With the baggy greens a shambles, the Wallabies winning just three of nine internationals this campaign and both Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic just a couple of matches away from another unwanted headline, Des Hasler, Ben Barba and Quade Cooper have changed the sporting horizon for the better.
Hasler returned to Manly where he should have never left. Barba has come back close to the grassroots with the Cowboys. Cooper has had his Super Rugby career reborn with the Rebels.
Hasler will lift Manly from the Trent Barrett doldrums to again be a force in the NRL, of that there’s no doubt.
He’s not only a damn good coach as his career stats prove with 14 seasons at Manly and the Dogs producing 12 finals series appearances, five grand finals, and two premierships, but he totally understands what makes Manly tick – the culture.
Without that, no coach can succeed at Brookvale as Barrett found out.
Hasler can be a prickly hombre, and he’s never suffered fools, but there’s no more genuine coach in the NRL.
Sure he left both Manly and the Dogs under a cloud, but when the problems have been investigated, Hasler wasn’t at fault and mahogany row were the culprits.
On a more positive note, pre-season training kicks off on November 5, and by then Hasler will be right on top of it.
Daly Cherry-Evans is the only Manly player left from Hasler’s last premiership success, and it will be interesting to see if he retains the captaincy, or Hasler opts for Jake Trbojevic.
If it’s the latter don’t be surprised if he skippers NSW Origin, and Australia as well, so it will be a big call.
But the biggest call of all will be a Manly grand final, and a premiership.
That will give the vast army of Manly-haters the ultimate uppercut.
Talking grand finals, the 2016 version was the last time Ben Barba was in NRL action, playing a major role in the Sharks capturing their first premiership in half a century.
He went from an all-time high to an all-time low when he tested positive to cocaine, and was suspended indefinitely by the NRL.
But it got worse when Barba headed for Toulon for a rugby stint, only to be sacked after four games.
The tide turned when he signed with St Helens to return to scintillating rugby league-best, scoring 34 tries from as many games.
Last season was the highlight with 28 tries, and 24 assists, from just 23 games to capture the coveted Man of Steel Award as judged by his peers.
Barba became only the second Australian after Gavin Miller to win both the Man of Steel and Dally M Medal – the code’s highest awards.
Miller won the 1986 Man of Steel and followed that up with the 1988 and 1989 Dally Ms as a Shark – Barba won his Dally M as a Bulldog in 2012.
Now Barba fans can look forward to him as a Cowboy, and their fans will be hoping Barba can turn on his electric rugby league in the first post-Thurston season – the timing couldn’t be better.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Domestically, Barba will feel close to home with his family in Mackay, so he’s set for a big year and ready to crack the NRL three figures of career tries, sitting on 99.
And Quade Cooper has come out of a season in the rugby wilderness.
Shunned by Reds coach Brad Thorn last season after 118 games and 70 Wallaby caps, Cooper will be a Melbourne Rebel next season, linking again will former Reds halfback Will Genia.
I never gave a thought to either leaving Queensland, but strange things can, and do, happen in professional sport.
The exciting Genia-Cooper combination will be joined by Matt Toomua to give the Rebels a superb Super Rugby backline with Reece Hodge, Tom English, Marika Koriobete, Jack Maddocks, and Dane Haylett-Petty.
Just as importantly, Michael Cheika will no doubt swoop to have Cooper as Bernard Foley’s standby, as flyhalf and goal-kicker, whenever the Wallabies are on duty.
At the moment Cheika has no-one on standby after the Kurtley Beale experiment turned out to be a failure – he’s a world-class inside centre, or fullback, but not a 10.
So Quade Cooper is back, and that can only be good for Wallaby rugby.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Des and manly were a perfect fit... Des wouldn’t get a role anywhere else and no one wants the manly job - two desperate parties align....good catalyst for the “us vs them” mentality
slurpy
Roar Rookie
You had me praising you DL, now I've got to take a shot at your 'lazy journalism' re the cricket. I mean Dan Liebke constantly finds positives to write about even when we're failing...
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
I always thought that John Dorahy and Ray Brown put their feet up and relaxed when they came to Manly. Waste of money. Now as for Boyd, well he got suspended for 12 months while he was at Manly for the Darryl Brohman incident in game 1 of State of Origin in 1983. Really, he should have done hard time for coming in ‘lateish’ with the express purpose of planting his right elbow on Brohman’s jaw. Obliterated it. Brohman must have used a straw for 6 months. He put it in big time at Manly - he should have been called GBH. A thug with a baby face. Of course Manly let him go at the end of 84, but he went on to four or five seasons with one of the clubs in North England.
Phil
Roar Rookie
I'm starting to feel normal again concerning Manly. Being one of those who supported two teams, their own and whoever is playing Manly, I was actually feeling sorry for the poor bast@rds this year after their dismal season. The hatred is brewing at an enormous rate like back in the early '70's when Ken Arthurson, armed with his chequebook raped and pillaged South Sydney bringing John O'Neill and Ray Branigan, the big names, to the North Shore. Then later on Arko zoomed in on the Roy Masters coached fireballs, Western Suburbs and poached John Dorahy, Les Boyd, Ray Brown and John Ribot de Bressac the former backrower cum winger. You've got to hand it to Arko, he was probably ahead of his time in Sport administration being the envy of his peers during his successful reign at the Silvertails, being able to attract high quality footballing talent to his beloved Brookvale citadel, the fortress. No doubt about Manly, success goes with them and it's good for Rugby League, but I hate the mongrels........... again.
David Lord
Expert
Big Daddy, the big three will make you change your mind, so don't undersell them before they have the chance. By the way, Justin Langer can't call them good blokes, and not playing to their potential, none of them are Western Australians.
Big Daddy
Guest
Its like the old cliche Langer said about the Marsh's. They're nice blokes and not playing to their potential. They will be saying that about Cooper. What Will be the story for Des and Barbs.
Louis McIntyre
Roar Guru
Going by the most recent origin game, yeah he is in the run on team. He started at lock. Irregardless, I think he meant in the future not necessarily 2019.
Louis McIntyre
Roar Guru
Geez mate, it’s a positive news article about the spirt you’re supposed to love. Go read the online articles at the telegraph. They are more up your alley.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
If ‘culture’ was key why chase and be humbled by rejection by non Manly man Madge ?Des looks like des-peration.. And Jake Turbo to captain the Blues ? Is he in the run on team ? Don’t want to snap you out of your happy place,so I’ll let it go..
David Lord
Expert
slurpy. I'd much prefer to write positive stories, but the tone is dictated to by the events of the day. For example, apart from the baggy greens batting throughout the final day against Pakistan in the Dubai first Test for an honourable draw to earn their fat wallets, they were humiliated by 373 runs in the second Test, and early this morning the Australian T20 side were smashed by 66 runs. The talent is there, but the application has been inexcusably MIA. Another example, no Pakistani batsman was bowled this morning, but six Australian's lost their castles, and Ben McDermott was run out thanks to a dumb call. Late order batsmen Nathan Coulter-Nile's 34 off 29, and Ashton Agar's 19 off 23, took the Australians to 89, the third lowest total in T20 history. It's embarrassing slurpy, and there's no way anything positive can be written. Hopefully Des Hasler, Ben Barba, and Quade Cooper can give me more opportunities to be positive in the future.
David Lord
Expert
Not so peeeko, all Manly's eight premierships have been coached by former Manly backs. Ron Willey (1972 and 1973) played 124 of his 201 career games for the seaside club. Frank Stanton (1976 and 1978) began his playing career with Manly for 123 games before moving on Balmain (153), and the Bears for 65. Bobby Fulton (1987 and 1996), played 219 of his 285 career club games with Manly. And Des Hasler (2008 and 2011) played 256 of 289 for Manly. Pretty conclusive culture.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
And too much time on your hands.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
You've got a fair bit of study to do MP about the use of the English language in print before you move to the next step to study and bag the journalists.
slurpy
Roar Rookie
Nice one Lordy. Des should never have been punted by us, especially after the contract announcement. Des didn't quit the dogs, he was working with what he had created. 2 GF's, and only missed the finals once - I'll back he had his plans on how to manage the roster and he should have been given the chance to work with what he created. Good to see him back at Manly though. Also great to see Barba back. Hopefully he can keep his form up. Loving the positive articles, if you can get on to CK and Buzz etc and have them follow suit that'd be great.
peeeko
Roar Guru
Culture is an over used term that die hard supporters tell ourselves to make us feel better and differentiate ourselves from others when we are all alike Supporters often confuse themselves with the 17 paid mercenaries on the field
Max power
Guest
Well I’ve got a small phone and big fingers.
Don
Roar Rookie
Feel better now Max? Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.
David Lord
Expert
It's interesting you showed your level of journalism max power with a lower case "i" first up - and no what's didn't improve your standard either. Sloppy.
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Me , I love his columns and love hearing from the perpetually outraged like you. Keep the fire burning champ.
max power
Guest
i am studying the declining levels of journalism in this country, whats your excuse?