Manly face the prospect of being without any coaches in the next few weeks with Des Hasler and his assistants, Chad Randall and Michael Monaghan, all poised to leave the club.
This column revealed a week ago that Hasler’s employment is becoming untenable, even more so after a lack of appetite from his bosses to provide a stable work environment. Hasler doesn’t want to work in uncertain surroundings where there is little or no enjoyment.
It is becoming apparent that Hasler and new Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov will not be able to work with each other. And with Randall on his way to the Bulldogs and Monaghan looking to leave, it will be a clean slate at Manly unless there is a big shift.
That’s the very real scenario facing the club after a disastrous fallout from an hour-long meeting between Hasler, his agent George Mimis, Manly owner Scott Penn and Mestrov in North Sydney on Thursday. It was originally painted as a constructive meeting, but no sooner had it been reported that Manly wanted Hasler to coach on until 2024, with a succession plan to follow, it was back to square one as the club immediately backtracked.
In fact, as owner Penn boarded a flight on Friday to travel to his New York home, the parties were even further apart. Manly are not budging on Hasler for 2024, which means he goes into next year as a coach without a future – if he stays.
The weekly speculation will be relentless if he accepts a one-year contract, and the media scrutiny of Manly’s inclusivity jersey disaster will continue into 2023.
Des Hasler’s position at Manly is becoming untenable.Credit:Nick Moir
Mestrov is fresh off the greyhound track, where he was a hero for saving the sport. He wears that as a badge of honour, but must understand if he is to work with Hasler there can only be one high-flying Eagle – and it’s not the CEO.
Mestrov is learning quickly he is now in the big league – dealing with governments and Peter V’landys in the racing industry is a snack compared to running strife-torn Manly. The odd thing is, in the hours after Manly’s presentation night on Monday, there was a real love for Hasler from officials. Maybe it was the sponsor’s drop talking.
Hasler won’t hang about if he’s not convinced about the direction of the club, and isn’t convinced his players can thrive. He is 61, a two-time premiership winner who has coached 458 games. He doesn’t need 100-hour weeks if it’s not enjoyable.
If Hasler does go – and it’s a real chance – it will create huge uncertainty in an already edgy playing group. Some players will want to jump ship, and all of a sudden the club is facing a lengthy rebuilding process under a new coach with an owner looking to cash in on his investment. They could be tipped into a five-year rebuild phase.
Evans above
There have been some interesting stories about the situation at Manly, focused on Daly Cherry-Evans and Des Hasler, and their behaviour in recent times.
The first was that DCE caused a rift, or was seen as aloof, because he got his own accommodation while the team was staying on the Sunshine Coast at Twin Waters.
Daly Cherry-Evans.Credit:Getty Images
It’s true he stayed in a larger, upgraded version of the accommodation the other players had – but it was at his own expense. The NRL offered two-bedroom units for families who had to relocate for almost four months. With three young kids and a wife, Cherry-Evans decided to pay for a bigger place beside the Manly “camp” to ensure a better home life so he could perform for the Eagles. Jamming three kids into a room for months didn’t seem like a great idea to Cherry-Evans and his wife.
No one seemed to mind last year as he led Manly to a top-four finish and a preliminary final, all from a base within sight of his teammates.
Manly and the Roosters were staying next to each other and Cherry-Evans’ accommodation was beside the tricolours’ football manager, who also has kids up north. That dynamic worked well for both families.
DCE has also been accused of falling out with Jake Trbojevic. It would appear they never had a falling in. They are not tight and differ on football matters, but not on a personal level. Not everyone wants to socialise with their colleagues after work.
As for Hasler locking Scott Penn out of the dressing room, again this is spin to create tension and ignores the facts. The main part of the dressing room is off limits to everyone but Hasler and the players when the coach is addressing the team. That has always been the case. Once he had addressed the team, Hasler had a 15-minute chat with Penn in an adjoining room.
For Pete’s sake
When Peter V’landys lunched with the Queen in June it was his sense of humour that won her over. They bounced off each other, so much so she requested they stay in touch.
V’landys will need all his undeniable charm because he is starting to wear thin on club officials. V’landys’ line at the start of his announcement about the grand final staying in Sydney didn’t sit well with some clubs.
“We wanted to give it to a city that needs a major football event, that’s why we’ve gone with Melbourne … just kidding,” V’landys said. “Greetings Gil [McLachlan] if you’re watching.”
One powerful club boss said: “We don’t need Benny Hill gags when we are watching hundreds of millions of dollars in stadium deals going up in smoke.”
The joker and the chief: NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys at the announcement of Sydney hosting the grand final.Credit:Dean Sewell
V’landys is telling those close to him he has a plan – especially when it comes to the next broadcast deal. He won’t reveal anything, and he won’t lie down.
The NRL desperately needs a successful finals series to divert attention from a disastrous past month for head office. The game’s administrators have made some bewildering decisions and missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars for the game.
Club bosses are seething that the AFL secured the richest broadcast deal in Australian history this week – the $4.5 billion bonanza dwarfing the NRL’s deal by between $100 million and $170 million a year. That’s much-needed funding that won’t be going to grassroots league, players, clubs and the NRLW.
V’landys chose to renew the TV rights deals as COVID-19 shut down much of the country without a competitive tender. The clubs didn’t question it at the time, but they are now.
Club bosses are looking at the AFL, which waited until the code was flying high with record crowds and ratings, before opening the bidding to all-comers. Nine Entertainment Co – owners of this masthead – strategically forced up the price by entering the bidding late with a plan to show some games on Stan Sport. The result was a windfall for the AFL, which secured higher bids from Channel Seven and Fox Sports.
It comes after the stadium war with the NSW government, which resulted in the NRL missing out on suburban upgrades, as well as an upgrade to the Olympic stadium.
The clubs question why the NRL went to war, probably losing any chance of future stadium funding.
The setbacks seem to have rattled head office, which has also come up with some poor game-related decisions. The call to lock out thousands of fans by holding finals games at Penrith and Cronulla is unfathomable for an administration that constantly says it puts the fans first. In fact, V’landys used the same line – putting fans first – when he decided to let Taylan May serve a two-week ban at the start of next year, rather than during the finals. It is a dangerous precedent, which will return to bite the game’s leaders.
It should never be forgotten that V’landys was by far the best sporting administrator during the COVID crisis. The game owes him for that forever.
Pangai fighting fit
Tevita Pangai jnr spent three hours with incoming Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo last week, vowing to be accountable for every part of his life.
Pangai spent time with Ciraldo at Penrith last year and felt comfortable seeking him out for a meeting to discuss his commitment to the Bulldogs and his desire to be a success. Pangai told Ciraldo he wants to meet fitness and training targets like never before.
Pangai was at the announcement of the Sonny Bill Williams-Mark Hunt fight on Thursday, and it appears likely he will be on the undercard. The Bulldogs won’t stand in his way as they think training with SBW will be good for him. That means it’s highly unlikely Pangai will be going to the World Cup with Tonga. A fit and firing Pangai could be the X-factor that takes the Bulldogs into the top eight.
James Tedesco and Joseph Suaalii.Credit:Getty
Ted, white and blue
Kangaroos captain-in-waiting James Tedesco is happily sharing his fullback knowledge with Roosters teammate Joseph Suaalii, and says the 19-year-old’s time will come to move off the wing.
The Roosters were angered by suggestions from Suaalii’s mentor Steve Nasteski that Tedesco would need to leave the club or they risked losing Suaalii.
Nasteski, a successful art dealer, was highly complimentary of Tedesco, and the superstar No.1 didn’t seem at all rattled by the comments. But he is not ready to move on or move aside soon.
“Joe still has plenty of time on his side,” Tedesco said. “But it’s obvious he has ambitions to play fullback. He’s been asking me tons of questions in the fullback video sessions we do. He asked me about line organisation in defence and other things.
“He really wants to learn. I mean, he’s a great kid … and he’s doing an awesome job for us. He probably will make a great fullback or even a centre. It’s up to him really. He has the world at his feet.”
