The whispering campaign that Des Hasler knew about the rainbow jumper has been persistent but here is the proof that he was left in the dark by his football department.
The email (shown in the picture below) from his football manager, John Bonasera, will be used as evidence should a suitable payout fail to be negotiated between Hasler and the club.
Des Hasler and the email from John Bonasera.Credit:Getty, Supplied
As this column revealed weeks ago, the disruption caused by the rainbow jersey will be used as evidence by Hasler as he argues the decisions made by others in the club ruined his chances of a top-six finish, which would have triggered a contact extension for 2024.
Hasler has an agreed payout of $450,000 but his claim is likely to include his lost earnings for 2024.
Manly are planting seeds that Hasler was difficult to work with and that he had negative things to say about the board collectively and also as individuals.
They say his desire to be in control and his “my way or the highway” attitude was not acceptable. The odd thing is that Hasler has been exactly the same throughout his career.
What is clear is he was sideswiped by the rainbow jersey issue – Bonasera apologised to him in an email which highlights the lack of leadership from front office as they were operating without a CEO when the club collapsed.
In the email, Bonasera says: “It was always painted as ‘Everyone in League’ to me. I genuinely don’t even remember this email.
“I should have engaged other people in the conversation from football before letting it go to production. We have worn several other one-off jerseys in recent weeks. I missed this as significant.
“I knew I would miss something one day [in fact I told you that I would] as I have been putting one foot in front of the other for quite a while – not thinking just doing and it’s my job to think and mitigate circumstances such as this in advance.
“I apologise for putting us in this position and understand the potential ramifications. Thanks for always supporting me.”
Hasler was forced to take on a multi-level role because the club didn’t have a CEO. It will be hard for Manly to argue against the impact the jersey stuff-up had. They are still split.
Scott Penn has his heart in the right place, and he has been calm and consistent in his approach under fire. What he can’t ignore is the absence of front-office leadership at the time of the rainbow jersey was crucial in the club’s nosedive.
And without a strong leader, Des was always going to step up.
Pride of place
Des Hasler’s sacking and the pride jersey debacle won’t stop Ian Roberts approaching the NRL about a pride round next year. Roberts was stunned by the decision to get rid of Hasler. And he can’t believe the “Manly Seven” have maintained a silence about their decision.
“The NRL and all the major sporting bodies can look to what happened and learn about communicating and the absolute value in keeping everyone well informed,” he said. “And that goes both ways. Those seven players … I’m not criticising them, but it’d be good to hear from them.
“I mean look at where the club is at and everything that has happened since. For mine, Des was the person to take them into the future and those seven players … It’s like I really think the balls are kind of in their court. I know where we stand and the NRL is getting another proposal from me and Pride in Sport about a full round – a pride round – next year.”
Ian Roberts was stunned by the decision to get rid of Hasler.Credit:Wolter Peeters
Roberts says it’s important to keep talking.
“We are going push that conversation forward about inclusions … it’s just saying to everyone that you are welcome here. I mean, I feel uncomfortable saying this with the Indigenous Round … imagine if certain people refuse to play in that for religious beliefs or their cultural beliefs. It’d be kind of chaos.
“Discrimination is discrimination. Like racism, it’s exactly the same as being homophobic or transphobic – there’s no difference if you’re choosing to value someone through no fault of their own, no choice of their own.
“Religion is a very different thing to me because religion is a choice. I’m not religious at all, but I have to respect other people.”
Turbos pump brakes
The situation with the Trbojevic brothers has been defused for now – but it’s something worth keeping an eye on, especially if Anthony Seibold can’t unite the Manly team. The pair are certainly over the infighting and the sackings at the club they grew up loving. Tom will tell anyone who wants to listen about his love for Des.
At times their heads have been out the door, but Tom left a meeting with his agent on Friday knowing now was not the time to leave or ask to leave. They would be seen as in a bad light. The brothers are going to dig in and see what the next few months bring.
Clubs who thought the brothers were off limits are now looking at their cap in 2024 in case things continue to slide.
Pangai’s lament spurred by training with SBW
Bulldogs star Tevita Pangai jnr has made the stunning admission that he realises he has been “taking the piss” for his entire career.
That’s the result of spending a month training with Sonny Bill Williams for his upcoming bout on the SBW undercard on November 5 at Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre.
Pangai has stripped 8 kilograms off his playing weight of 120 kilograms, and has two more to go to keep a promise to new Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo.
“I’m a bit surprised Gus [Dogs football boss Phil Gould] gave me permission to box … this wasn’t the season that I wanted it to be but I guess it means he is happy for me to be under Sonny’s wing in off-season and it’s good to learn the consistency it takes to be a professional player at the top level,” Pangai said.
Tevita Pangai jnr has stripped 8 kilograms off his playing weight.Credit:Getty
“I’ve done the first four weeks with Sonny. I told my coach that I’ll come back at 110kg. I haven’t been that weight since I was in high school so I’m doing my best. I need to drop the weight so I have energy and the fitness and be dangerous. More than that, I want to be able to do the little things that Cameron values and needs me to do.”
It’s a clear indication he is serious about season 2023.
“This month with Sonny, it’s made me see my whole career I’ve just been taking the piss,” he said.
“Being with Sonny … just consistently working hard every day and paying attention to my nutrition. Everything is so professional every day. There are no easy days. I think mentally I’ve gotten a lot tougher just from the training. But also the nutrition. It’s pushed my threshold a lot higher. Obviously, I’ve been getting around with an extra 10 kilos on me.”
For Pangai, it’s about more than the fight.
“It’s about being around good people and getting into good habits for next season,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of talk around the club about an upcoming season. I just need to work hard and just shut my mouth about how I think we will go.”
Pangai was offered four two-minute rounds but asked for three minutes to test himself. He opted for boxing over playing for Tonga in the World Cup to be ready for 2023.
“Initially Sonny said, ‘Maybe you should just come train and get your fitness up’, and he knew playing for Tonga is big … Sonny wasn’t pushy. He just said, ‘Make sure you do the right thing for your family’. I went away for three days and I had a good think about it and what I wanted in the upcoming season. I think I’ve made the right decision.”
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
