Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic has thrown his powerful support behind embattled coach Des Hasler, calling for stability at a club that has endured endless upheaval over the past decade.
Trbojevic has also moved to silence speculation that he and brother Jake Trbojevic have fallen out with captain Daly Cherry-Evans as the senior players prepare to meet with club management in the coming days.
Factions inside the Sea Eagles are once again at loggerheads over the direction of the team, with a crisis meeting between Hasler and club powerbrokers scheduled for Thursday.
Hasler is reportedly considering quitting his job as Manly look set to force the coach into a raft of changes heading into his final contracted season next year. Hasler has a clause in his contract that would have guaranteed him the 2024 season. However, the Sea Eagles needed to finish inside the top six this season to trigger the deal.
News Corp has also reported that the Trbojevic brothers will consider their own futures at the club if Hasler is run out of town. While Tom insists he has no plans to leave the Sea Eagles, he made it abundantly clear who he wants at the helm.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat things because this has been a disappointing year for us,” Trbojevic told the Herald on Sunday.
The Trbojevic brothers, Tom and Jake, pictured with coach Des Hasler (far right) and then-club chief executive Stephen Humphreys (far left) in 2019.Credit:Getty
“We wanted to play finals football and we’ve underachieved. But a lot of the stuff being said is being over-dramatised. I don’t have any plans of leaving because as far as I’m concerned, Des is still the coach. Des is the best person to get us out of the hole we have got ourselves into at the moment.
“I want him to be the coach next year and for many years after that, and I’m speaking on behalf of a lot of people in our club who feel the same. The club has been down this path many times now. Change isn’t always the answer. Stability is what is going to get us out of this.”
The strength of the relationship of the playing group has come under fire since the Pride jersey fiasco six weeks ago. While the players have held internal meetings to try and resolve any lingering issues, a seven-game losing streak has only added to the unhappiness at Manly.
News Corp reported that there was tension between the Trbojevic brothers and Cherry-Evans, but Tom insists there are no personal issues with anyone at the club. The club’s three best players recently addressed the speculation.
Trbojevic also hosed down reports of a feud with Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans.Credit:NRL Photos
“I think people assume in a football team that everyone is best mates,” Trbojevic said.
“There are so many different personalities and characters within a football club that it’s only natural for some people to be closer than others. But to suggest there is any personal unrest from my end to anyone in the team is untrue, especially not with Chez.
“We’ve heard the rumours and we’ve got together and addressed it. We are united in making sure this club is successful. We know we have to get better as a team and we all want what is best for the club.”
New Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov, who spoke with the Trbojevic brothers after Friday’s loss, said he will be meeting with a number of players in the coming weeks.
Cherry Evans and Trbojevic in 2020.Credit:Getty
“There’s some frustration among the senior players and we’re all disappointed with the position the club is in,” Mestrov said. “We will all have some good discussions in the off-season.”
The Herald understands tension within the club also relates to a differing of views between Hasler and the powerful Fulton family.
Hasler, who is one of the highest-paid coaches in the game earning just under $1 million per season, and many of the senior players wanted Kieran Foran to remain at the club, however recruitment manager Scott Fulton, the son of the late Bob Fulton, has been pushing for Josh Schuster to take over the No.6 jersey.
Scott Fulton also has a close relationship with Schuster’s manager Mario Tartak, who has brought several players to the club from western Sydney in recent years.
“It was really emotional at the end there. I wanted to finish on a high note at a club that means so much to me,” Foran said after the one-point loss to Canterbury on Friday night. “It’s been a really tough season for us.
“The reality is I’ve still got a fair bit of footy left in me, but my time at Manly is finished. There’s a lot of people here that played a huge part in my career; Dessie, I’ve known Cherry for 15 years and the Trbojevic boys as well as [Lachlan] Croker and Parks [Brad Parker]. I could name all of them. Then there’s the young boys who have come through.
“It will be strange [without Des]. It’s not ideal feeling like this, and he’s a coach I’ve always enjoyed playing under. But that’s rugby league. I’m excited for the future and going under Justin [Holbrook at the Titans].
“[The pride jersey saga] is so in the past for us. They’re our teammates, they’re our brothers and we completely understand their position on it. We all moved on. They came back and tried their hearts out for the team and the club. That’s all you can ask.”
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