Manly owner's telling swipe amid messy Des Hasler situation
Manly owner Scott Penn has raised further doubts about the future of coach Des Hasler after revealing details of a "significant board meeting" at the embattled NRL club.
The Sea Eagles board met with Hasler and his manager on Tuesday to discuss the veteran mentor's future, amid reports he may have coached his last game at Manly.
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An email exchange between two Manly officials could hold the key to Hasler's future, with the club seething over suggestions from the coach that he had no idea about the pride jersey fiasco before it became one of the most controversial stories of last season.
Hasler is still no guarantee to see out the last year of his contract as coach, with issues continuing to linger around the power struggle at the Sea Eagles and the seven-player boycott of the round-20 strip that crushed their season.
As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, Hasler is mulling launching action against the club for 'compromising his ability to fulfil his contractual obligations' to the club as a result of the club's pride jersey saga.
A refusal by several players to wear the pride jersey caused a rift within the playing group, culminating in Manly losing their final seven games of the season.
Hasler reportedly would have been guaranteed a contract extension through 2024 had the Sea Eagles finished sixth or higher in 2022 - instead they tumbled from ninth at the beginning of the controversy to 11th by the end of the season.
Key to Hasler's frustration with the club is the fact that neither he, nor the playing group, was consulted about the jerseys.
The Daily Telegraph has since viewed emails exchanged between Manly's commercial boss Luke Tucker and general manager of football John Bonasera, which shows the latter saw no issue with the Manly players wearing the jerseys.
“Don’t see an issue at all mate," Bonasera reportedly said about the pride jersey plan.
The Daily Telegraph also reported that Bonasera later apologised to Hasler for not coming to him or the players to double-check himself.
With Hasler's relationship with club bosses appearing increasingly strained and the threat of legal action hanging over his potential exit, Manly owner Penn has done little to dampen speculation the Sea Eagles coach is heading for the exit door.
“We’ve had a significant board meeting... We’ve been talking to Des and his manager for some time and we’re trying to find a resolution. We’re not quite there yet,” Penn told Channel Nine.
“We’re still in discussion to be fair, but we need to bring this to a head.”
When asked by Nine's league reporter Danny Weidler whether Hasler had coached his last game, the Manly owner was far from convincing.
“Well look, I can’t really comment on that yet but we certainly have some bridges to mend,” he said.
Manly owner questions coaching department
Penn did, however, put the onus firmly back on Hasler and his coaching staff by insisting that Manly had a squad capable of achieving far more than it has in recent years.
“We have a premiership-winning team, what we need is a football department that can get us back there as quickly as possible,” he said.
Hasler is slated to earn roughly $950,000 on the final year of his contract next year, with an early termination of the deal expected to cost the Sea Eagles $450,000.
Penn has confirmed that former Souths and Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold is set to join the coaching staff, but wouldn't confirm in what capacity.
“Anthony has been at the club before, he demonstrated phenomenal intellect, he’s a great tactician, he’s really good with the players and he’s shown he’s got credentials as a head coach,” Penn added.
“We’re still working through our pathway whether that’s assistant to start or the full process but right now we have identified him as someone we’re very interested in and someone who certainly had a few false starts himself but he’s very capable and would do a tremendous job.”
The Manly owner admitted that it was an "emotional" and regrettable situation that the club finds itself in.
“This is an incredibly emotional issue,” Penn said.
“Des walked out on us back in 2011 and I was the one that picked up the phone to bring him back to the club when no one else wanted him.
“It’s not a place that we want to be, let’s be real. It’s a disappointing place for all of us and it’s very emotional.”
with AAP
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