Manly boss responds after criticism of 'bizarre' player management release
The Sea Eagles CEO has issued a defiant response to the backlash.
Manly boss Tony Mestrov has no regrets over the press release the club sent out revealing its players' links to various management companies and promised there would be more "front foot" announcements in the future. The Sea Eagles broke new ground on Tuesday by sending a release to media outlets which spelt out which player was with which player agent in a bid to end the misconception one manager – namely Isaac Moses – was controlling and manipulating the roster and coaching staff to favour his clients.
The move was described as "bizarre" in some circles but Mestrov is not fazed by the criticism and intends upping the ante during his stint as CEO. "There are a lot of whispers, secrets, innuendo, opinions and rumours in rugby league and I totally get that is part of rugby league and is here to stay," he told Yahoo Sport Australia.
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"What we are trying to do at Manly is be as transparent as we can and, within reason, get on the front foot in respect to some of the stories out there. We respect the media and acknowledge the important role it plays in promoting our game, but sometimes we've got to cut through all the talk and tell it like it is.
"We feel we've done that with the player agent listings despite some of the criticism that has come our way. I think our fans and members appreciate being kept in the loop and I will endeavour to do more of that in the future."
Manly CEO brushes off criticism
Responding to specific criticism the agent listing was disingenuous and misleading because it didn’t include players Moses was bringing to the club in 2024, nor his ties to the current coaching staff, Mestrov replied: "That's because we’re talking about the here and now and concentrating on the player roster.
"We put out a list pertaining to our 2023 roster, not '24. We can update that next year and it will look different and we can do that again in '25 and again it will look different. That's rugby league – it's a never-ending, moveable feast."
Pressed on whether Moses wields too much influence at Brookvale, Mestrov replied: "You know me and where I've worked in my career and I don't think being a pushover would have got me too far.
"We only want what's best for the club. That underlines every decision we make. We won't allow one person or organisation to call the shots."
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