Let’s just say I am a young Manly Sea Eagles fan getting seriously excited about my team as it fine-tunes preparations for season 2015.
I am a 10-year-old and my favourite Eagles’ player is Daly Cherry-Evans and yes, my grand-parents knew it and gave me a Manly jumper for Christmas with the star’s name emblazoned across the back.
It is clearly my most prized possession. I cannot wait to wear it to footy training and be alongside my mates who proudly sprout Kieran Foran’s six and Jamie Lyons’ four as they go about their business.
But, no. I looked in the newspaper and reeled away in horror.
My beloved ‘Cherry’ had a day off from training and was spotted up on the Gold Coast, checking the Titans’ infrastructure with a view to signing a million-dollar contract for 2016 and beyond.
I shed more than a few tears. Dad says this is just the way it is. My grandfather, however, is a little more forthright: “Bloody mercenaries. These bludgers know nothing about loyalty, how can they expect the players of tomorrow to invest anything in them by way of loyalty?”
“Don’t worry young fella. Plenty more where they come from. If he wants to go, he’s not a real Manly man, probably never was…”
But what about me? I am left with the Manly jumper with Cherry-Evan’s monicker all over it. A Christmas present that was worth the world to me on December 25 but a few weeks later is bordering on worthless.
I hear through the media that my main man is odds-on (whatever that means) to accept the huge money on offer from the Titans. I am confused, heartbroken. And there is a rising anger that my hero, my favourite Sea Eagle, doesn’t want to be in the maroon and white after the coming season.
He wants to play somewhere else for a team that ‘needs his organisational ability, youth and… blah, blah, blah’.
This week we have read and heard many reports of Cherry- Evans taking a day off from Manly training to fly north and check out Gold Coast’s living and training set-up. Such ‘news’ was broken just three weeks out from the premiership kick-off and it can do nothing but harm to the Manly club and its supporters, old and young.
I appreciate just about every man and his bulldog knows that Cherry Evans and his talented halves partner Kieran Foran will be free agents at the end of 2015 but why court one or the other at this time of the year?
Couldn’t something have been done in the summer months in secret? Is there some way the young Manly half could have checked out the Titans under a cloak of anonymity? We are less than a month from the premiership kick-off, was this some manager merely flexing his muscle and flaunting his stable’s prime footballing beef?
I think the Cherry-Evans scenario, although nothing new, stinks to high heaven. There was nothing illegal about his visit to Titans territory but I feel the timing is terribly awry. Manly folk are supposed to be getting enthused and excited about the coming season and what do they get? Pretty much a kick in the head.
I feel that stories such as Cherry-Evans talking in earnest to Titans’ coach Neil Henry just before the 2015 kickoff is devisive to Manly as a club, and potentially soul-destroying to the club’s army of supporters.
This is yet another reason why the NRL needs a transfer window, six to ten weeks into the season, when players coming off contract are at liberty to shop themselves to the most attractive or highest bidder.
The NRL and its paper tiger Players Association has publicly stated that such a window is under serious discussion. I cannot understand why the concept is still a talking point, and not reality.
I believe rugby league needs the introduction of a transfer window in the coming season.
The fans need to know what is happening as much as the players and their money-hungry managers.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Thats a really good point. Say the window goes from OCT - FEB and DCE doesn't sign with the titans until mid January, Manly would have 6 weeks to find a halfback and fill a $800k hole in their cap. They couldn't spend the money set aside for DCE if they thought he was a genuine chance to re-sign. That's a lot more disruptive than a couple of rumours 12 months out.
Ed J
Guest
So one man should sell his (limited) future short to look after the feelings of a kid that he does not know. Seriously?
The RiffMarn Stew Moses
Roar Guru
Having written on this subject myself, more than happy to see the end of being able to sign up to 15 months in advance for your next club & instead have the end of season as your transfer window for immediate movement of players & then a second window during the rep season to allow players to also immediately move. We've seen a record number of players move immediately where they were contracted to their existing club for 1 or more seasons & quite frankly I think fans have had a gutful of players hanging around for that last season if its already known they are moving on elsewhere next year.
pjm
Roar Rookie
And then what happens to Manly when they need to find a half back in 3 months?
JACK LEWIS
Guest
League experts??? and all Manly haters have been trying their hardest to distract our players with all types of stories and rumours,but as usual the Mighty Sea Eagles just get on with doing what they do best' PLAY FOOTBALL".So bring on 2015 and more success for Manly.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Managers meet with club reps all the time with little fuss. I doubt it would cause a stir. But players can only talk to clubs, visit facilities etc after October, once the season has ended. 5 months is plenty of time to organise a contract, living arrangements etc. I see no reason why all negotiations can't be made during that period. But you could be right. Some sinister detective work might come into play with some clubs starting rumours to get others fined. Who knows, but that would be sad. Cheers TB I hope Manly keep them too. Could ultimately be spoken about in the same sentence as Langer/Walters and Stuart/Daley. But they need another few years together to achieve that.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Probably an indication the problem at the club was Watmough. Pretty disrespectful comments he made at the Eels season launch. Great player and happy there for years but guess he's lost sight of that. Club put up with a lot with him, scandal after scandal (not including the ones that didn't hit the papers). Hopefully he realises that in time. Players leave clubs all the time. Not many keep attacking them from afar.
The Barry
Roar Guru
The U'20s comp has been going since 2008 so pretty much every first grade player under 27 either came through the U20s or straight into first grade from school. Hasn't been that much of an issue. David Klemmer was U20s player of the year in 2012 and played for Australia in 2014 in the toughest position for young blokes to make the transition.
The eye
Guest
True,Matai signs,work that one out..
The Barry
Roar Guru
Leaks wouldn't dry up...you'd have finger pointing all over the place. You can't fine clubs because word gets out. Mate - I hope you do enjoy the season. To be honest I'd prefer DCE to re-sign with Manly. I like the DCE / Foran combo and feel like the Titans should have to 'earn' their superstar instead of plucking him from another club.
The Barry
Roar Guru
This is hardly a new problem. The kid can do what I had to do when Langmack, Gillespie, Farrar, Thomas and Alchin signed with the Magpies and Tunks, Kelly, Dunn and Chris Mortimer signed with the panthers all within a couple of years. Suck it up.
The Barry
Roar Guru
This situations tough when it's your team going through it but it's swings and roundabouts. A transfer window won't stop players flying to the GC and touring facilities or the rumours or the conjecture or the stories. If DCE signs with the titans tomorrow everyone can get on with it. It would much worse if the transfer window wasn't until October and it all dragged on and on.
The Barry
Roar Guru
The kid obviously hasn't been watching league for long if he doesn't know what 'odds on' means.
Sleemo
Guest
The Bosman rule doesn't apply to the NRL champ.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
I tend to agree. Manly are a successful club with enough history of success and enough name-players to see through any players leaving. But the Titans really have nothing and desperately need a quality marquee to turn around their fortunes. For that reason, I feel that the Titans will make it happen. Whatever it takes.
Kaks
Roar Guru
DCE's contract expires at the end of the year which means that if he moves next year he is free to do so on the free. He is legally allowed to leave for free on what is called the 'bosman rule'
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
The NRL should take on the marquee system the A-League has established with its salary cap. Have a marquee player; foreign marquee player; & under 20s marquee player that are all outside the cap. this will deter Rugby poaching & keep the greats in the game. Any player that has been developed through a club junior system and then poached from the usual guilty parties should be able to dictate a transfer fee that is incorporated into the buying clubs salary cap for that season. - This is an incentive for clubs to continue develop their own, and a deterrent for others who function by poaching others. The likes of NZ; Newcastle and Canberra will become more competitive by on the park and financially.
Jason Hosken
Guest
Cuthbo back on track in Leeds. Shouldve been his first stop after Manly.
Bomb78
Guest
The Under 20's comp is leading the NRL down a road the Wallabies and Super Rugby teams have already gone. Many of the players coming through the under 20's have only played in school and age teams to this point. All of a sudden you;ve got a player tearing it up in under 20's and then bam! He gets picked up for the NRL squad and has little or no experience against grown men.
Bomb78
Guest
The stories about his wife not wanting to leave the north shore have been going around for a couple of years, but it's amazing how attitudes change when hundreds of thousands of dollars get tossed your way.