Former Manly player Anthony Watmough has unleashed an extraordinary tirade against current skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and ex-coaches Des Hasler and Geoff Toovey.
Speaking on the Hello Sport podcast, Watmough claimed Cherry-Evans “turned into a f***wit” after his first year in the NRL in 2011, in which Manly won the premiership.
Watmough was among a group of senior players who had helped the club to a long period of success.
They were believed to have been upset as young halfback Cherry-Evans’ greatly-upgraded 2012 contract added to the salary cap pressure that eventually hastened some departures.
He claims Cherry-Evans told him that he wasn’t going to turn up to training unless he was given a better deal.
“I said ‘mate you just signed a f***ing four-year deal, you turn up to training’, Watmough said.
“He (Cherry-Evans) goes ‘Nup. My manager told me not to’.
“Not to turn up to training … I’ve looked after him, gave him whatever he wanted as a kid. Always made sure he didn’t want for anything.
“I said to him ‘mate, you know what we’ve sacrificed to stay together, to be successful. Your time will come’ and he just looked me straight in the eye and went ‘nah, not turning up”, Watmough said.
“So I’ve walked out and went to Tooves (coach Geoff Toovey) and said ‘don’t give him any money. You’ve got him by the balls.
“If he doesn’t turn up to training, fine him’.
“And Tooves just succumbed to the board, next thing we know he’s up around the $500,000 mark after being on $50,000.”
“So that’s where Tooves stopped worrying about the players and started worrying about his own back. Tooves chose one side of the board over the players and that’s where he lost me.”
The forward also gave his version of circumstances surrounding coach Des Hasler’s departure to Canterbury in the days after the 2011 premiership triumph, saying he “burnt a lot of bridges”.
“If he had of just said ‘I’ve been offered $1.5 million, I’m going,’ we would have said ‘good, go’. But he blamed everyone else.
“So we as players were furious and then what we found out in the aftermath, well Dessie’s Dessie. He’s always going to look after Dessie.”
Watmough claims could no longer hold onto his side of the story.
“People are going to hate me for coming out and saying this but people have to know at the end of the day what the real situation was,” he said.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
No all I’m saying is that taking unders to stay at a club when you are being offered huge pay rises elsewhere (even part of the reason is another player) is not flakey loyalty. That’s it. Releasing ageing stars once off contract is every clubs perogative. Something parramatta should have done a couple,of years ago instead of signing more ageing stars.
terrence
Guest
Dan, The not-so-bigger suprise is that DCE, his management (PSM), Hasler, Toovey and potentially the ex-Manly board members on the Quantum side (Phil Sidney and colleagues) are considering legal action against Anthony Watmough / Hello Sport and potentially Acast. DCE primarily over potentially earnings loss with future sponsors (3rd party / post footy), Hasler and Toovey over potential earnings loss (both are looking for full time NRL coaching roles, Hasler is very cashed up at the moment thanks to the doggies), PSM for being accused of telling a client to breach contract, Phil Sidney and fellow board members based on unfounded age based discrimination accusations. Watmough has certainly cast a negative light on a range of individuals and may need a high level of documentation/support (I gather a few of his mates won't want to be cross examined or have their written testimony challenged. Hope Watmough has deep pockets and/or happy to pay a bit and make a range of grovelling public apologies.. Either way, it could be a good day for lawyers.
Forty Twenty
Guest
If you have time to listen to the podcast David , Watmough is all over the place with his memory and who knows which parts are accurate . Apart from that he was openly boasting that he was lying to the club about his nocturnal activities. I'm sorry to say it but he doesn't sound like he's got all his marbles..
Tom G
Guest
To be honest there is nothing he has not already said .. this time he’s just added a coupe of perjoratives and dumped on Tooves and Hasler. It makes you wonder why this “story” has surfaced and who instigated it.. where was this guff last year when Manly were going ok? Rugby League lives to kick a side when they’re down.. non moreso than Manly
jacko
Guest
The issue i have is that Watmaugh is hardly worthy of any trust...He has crapped all over Parra when he was injured and even went to court to gain extra payouts for being so injured when playing at manly he could not fulfil his parea contract....DCE should not respond...at least have 1 class person in all this...I guess Watmaugh got lonely with no attention on him
David
Guest
Fairly clear he does not fit into the standards Qld require and that alone should raise concerns at all levels. Any time any player starts or is part of an ultimatum to a club about who will and will not play ,no pay rise no play etc time for him or them to go. The old man used to say give him 2 clearances in case he loses one. According to Watmough Evans as a contracted player was going to refuse to train in agreement with a contract he had signed. See you later DCE What a pathetic Board . Now he has been instrumental in getting a young bloke who he does not like banned to the back blocks with another ultimatum.See you later DCE. What a pathetic Board.Says very little of any of them actually.
Thomas C
Guest
Yes, the broncos are underachieving, despite usually making the finals. The brothers are anomalies. Any club that has 2 players emerge to fill the stewart brothers shaped hole would be consider themselves as beneficiaries of good fortune. But it is a club currently languishing where dce is implicated in the money problems ( given his pay packet), where dce is implicated in a bizarre incident leaving a player in exile. And hes fallen from the kind of form that saw him as the next long term representative half. The successful Melbourne, Broncos and sea eagles teams has star players often agree to pay cuts. People are unlikely to do this if asked by dce
Jason Hosken
Roar Guru
Wolfman’s spectacular try v Souths clinched their place in the 2013 GF. No way Williams would be dropped after that. It’s ok for Choc to ride his high horse but he’s no saint after fleecing Parras cash for little on field return.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Yeah, agree with that Nat...not turning up definitely not a way to earn respect and it looks like his manager has to take a lot of credit for that move although DCE gets to wear most of it.
Nat
Roar Guru
That's all fair enough Joe. No one can begrudge a bloke for wanting more than the (alleged) $50k he was on but to hold the club to ransom by not showing up is not the right way to go about things. That said, and with the benefit of hindsight, his manager seems to be the biggest douche in this scenario. First this advice to a young player in his first year then his ' negotiations' between Manly/Titans has done DCE's reputation no help at all. All the money in the world cannot buy respect yet the manager wears none of the accountability.
Forty Twenty
Guest
The loyalty was to Watmough not the club. If you listen to the podcast they both have a huge wrap on each other it seems and Glen Stewart stayed for one reason only , because Watmough stayed. If Watmough signed elsewhere Stewart leaves as is his right to do so . Claiming the club doesn't have the right to release ageing stars when it suits them is childish. The Storm regularly discard forwards before their use by date and everyone accepts that despite whatever they may have 'sacrificed' for the club. Watmoughs attitude is out of step with reality. Plenty of clubs chose not to re sign players because of the salary cap and trying to fit in someone else. Pearce and Maloney were shuffled off and so was Inglis at the Storm. Players were shuffled off at the bunnies to bring back Sam Burgess. Playing the loyalty and 'taking unders' card is too complicated. Do you think the club erred by not re signing Glenn Stewart despite his loyalty?
Chris Love
Roar Guru
So Glenn Stewart and him are both offered much bigger contracts at other clubs, they’re in the phase where they’re considering it. They have a chat with each other and decided to take unders to stay at the club if the other does also and you call that flimsy loyalty?
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I don’t think he was saying that at all. I think he’s saying you’ve been a grown man and signed a contract to play Rugby League now don’t let your team mates down by refusing to turn up to training. Any player in the leadership group of any club would be expected to have the same conversation with a player who stepped into a champion team and won a Premiership in his rookie year and was now throwing his toys out of the cot. The salary cap issues didn’t come until a lot later and the frankly shit attitude shown at the start ollowed DCE through all of the dramas.
Dodgy Dragons
Roar Rookie
Couldn’t wait until after this weekend to let fly Watmough you tosser, the drags will have to be on their game this weekend because if that tirade doesn’t fire him up, nothing will!!! Watmough certainly cashed in on his deals with both the eagles and eels, says a bit about him aswell. I wish I could get paid big bucks to not work/perform ordinary at work in the real world - why clubs sign players on more than 2/3 yr contracts is beyond me, they are all ticking timebombs in regards to injury, lack of form etc
Batros
Guest
Hiku was playing like a gun filling in for an injured snake Stewart during the time and upon reflection probably would have been a better option considering how the wolf played. Hindsight eh. Coulda shoulda woulda.
Bartros
Guest
Hiku.
Forty Twenty
Guest
Oldfield was actually at the Roosters by then so who was this star winger who should have played in the 13 Gf?
Forty Twenty
Guest
Watmough said that the players and assistant coaches wanted the Wolf man replaced by Tafua (he thought ) in the 13 GF as he was killing it in reserves. Trouble is Tafua was already in the team on the other wing so I'm not sure who was meant to replace the Wolf. Oldfield perhaps?
Tom G
Guest
Watmough lost me when he decided to bail for a stellar career with super coach Arthur on a ridiculous contract at the Eels. How did that turn out for you Anthony?? Manly got a lot out of this guy when he was good but nowhere near as much as he got from them when he wasn’t. As for his disparaging Hasler and Toovey it shows a lot about the character of the guy. Both of those guys were legends of the club.. he could’ve been but decided not to be.
Forty Twenty
Guest
" Gave him whatever he wanted as a kid , always made sure they didn't want for anything" This is Watmough apparently referring to DCE? Knocking back $450,000 a year seems a fair enough trade off for being treated so well as a kid ............