 19 grand finals.
Otherwise, all nine men who have taken charge without a history of playing at the club have failed to take a Sea Eagles side to a decider before eventually exiting.
It was a lesson Trent Barrett learned the hard way during his turbulent seasons at Manly, and a point Scott Penn raised about Hasler when he announced the coach's return in late 2018.
Now there are no such options that fit that profile on the coaching market.
In Seibold, Manly will have someone who spent one season at the club as an assistant under Barrett in 2017. He also lives locally.
Manly have not made a grand final since 2013, leaving them the sixth-longest drought of all clubs.
They did however make the top four as recently as 2021, before suffering a massive blow midway through last season when Tom Trbojevic was ruled out for the year.
Hasler's team remained around the top eight for the following two months, before they were sunk by the fallout of the Pride Jersey saga.
That issue looms as a significant challenge to overcome, with the management of the jersey and after-effects of the seven-player boycott still hanging over the current Manly power struggle.
The management of pathways and juniors will also be a large issue, with a push from some sections for a better balance between local talent and the Blacktown feeder system.
