Scott Penn set a dangerous precedent in his interview with Danny Weidler.
The Manly owner expressed his belief that his team have a premiership-winning squad. It’s a bold, misguided belief. A dream that, once reality hits, could prove crushing.
The Sea Eagles possess a good side, don’t get me wrong, but outside of Tom and Jake Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans and Hamuole Olakau’atu, can anyone argue that any other Sea Eagle is a top-10 player in their position across the NRL?
In 2023 this will be no different. Key players Andrew Davey, Kieran Foran, Martin Taupau and Dylan Walker depart, further depleting their side, with only Kelma Tuilagi and Nathaniel Roache arriving.
Penn made his claim despite the cattle and evidence available.
Mr Penn all but confirmed in the shocking yet unsurprising interview that Des Hasler is being shown the exit door at a club where he is part of the fabric.
Hasler has played a significant role as either player or coach in the club’s four premierships since the 1980s, coaching the only side during the 2000s that was able to consistently match it with the dominant Melbourne, producing and nurturing the Stewart brothers, Foran, Cherry-Evans and a host of other peninsula stalwarts into the top grade.
Cut Des open and he’ll ooze maroon and white.
The year prior to his re-arrival at the club in 2018, Manly finished 15th. He led them to a top-eight finish in 2019, and a top-four finish in 2021, a year that saw him oversee arguably the greatest individual season the competition has ever seen.
This year the Sea Eagles were again on track to finish inside the eight and potentially disrupt the finals. Everyone knows what happened next.
The pride jersey scandal reportedly divided the dressing room with seven Polynesian players boycotting the side’s must-win round 20 clash against another side fighting for finals, the Sydney Roosters. An understrength Manly side lost that match and the following five matches in a free fall that saw them float further away from finals football’s comforting shores.
It’s a string of results that appears to be the final nail in the coffin of Des Hasler’s Manly career. One that the coach himself did not create. One that was created by the club’s non-footballing departments, without consultation of the players or the coach, and one that Hasler was made to front up to himself.
Scott Penn did not sit in the press conference during that week, let’s not forget that.
Rugby league is a cruel game, but even this dismissal seems too cruel for it.
Aside from this, as owner it is Penn’s right to dismiss who he pleases, there can be no debate over that. If he feels that he and Hasler’s relationship is untenable and that it may be in the best interests to part ways with a club great then so be it.
Truthfully, if he believes that Manly do have a premiership-winning side and desires the NRL trophy to be returned to a place it called home often during the 2000s and 2010s, and he feels that a two-time premiership-winning coach is unable to deliver such goals, and he is willing to live by this sword and die by this sword, then good on him.
He is testing fate, though, by replacing a proven premiership-winner and a man who delivered top-four football with, crucially, a fully fit and firing Tom Trbojevic, with a man who dragged the country’s biggest club, the Brisbane Broncos, through the wooden spoon mud.
Scott Penn described Hasler’s most likely replacement, Anthony Seibold, as a “phenomenal intellect [and] a great tactician [who’s] shown he’s got credentials as a head coach”.
Not to knock the former Souths coach as a person, but his ‘credentials’ hardly stack up against those of Hasler’s, yet he is seen as the clear and obvious choice in the eyes of the Manly owner to lead a 17 that he vehemently believes can win a competition.
Add to this the six-figure lawsuit looming between the club and Hasler and the next few months on the peninsula has potentially nuclear ramifications that could destroy the owner’s premiership dream, derail Anthony Seibold’s reign before it begins and create a schism between ownership and fans.
2023 could prove to be Manly’s last dance with Des, or it could go the other way, only time and fate will tell.
JennyFromPenny
Guest
Seibold and Manly should be like peaches and cream. Sei pronounced Sea, and bold, a synonym for Manly.
mushi
Roar Guru
Except I'm not sure he's surviving a vote
Wayne Turner
Guest
Owner gives coaches job to a mate. A coach that didn't get the job on merit,and a known failure. Good luck Manly,you will need it.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Cause it's the dragons....?
U
Roar Rookie
He’d make a great politician
U
Roar Rookie
He’s a snake who should also be dumped
DavMan
Roar Rookie
Good article, thanks Kyle. Not enjoying the subject matter though. Dark days for our proud club.
KenW
Roar Rookie
You're right. Siebold has a lot to prove and the only shot he's going to get is walking into a basketcase situation. Tony's right, they're going to make him work for it - if he succeeds he will have earned it.
KenW
Roar Rookie
I think you've touched on it, there must be more going on, there always is. Hasler looks likely to chalk up 3 of the most acrimonious coach sackings in memory. The lawyers were all warmed up last time Manly sacked him. At the Dogs it ended in an out of court settlement. This one looks like it might go bigger. While acknowledging that we're never going to get the full story reading the newspapers, on the face of it Des seems to be the common factor. Passionate he might be, but did his arrival really change anything? They dumped Toovey after he missed the finals in 2015, having run last for parts of that year. Barrett's signing didn't signal stability, reaching the finals 1 out of 3 seasons (finishing 6th-15th). Hasler's tenure continued much the same 2 finals from 4 seasons (4th-13th) - the year on year volatility just continuing on.
Rellum
Roar Guru
This is the worst decision I have seen for a long time. Siebold for Des? Really?
Cam
Roar Rookie
Siebold clearly has a good footy brain and interviews like a champ, but I’m completely unconvinced he is a head coach of any worth. Looking at his body of work in Australia as a HC, Siebold had the Mackay Cutters in the QCup for two seasons. The timeline here doesn’t look great with the Cutters finishing one game from the GF before Seibold took over the clipboard, they then missed the finals both years of Seibold’s tenure and then win the comp the year after he leaves. The 2018 season with Souths was great when compared to the Rabbitohs 2017 season. But when you scratch a bit deeper into the 2017 season, Greg Inglis was out for the entire year and both Sam and George Burgess missed a decent amount of the season. Madge also did Anthony a decent favour by debuted Angus Crichton, Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham and then recruiting Dane Gagai for 2018. Seibold then coaches the Broncos to the club’s first ever spoon and basically plunges them into a rebuild phase. I’m just not seeing why Manly are so keen on Seibold, am I missing something?
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Seibold? Surely someone is taking the p...
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
He'd also win the concourse/esplanade sprint :laughing:
Cam
Roar Rookie
Siebold is going to have to do the exact same thing at Manly, follow a long-term club legend who appears to have the support of if not all the players, than at least all the players that count. Good luck with that.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Following Bennett at the Broncos was always going to be a difficult task. Using another code as an analogy, like managing Man Utd after Sir Alex. When a club is successful under a long serving mentor, there is an ongoing air of expectation from its fans. As the saying goes “like batting after Bradman”.
Fraser
Roar Rookie
Seibold is one hell of a sales guy.
matth
Roar Guru
Ambition. There aren’t many other clubs who would risk him as head coach after his stint at the Broncos, so for better or worse this is likely his last shot.
Tony
Roar Guru
Great winger.....how did the Dragons let him go...
Tony
Roar Guru
First order of business will be to replace Turbo with Dufto
Tony
Roar Guru
Money?