Des Hasler must depart Manly now
Roar Guru By ScottWoodward.me, 7 Nov 2011 ScottWoodward.me is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Des Hasler, Geoff Toovey, Kieran Foran, Manly Sea Eagles, Rugby League
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Current Premiership winning coach Des Hasler will be highly unlikely to start the 2012 Rugby League season in charge of the Manly Sea Eagles.
Every bookmaker has made the Sea Eagles as favourites to go back-to-back, but with their coach already signed to the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2013 and several of his key staff already approached by the Bulldogs, Hasler has put himself in an untenable position.
If he doesn’t walk he will be pushed.
Hasler is running dual agendas and it is only a matter of time before the Board stop the bleeding.
Noel Cleal and Dave Warwick are the two reasons why Manly have maintained such a high quality list in recent years with depth in every position.
While big ‘Crusher’ Cleal has been the high profile media favourite, those close to the camp have a very high regard for Warwick, who found Keiron Foran.
He is the new Bulldogs recruitment and development manager and will be joined by Cleal.
Here is the real problem.
Assistant coach Geoff Toovey will take over as head coach after Hasler finally moves to the Bulldogs, but he is sitting back and slowly watching his soon to be inherited coaching staff decimated.
He must harbour fears about several key players getting poached.
Toovey is considered a better communicator than Hasler and he is not leaving a stone unturned to salvage what he can.
So we have this macabre situation where Hasler is the official Sea Eagle’s coach for next season, but also has an eye on his next job.
Toovey, while officially Haslers deputy at the moment, is privately running around to ensure that his boss does not steal any of the staff or players when he says goodbye.
While this circus is playing out, the Manly board are also fractured and we can expect further deck chair moves, but when the chairs come to a standstill, surely sanity will prevail and the board will arrive at the resolution that their beloved coach must trade in his maroon singlet for a blue one instantly.
This obvious decision would have been done the day after Hasler signed with the Bulldogs.
But the Manly coach has many friends on the Manly board and they knew that the members would want their heads if they sacked their winning coach.
Everyone at Brookvale is trying to keep their job and looking after number one, but who is looking after the club?
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- Des Hasler, Geoff Toovey, Kieran Foran, Manly Sea Eagles, Rugby League
November 7th 2011 @ 7:59am
Mals said | November 7th 2011 @ 7:59am | Report comment
Well said Scott. The only one looking after the Manly footy club at the moment is Toovey. Penn is too busy fighting fires while also trying to increase his voting powers. I think Hasler may still yet start the season as Manly coach but he won’t see out the season.
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November 7th 2011 @ 8:53am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 7th 2011 @ 8:53am | Report comment
Mals
Despite the agendas, there is a lot of smart guys involved and they will all know the damage that is being done. Even Hasler’s close mates like Zorba Peters will know that it is best for everyone with Des goes.
He cannot be on the plane to England.
November 7th 2011 @ 9:46am
Ian Whitchurch said | November 7th 2011 @ 9:46am | Report comment
I just find the rugby league tradition of letting people sign another contract to play or coach somewhere else while signed to an existing club weird.
Put in a “free agency window” at the end of the season, and we can avoid all this crap.
November 7th 2011 @ 10:01am
Matt F said | November 7th 2011 @ 10:01am | Report comment
It’s a nice idea and would be ideal but wouldn’t that be similar to the old June 30 deadline, just later on? That was always a bit of a farce, especially when players announced their new club on July 1!
November 7th 2011 @ 10:45am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 7th 2011 @ 10:45am | Report comment
Ian
Thats life. It has always been done and always will, either officially or otherwise.
November 7th 2011 @ 9:57am
Matt F said | November 7th 2011 @ 9:57am | Report comment
As a Bulldogs fan I wouldn’t mind if he arrived a year early! It’s certainly a strange situation and you get the feeling that both clubs will be treading water this year. The Bulldogs can afford to do this as we aren’t a premiership contender but Manly, like all clubs only have a limited window to grab another premiership so they can’t afford to waste the season.
That being said I’m not convinced that Hasler can’t win another competition this year. He’s very close to the playing group, it’s the board he can’t stand, and he’s a proud man who will want to end on a high. I know the Bennett situation last season didn’t end perticularly well for the Dragons (though whether it was because of Bennett leaving or because the players were knackered after Origin season is up for debate) but Ivan Cleary did quite well for the Warriors despite his moving to Penrith.
November 7th 2011 @ 10:49am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 7th 2011 @ 10:49am | Report comment
Matt,
Firstly on Cleary. The Warriors struck the lottery to win v the Tigers and should not have even been playing off for a spot in the GF with the Storm. They were beaten by 100 the previous week v the Broncos.
The Bulldogs cant win the comp next year with their current coach and it will be virtually impossible for Manly, both both clubs have a great chance if Hasler moves to the Bulldogs now and Toovey takes over at Manly.
November 7th 2011 @ 11:30am
Matt F said | November 7th 2011 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Given our roster next season we won’t be winning the comp even if we did get Hasler a year earlier.
Lucky or not the Warriors won that game and did make the final. Besides at the time Cleary signed for the Panthers they weren’t certainties to even make the finals. They won 7/9 regular season games after he announced he was leaving as opposed to 7/15 before hand. The Knights had a better season than 2010 despite knowing that Stone wouldn’t be head coach the next year (though the fact he’s still at the club as an assistant and will have a say in selections etc would have made the players play a bit harder then if he wouldn’t be there at all.)
I’m not saying that Manly are my favourites tol win again in 2012 and I wouldn’t blame them for letting him go early. I expect it to be very difficult and it will be interesting to see how they respond to Des if they hit a rough patch like the Dragons did this season. I just don’t think we can 100% say that it’s an impossible feat.
November 7th 2011 @ 12:43pm
ScottWoodward.me said | November 7th 2011 @ 12:43pm | Report comment
Matt
There is no doubt that both Des and Toovey are talking to people about Plan B, which makes focusing on Plan A untenable.
A high profile administrator told me that it would never happen at his club.
November 7th 2011 @ 10:16am
Brett McKay said | November 7th 2011 @ 10:16am | Report comment
I can’t see him finishing 2012 with Manly. A string of early-season losses and/or the first loss to Canterbury should signal the end..
November 7th 2011 @ 10:51am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 7th 2011 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Brett,
As soon as the Board gets sorted the decision should be a no brainer. If they allow it to go beyond that then the members should replace them for incompetence.
November 7th 2011 @ 10:32am
Paul said | November 7th 2011 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Yea i agree, Just how its suppose to work with a coach already signed to another club is beyond me, Des hasler has drawn a line in the sand with his actions. I cant imagine him not trying to get certain players who can win a club a premiership to go with him, ie the young halves. Realistcly Des Hasler has sabotaged Manly’s future and the eagles must now rebuild again and if they leave hasler there for any length of time the damage to Manly will only be worse. Its common sense surley, Start the season fresh with a new coach and a team focused on playing for Manly and nothing else.
November 7th 2011 @ 12:53pm
Ward said | November 7th 2011 @ 12:53pm | Report comment
The Board is already incompetent.
November 7th 2011 @ 1:01pm
Megan said | November 7th 2011 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
The author of this article is a Souths supporter and picked our Mighty club to come in the bottom eight, this year! What would he know about our club, seriously?
November 7th 2011 @ 1:40pm
david sheehan said | November 7th 2011 @ 1:40pm | Report comment
Scott, Obviously you have no idea of the board structure at Manly. If you did, you would know the members do not have control. I would think that Hasler will see out 2012 at Manly, unless he walks. Why sack him and then have to pay him out? That doesn’t make sense. There again, many of your comments don’t.
November 7th 2011 @ 3:06pm
apaway said | November 7th 2011 @ 3:06pm | Report comment
I don’t know, Scott. If you have the services of the best coach in the game at a club that idolises him, even for one more year, I’d be inclined to keep him. Manly’s board level issues were there this year as well and while they need to be tarred and feathered for losing Des and the others, why compound the mistakes by losing Hasler a year early.
And where would it leave Jim Dymock, who has a contract to be first grade coach in 2012?
November 7th 2011 @ 3:21pm
Matt F said | November 7th 2011 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
Jim would move into an assiatant role at the Dogs like he is scheduled to do in 2013 anyway.