Lets be honest, nothing is sweeter than having negative press regarding how unhappy the players are & seeing them destroy the opposition , high fiving ,grinning & singing the Seaeagles warcry in the sheds after another victory. There WILL be truth that other clubs are after the top shelf players in DCE, Watmough, Snake ect , but isnt that the same as Inglis, Thurston , Gallen coming off contract, of coarse there will be plenty of clubs interested. The speculation that seems true is disappointment amongst the players Glen Stewart was not offered a "satisfactory offer" Unfortunately its not a perfect world & the Manly recruitment over the past 8 years has been second to none & they know the circumstances better than the fans, this is the ugly, business side of footy & as a Gift fan wish him well, but have faith the ppl who know best have made the right decision. The players have shown they have not lost any commitment where it counts...on the field. The speculation regarding DCE , Watmough, Foran is based on massive dollars & as proven in any employment...money talks. Matai...always had a soft spot for NZ & always been a chance he would end his career there, who could blame him for going home after the whole hearted service he has given at Manly...& still does, possibly the most consistent player in the team, hope he stays but life go's on. EVERY NRL team has its issues with players having many different personalities & outside speculation, but ppl are only interested in the elite. If the golfer rated 400 in the world was involved in murder, it would be on page 25 in the paper if it made it , with Tiger Woods affair on the front page...just how it works. The fact is when a team dominates the media focus will be on them, heres an example, Sharks are going through 3000 times as many problems with internal & legal issues yet as they slouch at the foot of the table who gives a rat a**, its preferable to make a big story on a little issue relating to a dominant team....it comes with the turf when you support a champion team...so get used to it. The Manly coach & captain are handling it all perfectly, almost bored by the constant media assault.
And whilst it's far from a good thing, it's clearly not affecting the group on the field. Personally I'll avoid most of that nonsense, and believe it when we see (or hear) it. Of course the better Manly is going, the more certain factions will try to undermine it.
Do the powers behind us need a season or 2 of failures in order to justify moving us to a more profitable location ???
