It’s the ultimate rugby league irony: Manly whinging about being pillaged by a cashed-up rival from Sydney’s west.
But there he was on Friday, Sea Eagles chairman Scott Penn questioning the integrity of a Canterbury club picking off members of Manly’s backroom staff one by one.
Penn’s swipe came as the Sea Eagles sacked coach Des Hasler, claiming a breach of contract for his alleged role in luring key staff to Belmore ahead of his arrival there in 2013.
Recruitment guru Noel Cleal and assistant Kelly Egan are confirmed defectors, but more are thought to be in the pipeline.
Penn was asked whether the Bulldogs had acted inappropriately in scavenging the NRL premiers’ ranks.
He didn’t have to utter a word – the pause before he spoke said it all.
“It’s probably too difficult to say, without pointing fingers,” Penn finally said.
“But certainly when you have significant numbers of your football staff approached there’s questions over the integrity of that.”
While there’s little doubt much of Penn’s grievance is with Hasler, it’s clear he is also unhappy with the Bulldogs, not least for their decision to announce their deal with Hasler for 2013 and beyond just days after Manly’s premiership triumph.
But dig a little deeper and it appears Penn and the Sea Eagles are upset at the systematic approach the Bulldogs have taken to buying up the brains of Manly’s operation.
This from a club which built its reputation as the `Silvertails’ in the 1970s and 80s after using it’s financial capacity to lure top talent to the northern beaches, particularly from bitter rivals Western Suburbs.
Now the shoe is on the other foot.
“Contracts are in place for a reason – if someone doesn’t have a contract then they’re probably fair game,” Penn said.
“That’s something the Bulldogs took advantage of, trying to take advantage of contractual situations that may or may not have been there.
“In a competitive landscape that’s probably OK – I guess it’s just the manner in which it’s been done.”
The Bulldogs refused to buy into the debate, keeping their comments strictly on Hasler’s role with the club.
While Canterbury chief executive Todd Greenberg said Jim Dymock remained the club’s coach for 2012, it is assumed Hasler’s deal – which was due to begin in 2013 – will be brought forward a year.
“We will continue to offer Des our full support as he works through the options available to him, and we will meet with him at an appropriate point in the future,” Greenberg said in a statement.
“It is worth noting at this point that our plans for 2012 are unaffected by today’s developments.
“Jim Dymock is doing a fantastic job and together with his football staff he has the squad well positioned in our pre-season campaign.”
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