NRL: History weighs against the premiers

The Sea Eagles are doomed to failure if history is any indicator. Photo / Getty Images

Manly co-owner Scott Penn concedes the club's boardroom brawl has not helped the Sea Eagles' premiership defence which is now in tatters with 55 years of history against the side going back-to-back.

Not since South Sydney in 1953 has a league team started the year with three successive defeats and recovered to win the premiership.

In more than 100 years of league such a comeback has been achieved only twice - Newton in 1933 completed the greatest revival after losing the first four games.

Manly now face a similar task after dropping games to the Bulldogs, Warriors and Penrith to fall out of premiership favouritism for the first time since last year's record grand final triumph.

Five weeks after being crowned world champions, the Sea Eagles are falling apart with problems on and off the field.

Penn concedes the infighting did not affect Manly's win over Leeds but has combined with other distractions to make a poor start to the year.

"The reality is that we won the World Club Challenge with everything that was going on," Penn said.

"I think we were able to contain everything in the boardroom and not distract [the players in England].

"[But] obviously there's been a number of things go on since then and the culmination of everything, there is a lot going on.

"There is a lot for the club to deal with at the moment and we are working through it methodically.

"Everyone is aware of it, everyone is committed to resolving it. We just need to go through that process."

Penn and co-owner Max Delmege will come head to head at a meeting where it is hoped the pair can thrash out their differences.

However, it is understood Penn and chief executive Grant Mayer's positions will be discussed at the meeting, with Delmege pushing for a vote of no-confidence against Penn and for Mayer to be sacked before his contract expires in October.

Mayer announced he would not seek a renewal at a board meeting in February when the politics spilled into the public arena.

The public feuding has only intensified since Manly returned from Britain with the infamous boozy season launch, after which Brett Stewart was charged with sexual assault, fuelling more bickering.

Allegations have been made by both parties and while they remain at loggerheads, contract negotiations with key players - notably skipper Matt Orford and test winger David Williams - remain at a stalemate.

Penn knows board harmony is important to the club and insists it can be reached peacefully. "We are certainly trying [for resolution]," he said.

"We've obviously got a few things to discuss and we are trying to bring everything together.

"The standoff really just comes down to the existing management [being] all on the same page and not all stakeholders are on that page at the moment."

The likely resolution between the feuding owners is for one to buy the other out, and although both have shown interest in such a move it is "unlikely" to happen at the board meeting

Manly centre Jamie Lyon has been ruled out of action for 1-2 weeks after injuring his knee against Penrith on Monday night.

- AAP