Club News 2022

[joeboy]

What a cluster ****, no one, club nor player can come out of this looking good, just completely unnecessary to have this played out the way it will be.

I can’t believe the stupidity of management as much as I can’t believe the ignorance of the players. Just a hot mess

 

[XV-1]

Glad we or the NRL is not sponsored by Qantas.
They would no longer be a sponsor.

 

[Eagles4Life]

I see Des is allegedly supporting the Sit Out Seven and their decision not to play. What is everyone's take on that ??

What other choice did he have? His position clearly not about this game in the short term, but the retention of these players in the long term. He also had to consider future recruitment in the Pacific Islander communities as well

 

[ALinda]

Apparently this week is Women in League round (first I've heard with everything else going on). Why can't we for once have a normal round and wear a normal jersey?!!

 

[mickqld]

Next week is save the spotted owl round. Can't wait for that fu*king jersey.

 

[joeboy]

The club and the 7 players have not got a single manoeuvre to get out of this situation. It’s management 101. Lead with conviction, just leave a little wiggle room.

Whatever message the club was trying to send has been diluted by the pure **** storm this has caused. Someone erred in the handling of this and that someone needs to go.

It’s unfair to expect people to represent a message they have not been told about. Just amateur hour

 

[chuckee]

I see Des is allegedly supporting the Sit Out Seven and their decision not to play. What is everyone's take on that ??

He’s a religious man, and you can bet he would be furious at the amateur hour at the front of head office. Nothing he isn’t used to around this joint.

Can’t believe the intolerance that some of you around here have for the 7 players who have stood up for their beliefs. Rules for everyone except the left huh.

 

[Volley]

He’s a religious man, and you can bet he would be furious at the amateur hour at the front of head office. Nothing he isn’t used to around this joint.

Can’t believe the intolerance that some of you around here have for the 7 players who have stood up for their beliefs. Rules for everyone except the left huh.

I’m not going to apologise for not being tolerant of the intolerant.

 

[skull61]

Maybe Schuster can use the extra week off to run a few more laps and get fit

 

[Karshy]

Respectfully, you can't be upset that people chose to question your opinion. That is the nature of a public forum.

You make the assumption that the club hasn't already engaged with the playing group in regards to this issue. I'm sure an issue as important and potentially divisive as this has the full support of the squad.

For someone who isn't a religious type, you seem to be overly concerned about their opinions on the matter. For what it's worth, most religious people I encounter are generally accepting and tolerant of other people, as their book teaches them to be. It's the select, mouthy few on social media that like to use their religious agenda to discriminate against others.

Should a player come out and publicly refuse to wear the jersey, then lets discuss it, but until then why worry about hypotheticals? Suggesting wearing a rainbow strip somehow compromises peoples beliefs is laughable.

This is very much an I told you so post. My assumptions on the clubs lack of action and player positions were correct and as a result they created a situation completely avoidable.

 

[40 nil]

If the club wants to promote inclusivity, they need to start with inclusivity within their own organisation. On this occasion, they have ignored the demographic of their team. It is well known that many Islanders follow a type of Christianity which does not support gay culture. As well as our NRL players, it is their families, a huge chunk of Islander supporters and also our junior teams which have a high proportion of Islander players.

If other NRL clubs tried to force a Pride jersey on their team, I expect their would be similar talk of boycotts. Have you noticed the 7-8 Panthers Islander players who have prayer circles on the field at games? They would react the same way as the Manly players and no doubt, fully support their Sea Eagles brothers' stand.

IMO, those who are suggesting the club get rid of Islander players who won't wear the Pride jersey haven't really thought this issue through. You can't expect to tread on others' sensitivities and be a successful organisation. As I indicated above, this is a much bigger issue than just our club.

If the club wants to force this issue, they will alienate many NRL supporters. For the sake of our club and the game, I hope club management is wise enough to back down and find a different way to support Gay Pride. If they do that, personally, I will be very proud of them.

 

[Volley]

Kudos to this bunch of 17 year olds who had no shame in wearing rainbow and supporting the community.

 

[Showbagz]

If the club wants to force this issue, they will alienate many NRL supporters. For the sake of our club and the game, I hope club management is wise enough to back down and find a different way to support Gay Pride. If they do that, personally, I will be very proud of them.

I think the opposite will happen if we don't go through with it. Right now the news and social media is actually pretty pro manly for taking this step. Yes they could of handled this better. And yes so could the players, although it isn't them but the journos who are banging the drums here.

But if manly back down and can the jersey. There is no coming back from that. No matter what reasoning that is put out, people will automatically view us as the same beliefs as the 7. Opposite to what we are trying for.

Name a business with the stigma we would get who would then attract fans and sponsors? We would lose them. Right now with the pro manly sentiment if we drive ahead, this could gain us sponsors and fans.

 

[DaveLP]

Just let the 7 who don't wanna wear the jersey wear a standard one and get on with it. win win.

 

[manly al]

I think the opposite will happen if we don't go through with it. Right now the news and social media is actually pretty pro manly for taking this step. Yes they could of handled this better. And yes so could the players, although it isn't them but the journos who are banging the drums here.

But if manly back down and can the jersey. There is no coming back from that. No matter what reasoning that is put out, people will automatically view us as the same beliefs as the 7. Opposite to what we are trying for.

Name a business with the stigma we would get who would then attract fans and sponsors? We would lose them. Right now with the pro manly sentiment if we drive ahead, this could gain us sponsors and fans.

that 's the real problem at the moment , just at the stage of no easy options . maybe the 7 players are prepared or will be able to show some type of flexibility , maybe not . shame that there is a fair bit at stake for this Thursday , that is strictly in the playing and season sense .

 

[40 nil]

Gus & Gal's take - some valid points for a change

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[Chunky]

So, do we not have a Womens team because of prehistoric thinking like this?

The current Australian womens captain is gay. Are these 7 against her and her playing because of her sexuality? Would they refuse to play if we had a player who was gay - male or female - at the club?

 

[Heckenberg]

Gus & Gal's take

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thanks for sharing! I was holding my breath and couldn't sleep til i got gals take.

 

[JEF]

The Manly jumper represents LGBTIA. It is more extreme than just gays. LGBTIA stands for "Lesbian, gay, bisexuality, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual."

Can you blame players being uncomfortable publicly wearing such a jumper on national TV supporting ALL of these issues? Without being consulted?

They have their religious and moral beliefs. They should have never been put into a position of making those beliefs public. It is nobody's business but their own.

I have been supporting Manly for over fifty years. I never been more embarrassed or more offended by the insensitivity and stupidity of the Manly management in this horrendous stuff-up.

The players involved must feel they have been so grossly disrespected by their club, not having at least their cultures respected.

Our players deserve respect. They wear their jumpers with pride and bleed for it. And we cheer for them on the field.

But sadly I am not cheering for our management, who have has made fools of us all.

 

[master blaster]

Well, we havent had a scandal this year but now we have. This one could blow the club apart