Manly coach Des Hasler will opt for a "sympathetic" approach to the seven Sea Eagles' players who stood down from the club's 20-10 loss to the Roosters following the club's decision to don a Pride jersey.
With the seven Manly stars set to return for next week's clash with Parramatta, Hasler was full of praise for the effort his undermanned side showed against the Tricolours after a week filled with drama.
"It's been very emotional in all different aspects," Hasler said.
"We've got a bit of work to do (on and off the field), and I'm just being honest. But as long as we're all sympathetic to each other's cause, we'll get there.
"I used the word before – sympathetic. We need to be honest, and certainly accountable
"It was so much to process this week – young people and issues and the social that goes with it, I hope it's been a learning curve."
Without the services of Jason Saab, Tolu Koula, Toafofoa Sipley, Haumole Olakau'atu, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Aloiai and Josh Schuster, beating the Roosters was always going to be a tall order for the Sea Eagles.
But on the back of strong displays from veterans Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic, Manly defied the odds to keep their top eight rivals honest throughout.
Cherry-Evans believes the experience could be a galvanising force for the club in the weeks to come.
"I haven't come off after a loss and been this quick to smile. Because when you sit back and think about what's happened this week, all we ever asked was everyone to give their effort, give all they could," Cherry-Evans said.
"For the mass of fans who came tonight, I hope we made them proud. I hope we've done that.
"I felt like everyone who came tonight got behind us. From a player point of view, I knew there wasn't as much pressure as usual – we had some massive changes to our squad.
"I reckon everyone just wanted to see us commit to an effort for the club and that's exactly what we did tonight. That's why I'm so proud."
Cherry-Evans also advocated for understanding for the Manly seven, all of whom objected to wearing the jersey on cultural and religious grounds.
"I think it's really important to understand where everyone comes from," Cherry-Evans said.
"For us to wear this jersey... how can we not go in there and understand and accept what people have done if we're out here trying to represent inclusion and diversity.
"There's human emotion attached to this, it's not going to be perfect but I could bring us together like never before.
"I always see the opportunity in things, and I think this could be a chance to come together and understand a bit more about each other, learn from it and move on."
ABC
