The club that sacked Des Hasler could now hand him a piece of unwanted history.
In the 457 games he has coached and 288 games he played with Penrith, Manly and Wests, Hasler has never suffered seven losses in a row.
But that is the awful statistic that awaits him at CommBank Stadium should his Manly side lose to Canterbury on Friday evening.
The Sea Eagles went from finals contenders to losing to St George Illawarra in round 19, followed by the rainbow jersey fiasco, then four heavy defeats resulting in a staggering 168 points conceded.
It’s a long way from Hasler’s Bulldogs side known for its defensive efforts, before the Belmore club showed him the door 12 months early.
Hasler has not been helped this season by losing superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic – and more than $4.5 million worth of talent will be sidelined against the Dogs – while the rainbow jersey saga, where seven players stood themselves down because of their religious beliefs, was, to an extent, beyond his control.
Not Seventh Heaven: Des Hasler has never lost seven games in a row as a player or coach.Credit:Getty Images
The Sea Eagles thumped North Queensland in the final round last season to nail down fourth spot on the NRL ladder. On Thursday, not a single person turned up for Hasler’s weekly press conference.
According to stats guru David Middleton, coach Hasler lost six straight at Manly in 2004, then again at the Bulldogs in 2016 and going into the start of 2017 season, and back at Manly in 2020, then the final two games of that season and heading into the opening month of the 2021 season.
Hasler’s future will be a hot topic over the summer and some influential figures on the northern beaches are pushing for assistant Steve Hales to succeed Hasler.
Hasler has the backing of the club’s senior players, including Kieran Foran, who signed with Canterbury because of Hasler and reunited with him at Manly where he has played his most consistent football the past two seasons.
Kieran Foran will unite with his good mate Daly Cherry-Evans one last time for Manly on Friday evening.Credit:NRL Photos
Foran will finish with Manly at the end of this season and join the Gold Coast Titans, but made it clear there was nobody better to lead the Sea Eagles than Hasler.
The five-eighth will be doing everything to make sure Hasler avoids a seventh successive defeat, and they belt out the team song together one final time.
“Des is a winner, he really understands the game, but he also understands the Manly way better than anyone,” Foran told the Herald. “There’s not another person out there better suited to the club than Dessie.
“The way we’ve performed the last six weeks has had nothing to do with Des. It feels like we’ve been on a slippery slide the last six weeks and we haven’t been able to get off it.
“The way we have lost has been the hardest. The last four games have been over at half-time. That’s not the Manly way or the sort of footy team we wanted to be at the start of the year.
“But Des understands the Manly DNA better than anyone, and you need that.”
Des Hasler’s six-match losing streaks:
- Manly 2004
- Canterbury 2016-17
- Manly 2020
- Manly 2020-21
Hasler never lost six in a row in 288 first-grade games as a player with Penrith, Manly and Wests.
(Courtesy David Middleton’s League Information Services)
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