Nobody is more Manly than new coach Geoff Toovey. Educated at Davidson High in Frenchs Forest, the pocket-rocket half-cum-hooker played 286 first grade games for Manly, 48 of those for the ill-fated Northern Eagles, the amalgamation of Manly and North Sydney.

Toovey knows how to lead, captaining Manly to the 1996 premiership and grand finals in 1995 and 1998.

He retired in 2001 after 16 Origins, and 13 Tests, linking with Des Hasler as his assistant when Hasler took over as coach in 2004.

A chartered accountant by degree, Toovey will firstly figure out how to beat Leeds at Headingly in the World Club Challenge at the weekend and then retain the NRL premiership with a club that’s still reeling after imploding post-season.

The acidic way Hasler departed for Belmore in the off-season and took champion recruiter Noel Cleal with him rocked Manly’s faithful.

Don’t blame Hasler.

It was entirely the fault of the Manly directors, who sat on their butts and failed to lock Hasler in during the season for three more years. The directors opened the door, and Hasler bolted.

Step up to the plate Geoff Toovey.

He has a truck-load of spectacular talent to work with: up front Anthony Watmough, Glenn Stewart, and Brent Kite; out the back, skipper Jamie Lyon, Brett Stewart, Daly Cherry-Evans, Kieren Forlan, and the massively-haired winger David Williams – all internationals.

The Leeds clash will be an early litmus test for Toovey and his team. The weather will be bitterly cold, even snowing. But Toovey has promised some hot rugby league.

And that’s what the expected capacity 17,500 crowd will get from exciting pivots Cherry-Evans and Forlan, Brett Stewart chiming in from full-back, Williams’ punishing finishing, and the enterprising leadership of Lyon directing traffic mid-field.

The last time these two teams met in the World Club Challenge in 2009, Manly was successful 28-20 at Elland Road.

The referee tomorrow night will be 32 year-old Australian Ashley Klein. The last time he controlled a Club Challenge was when Leeds beat Melbourne 11-4 in 2008.

It was also the last time a British side won the Challenge.

The omens are even.