Manly’s head of security will lay down the law to the players before they fly to Las Vegas on Wednesday, and has already ordered them to stay away from one thing: Tinder.
Michael Malligan, the managing director of Anchor Security, who has worked with the Sea Eagles for the past 10 years, said he had done plenty of work behind the scenes to make sure the inaugural trip went smoothly.
Manly will be the only club based in Sin City for the entirety of their time in the US, and while Malligan said it was impossible to “lock the boys in their rooms the whole time”, dating app Tinder was off limits.
“There are a lot of dodgy people – scammers and people who will try to take advantage of them,” Malligan said.
“The intel I’ve received is these people would have started their homework on the players once it was announced we were playing in Vegas. They will probably know more about some of our players than I do, and I’ve worked security at Manly for 10 years.
“They can be crafty, and will try to put our boys into vulnerable positions.
Sea Eagles players during Saturday’s trial against the Roosters.Credit: Getty
“There will be plenty of dos and don’ts. I won’t go into exactly what is on those lists, but there will be no Tinder.
“The boys aren’t there to date. They are there to play football. They know that. They can get on Tinder in the holidays.”
Malligan praised the NRL integrity unit for helping with security preparations and said he had even contacted the chief of security of the Las Vegas Raiders, who will provide one of their own men for the two nights the Sea Eagles are expected to be out on the town.
The importance of players being on their best behaviour has become a hot topic following an incident involving Brisbane stars Adam Reynolds and Pat Carrigan during the week when the two big names were caught on film having a late-night wrestle.
The pair were fined $10,000 each by the NRL, but will be free to play against the Sydney Roosters in Vegas. Manly take on South Sydney in their US season opener.
Malligan approached the three other clubs heading to Vegas about providing security, but there had been no takers, he said.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Kendall Bell told several NRL players and representatives from all four clubs about how to try and avoid trouble in Las Vegas during a phone hook-up during the week.
Bell is uniquely qualified on the subject: he oversaw security for the NFL Super Bowl, as well as for more than 8500 annual events, ranging from the NHL All Star Weekend to presidential visits to the Grammys.
Meanwhile, Manly back-rower Josh Schuster remains an outside chance to play in Vegas, despite missing Saturday’s trial against the Sydney Roosters.
Schuster will be held back and trial against a third-string Brisbane side next Saturday before flying to America the next day.
The back-rower has battled several injuries, including a calf strain, but coach Anthony Seibold said: “He’ll fly to Vegas on the Sunday, and then we’ll make a decision whether he is in the 17 or not for the round zero game.
“It’s a long season, this is quite a unique preparation for us. The physio decided to pull him [Schuster] out and give him a good prep for the Broncos trial.”
Regardless of Schuster making the trip, Ben Trbojevic is being tipped to start on the left edge in a fortnight’s time.
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