The 7th Tackle - with Josh Massoud and Jim Wilson

7News Sports Presenter Jim Wilson and Chief Rugby League Reporter Josh Massoud run through the burning topics from the rugby league world you may not know about.

From the fight to save Geoff Toovey's job at Manly, to the Cronulla duo sanctioned over their infamous Mad Monday celebrations last year, it's all in this week's edition of The 7th Tackle.

Tackle One – Manly fans get shirty over Toovey treatment

The fight to save Geoff Toovey’s job at Manly will officially begin on Friday night, when a group of fans stage a protest outside Brookvale Oval ahead of the clash against Wests Tigers. Mother-of-five Kim Forrest is the driving force behind the protest. She has made 20 T-Shirts with the motto ‘Save Geoff Toovey. Save our Coach’, printed beneath Toovey’s portrait, for the occasion. She has rallied family and close friends to rally other fans behind the club great, who is all-but certain to be replaced by Trent Barrett next season.

As revealed on Seven News on Thursday Night, Manly chairman Scott Penn spoke to Toovey about his future for the first time last week. Penn made it clear that a change is on the horizon, and that Toovey would be free to leave immediately if he does not want to see-out this season. Toovey is determined to fight on and made his position equally clear to Penn: if Manly want to sack him they will have to pay out every cent of the remaining 16 months of his contract – about $500,000.

The club is fearful Toovey can no longer get the best out of the playing group – and points to the team’s record of three wins in its last 15 games as compelling evidence. But angry fans like Forrest say Toovey deserves better. “Geoff Toovey is tough, he speaks his mind and he stands his ground,” she said. “There is nothing more Manly than that. He is Manly and we want to save him.” Forrest has also made placards in support of the coach, and will be gathering signatures for a petition to present to Sea Eagles management.

Tackle Two – Fifita and Graham left short-changed by NRL media blitz

Sharks duo Andrew Fifita and Wade Graham are the latest victims of the NRL’s strict stance on media obligations. We can reveal both players have been fined $10,000 for abusing a photographer at last season’s infamous Mad Monday celebrations in Coogee.

The victim in question – multiple award-winning Daily Telegraph snapper Craig Greenhill – captured much-talked about pictures of Sharks players mixing with a topless waitress inside popular beachside bar, Sauce. Fifita and Graham approached Greenhill when they noticed the photos being taken and an aggressive exchange ensued. Both players – as well as sacked Shark Todd Carney – wanted the photos deleted and were none-too-subtle about putting their demands to Greenhill, who stood his ground.

After publishing the photos, the newspaper complained to the NRL and an Integrity Unit investigation ensued. It was only wrapped-up two weeks ago, when Graham and Fifita received their breach notices. Carney could not be sanctioned because he was not a registered NRL player at the time. Angry players abusing – and even threatening – members of the media is nothing new.

But the hefty fines against Graham and Fifita prove it no longer has a place in the NRL’s New World Order under Dave Smith, who is on a mission to make the clubs more media-friendly as negotiations toward a $1.5 billion broadcast deal continue. Ricky Stuart and Des Hasler have already been slugged a total of $35,000 ($10,000 suspended) for various breaches on the game’s tougher media code this season.

Tackle Three – Sea Eagles go cap in hand to NRL

Manly is the latest club to be given an advance on their monthly NRL grant. Last month we revealed the Sea Eagles were bracing themselves for a $1.5 million loss this season, and now it appears there are cash flow issues to contend with. The NRL recently agreed to forward Manly around $600,000 – a gesture that’s been made several times in the past to clubs that are struggling for liquidity.

Manly's cash flow woes come down to the team’s unexpectedly poor performance this year, which have left sponsorship and membership projections in tatters. There’s also been a huge turn-over of front office staff since the change of ownership late last year, with around a dozen employees replaced. Some have been marched ahead of their time, resulting in payouts that have inflicted further damage on the budget. And just this week two more staff – recruitment duo Dave Worwick and Simon Healey – were told their services aren’t required next year.

There’s now speculation over the future of CEO Joe Kelly, who arrived last November with an impressive reputation from previous roles in finance with Chelsea FC and South Sydney. Sea Eagles insiders say Kelly has been taken aback by the magnitude of the task at Brookvale, which is riddled with politics and power plays. We’ve been told he’s applied to have next week off – a curious move at such a crucial stage of the season, with the club running last and chairman Scott Penn out of town.

We put several questions to Kelly this week, including whether or not the leave was stress-related. He did not respond. One thing we can assure Manly fans is this: reports Grant Mayer is set to be appointed Kelly’s replacement are wide of the mark.

Tackle Four – See You Slater?

Billy Slater has more on his plate than season-ending shoulder surgery; he also has to contend with Melbourne Storm officials who are questioning his commitment to club football. Slater won little regard from his employer after making himself available for Origin II duties less than a week after withdrawing from the Round 13 clash against Penrith. Melbourne held a board meeting last week and directors were forthright in their view that the situation should never be repeated.

They can understand Slater’s desperation to wear the Maroons jersey on the MCG, particularly after he was pressured to stand-down from last month’s Anzac Test. But the prevailing view is that because Melbourne pay him a very, very handsome salary, the club should have final and absolute say over his availability for representative football.

MORE: Slater out for the NRL season
MORE: Storm confident of signing Slater for life

The tension has added intrigue to protracted negotiations over a contract extension for the 32-year-old. A few weeks ago it appeared inevitable Slater would finish his career in Bleak City on a two-year deal worth about $1.8 million. Now the contract extension could be reduced to 12 months – with clauses to give the club more say on his representative career. There’s even a chance Slater could be asked to stand down from representative football and concentrate solely on Melbourne. Despite their misgivings, Storm officials remain adamant Slater will not being going elsewhere.

Tackle Five – Warrington eye Sandow

Chris Sandow’s future is a long way from settled, but there could be an opportunity on the horizon in the UK Super League, with Warrington Wolves considering an offer. With Corey Norman and Keiran Foran guaranteed to be the Eels halves for 2016, off-contract Sandow has been left without a home for next season. The final nail in the coffin was his questioning of coach Brad Arthur’s tactics last week.

And now – for good measure – the Eels have put the feelers out for another halfback in the UK: Wakefield No. 7 and ex-Tiger Jacob Miller. We’re told Warrington’s interest in Sandow is only preliminary. However, the club looks certain to have a vacancy at the scrumbase with current half Richie Myler keen to test himself in the NRL next season.

In further moves from abroad, Huddersfield have also approached the Melbourne Storm for the services of talented utility Ryan Hynchcliffe. The Storm were open to letting Hynchcliffe go, but the move looks to have been thwarted after the club failed to sign Paul Carter, who instead chose to resurrect his career at Souths.

Tackle Six – Sandor drops lawsuit

After nearly two years of fighting, Sandor Earl has dropped his civil lawsuit against the doctor whom he claims treated him with banned substances in 2011. Shortly after being provisionally suspended by the NRL in August 2013, Earl launched proceedings in the NSW District against Dr Ijaz Khan. Records show Earl visited Dr Khan on a dozen occasions while playing for Penrith, in a bid to recover from double shoulder surgery more quickly.

Earl admitted he received injections of prohibited peptide CJC-1295 from Dr Khan, whose consultations were arranged by controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank. Earl sued Dr Khan for failing to properly inform him of the substance’s status under the WADA Code. The case was finally set to be heard on Monday in Sydney. But last week – with Earl overseas – orders were made to wind-up the proceedings.

Earl is still awaiting a hearing date from the NRL anti-doping tribunal, which will determine the length of his ban. He still faces a four-year exile should the tribunal be comfortably satisfied that he trafficked banned substances. A lesser two-year ban – for his confessed use of CJC-1295 – will free earl to return to rugby league on 28 August.

Tackle Seven – SKD gets on the juice

From unemployed Kiwi backpacker to budding entrepreneur, Shaun Kenny-Dowall has sure come a long way since earning a contract with the Roosters eight years ago. After recently gaining a two-year extension to remain at Bondi against the odds, Kenny-Dowall is about to truly graduate to the Eastern Suburbs by launching his own organic juice bar. We’re told the business will be opened in a couple of weeks on Botany Rd, in Mascot, just a short drive from where former Chooks team mate Luke O’Donnell now runs a barbeque chicken shop.