Manly CEO Joe Kelly has vowed to spend big to lure some of the NRL’s best players as his NRL club reels from losing star halves Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans.
Foran on Monday confirmed that he’s agreed to join Parramatta in 2016, his announcement coming 10 days after Cherry-Evans revealed he was bound for Gold Coast at the end of the season.
Kelly, who joined the club late last year after a stint as South Sydney chief financial officer, acknowledged to AAP earlier his month he’d already compiled list of targets should Foran and Cherry-Evans walk away.
He can now start putting that work into practice with James Maloney, Trent Hodkinson, Todd Carney and Chris Sandow among the players likely to be targeted with the big money now freed up.
“The club is now in a position of having the resources necessary to recruit some of the best talent in the marketplace, to ensure that the Sea Eagles remain a dominant team in the NRL,” said Kelly.
He attempted to ease the fears of jittery Sea Eagles fans.
“We have an extremely bright future here at Manly,” he said.
“There is some prodigious young talent rising through our junior ranks. We have increased our resources in the football department, and we are investing in state of the art training facilities.”
Sydney Roosters five-eighth Maloney is one of several players battling for a new deal at that club along with Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Dylan Napa, Blake Ferguson, Daniel Tupou, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who are all off-contract after this season.
NSW State of Origin-winning halfback Hodkinson left Manly for Canterbury in 2010 and although keen to stay, the money potentially on offer at Manly could make it hard for him to turn down a return.
“It’s early days in terms of talking at the moment,” Hodkinson told AAP last week.
“I’d love to stay at the Bulldogs, I’ve found a home here. I love playing under Dessie (Hasler) and that would be the ideal situation.
“But there is a lot things that have to happen before then. All I can do is park it and just play as well as I can.”
Carney is currently playing in Super League with French side Catalans having been sacked by Cronulla last year following yet another off-field escapade involving alcohol.
However, the Sharks were deemed by the NRL appeals committee to have failed to follow due process before sacking the controversial former NSW playmaker after a photo of him apparently attempting to urinate in his mouth appeared on social media last year.
This could open a door for a return to the NRL and Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey told Fairfax Media on Monday the former Canberra and Roosters star would be a player he’d be interested in signing.
Players off-contract in 2016 who could interest Manly
Halfbacks
* Trent Hodkinson, Canterbury
* Chris Sandow, Parramatta
* Jeff Robson, Cronulla
* Mitch Cornish, Canberra
* Robert Lui, Nth Qld
Five-eighths
* James Maloney, Sydney Roosters
* Todd Carney, Les Catalans (France)
* Aidan Sezer, Gold Coast
* Kane Elgey, Gold Coast
Haz
Guest
You forgot about the Manly recruits. Mason has already added some off-field leadership to the forwards. Mateo showed glimpses of his potential against the Storm, playing a sublime first-half. Luke Burgess had added some noticeable muscle to the middle of the field. Blake Leary has played both games for Manly and been competent. Really, the worst of the bunch is Mason, but then again he's 34, not 24, and as before, he's as much there to add another big character to the dressing room to balance out the discontentment amongst the Manly veterans, and to add some leadership and experience to the young props in NYC.
Albo
Guest
Spot on ! Why do you think they are coming off contract ? Having completely stuffed up the management of really good team roster, they should now concentrate on some local or poached junior replacements ( like they did when Noel Cleal found DCE in the first place ! ) Forget those on that " looking for a contract " list !
Albo
Guest
"Kelly obviously wasn’t going to pay overs for 2 players who were nobody’s before Manly made them the players they are." Good to see the tradition will continue at Manly then ! Based on the list of available replacements for them to contemplate , the nobody's are the only option !
Casper
Guest
Bit harsh NSWelsham, great players when they stay but duds when they go? Putting it in perspective, the salary cap is going up each year and the proportion going to key play-makers like DCE or Foran is close to the same percentage as now, allowing a bit extra for them having the premiership winning experience Manly gave them. You will only be able to tell if they are worth the money they're getting paid when the next few seasons are over and you know the results. You can build a team around DCE as he looks the type to be a good leader, on and off the field. Foran is more of a player than play-maker, showing the way with a fearless approach. I'd take either or both. Look at the money Chris Sandow or Corey Norman got from the Eels and you'd have to agree Foran is worth more than double. Obviously Sandow will get the chop, not worth what they're paying him if he's in the reserves. Yet to be determined if the Penn regime proves fruitful for Manly, or will they go through the quick fix stage where experienced recruits don't bring the desired results. First year at a new club for most players has proven to be a struggle. Have a look at last year, not all spectacular failures and some were injured but food for thought: Broncos - Barba, Kennedy, Mills, Green Bulldogs - Maitua, Stanley, Phillips Dragons - Widdop, Farrell, Mike Cooper, Groat Cowboys - Coote, King Eels - Norman, Mossop, Hopoate, Justin Hunt Rabbitohs - Joe Picker, Reddy Knights - Packer (jail), Newton, Dobson, Minto Roosters - Casty, L'estrange, Hastings Sharks - Ayshford, Vave, Prior, Holdsworth Storm - Rose, Weston, Kaufusi Tigers - Gordon, Halatau, Lulia, Paterson Titans, Maurice Blair, Likiliki, Carter Warriors - Townsend, Bukuya, Tomkins The most successful club appeared to be Penrith with Soward exceeding expectations, Kyte playing consistently, with Wallace, Taylor and Peachey good until injured.
NSWelshman
Guest
Easy when you're a sensible & competent CEO! Kelly obviously wasn't going to pay overs for 2 players who were nobody's before Manly made them the players they are. Noway are either worth the 1.2 million they're being paid! In the end they have both gone for the money end of story. These excuses that they left for the coach & for their careers & to improve their game are a joke! Really????? So Toovey, Lyons & Johns are not good enough to help them better their games............
Ronald M
Guest
The question is not about how much they will spend to secure stars for next year but why so many are leaving. Unless the latter problem is understood and fixed, no amount of recruitment is going to solve Manly's woes.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Such a sad list of available Halves,
Mals
Guest
Go after Kurtley Beale, the man is an born entertainer. His plays are either fantastic or horrible but sure to get people yelling & screaming :-)
planko
Guest
Very challenging to make the board resign when most of them are aligned with the Penn's who own 90% of the ordinary shares of MANLY
up in the north
Roar Rookie
I'd be OK with them taking Lui now if they want. Sandow linking up has a certain symmetry to it as well. Now he's dropped a few kilos he looks great and he seems to be a lot more mobile.
silvertail19
Guest
Silver lining is that they are still there for this year and being such great players there is no reason why Manly shouldn't go close to winning the comp yet again. If they lose form because their hearts are now somewhere else they won't be missed as much next year. And...with dollars freed up and Manly's undeniable ability to feather the nest with good players there is no reason to believe they will not continue to maintain the lofty position in the premiership for many more years to come.
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
The Manly CEO and Board should resign. How do you lose both your excellent play-makers in the space of a week?
Wildman From Borneo
Guest
I disagree. They'll end up with Barba and Sandow.
Dave Sensation
Guest
They'll end up with Barba