the mauler said:
Everyone knows that Warwick is a gun recruiter and has Cleal covered easily..... Everyone except for Harry that is.
We'll wait and see what Penn thinks, maybe Cleal is back on his radar
Interesting article this...
THE best talent scout in the business, Noel 'Crusher' Cleal, walked out on Manly to join Des Hasler at the Bulldogs because he lost confidence in the Sea Eagles' administration.
Cleal signed a five-year contract with Canterbury on Friday night and will leave the Sea Eagles immediately.
The former Test forward has the sharpest eye for talent in the game, having made the semi-finals for 14 of the 16 years he's worked in recruitment at Parramatta and then Manly.
It's common knowledge Cleal has taken up the Bulldogs offer because he can't work with the Manly administration. He's also angry over the sacking of his mate, Peter 'Zorba' Peters.
Not that he will say so publicly.
When I asked him to comment on his departure, Cleal said: "I'm not going to **** bag the place. That's not my style. Canterbury made a good offer, it's a challenging job, and I very much enjoy working with Dessie.
"The Bulldogs are a very professional club and I'm ready for a new challenge."
Unlike premier coach Hasler, who is staying at Brookvale for another year, Cleal is leaving straight away to give Geoff Toovey the chance to plan ahead with his own recruitment team.
Cleal's loss is a huge blow for Manly where he is regarded as a legend by the players and fans. Chairman and part-owner Scott Penn had offered him a substantial pay rise to stay on the northern peninsula. It puts more pressure on struggling CEO David Perry and an already fractured administration.