Manly players under pressure for their futures after shellacking

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Mitch

Bencher

Des Hasler isn’t the only high-profile identity under pressure at Manly with centre Dylan Walker and backrower Curtis Sironen mired in a frantic fight for their futures at the Sea Eagles.

Hasler is expected to sign a new deal with Manly as early as this week and while it will provide both he and the club with a degree of certainty, the contract is expected to be heavily incentivised, giving Manly the opportunity to cut the cord with their premiership-winning coach without having to pay a hefty severance.

At least Hasler has an offer on the table. Walker and Sironen, as well as winger Reuben Garrick, are off contract and The Australian understands they need to convince Manly officials that they deserve new deals.

The Sea Eagles are among a slew of clubs with an interest in Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs — the Broncos remain confident they will keep the strike centre despite the Gold Coast and powerful Sydney clubs including Canterbury and Parramatta circling him with lucrative offers.

The Sea Eagles are also keeping their options open in the back row, where a handful of players are off contract at the end of the season. The club has been linked with Parramatta’s Nathan Brown while South Sydney and Queensland’s Jaydn Su’A, Parramatta’s Ryan Matterson, and Penrith and Queensland second rower Kurt Capewell could become targets should Manly head to market.


There is a growing feeling that the Sea Eagles need to freshen things up. Hasler retains the club’s support, but their desire to tie him to a heavily incentivised contract indicates that patience is wearing thin after a troubling 12 months.

He has largely put his faith in the same group of players over the past year with little to show for it. Some of that faith has clearly been misguided, most notably in hooker Manase Fainu, who remains on the sidelines as he fights criminal charges.

Rather than chase a quality hooker, Manly have extended Fainu’s contract, plugged the hole and waited for his criminal action to play out. That folly of that decision was highlighted when Lachlan Croker filled the void against the Roosters and failed to threaten the opposition.

Cade Cust, another converted half, is likely to get his chance this weekend. Regardless, there was no excuse for the way the side played on Saturday against the Sydney Roosters, something that was acknowledged by members of a traumatised playing group on Monday morning.

“Confidence is a little bit rattled . it is tough,” Sironen said.

“You don’t want to get embarrassed like that in round one. It was just a landslide in the end trying to stop them, which was pretty **** for us.

“It was tough to be out there honestly. You never want to get beat like that, especially when you have trained so hard and prepared.

“It is really just deflating. You train so hard, out your body since November through all this stuff.”

Walker went home and watched a replay of the game on Saturday night.

“When you are getting spanked by 40 points, it is never a good feeling,” Walker said.

“Physically we weren’t matching it with them.”

The task doesn’t get any easier for the Sea Eagles. They face South Sydney and Penrith in coming weeks — sandwiched between those two games is a meeting with St George Illawarra.

The good news is fullback Tom Trbojevic looked to be running relatively freely at the club’s headquarters on Sydney’s northern beaches on Monday, providing hope that he may be back sooner than expected.

As for his own future, Sironen said: “I am really happy here. Last year I was a bit disappointed with how I went. I just want to start the season well.

“We have had a little bit of chat back and forth. There is nothing set in stone. If I start the year well, hopefully there is something there in the next month or so. I love it here.”

Walker is in the same situation. The former NSW centre played fullback against the Roosters and needs to find his best form if he wants to force Manly’s hand on a new contract.

“Hopefully staying around but don’t know yet,” Walker said.

“Just have to play good football and tossing up games like that, probably won’t get one (contract). It would be silly if I wasn’t thinking about it — I have two kids and bills to pay.

“At the end of the day football will take care of that — if I play good football, it sorts itself out. That is something I have to keep in the background.

“I can’t be naive about it. What I can do is work on myself more — what I have to do for my family to be a better person for them.’’
 
The whole left side defence is **** Sorry I'm not mixing my words,there is only so much glitter you can throw on a turd no steel no commitment no heart.I thought Dylan was ok the biggest issue for mine was Garrick Parker and sironen
 
The good news is fullback Tom Trbojevic looked to be running relatively freely at the club’s headquarters on Sydney’s northern beaches on Monday, providing hope that he may be back sooner than expected.


Can't come soon enough
Definitely the take away from the article. Can’t imagine he’ll be rushed back but good signs.
 
No one of note will be coming our way , only opportunity is to try and find some future stars and build from youth stocks.

Waste of time thinking we can beat any of the 5-6 rich sides.

ZERO CHANCE
 
The whole left side defence is **** Sorry I'm not mixing my words,there is only so much glitter you can throw on a turd no steel no commitment no heart.I thought Dylan was ok the biggest issue for mine was Garrick Parker and sironen
I agree but Walker should be in the centres with Funa or Harper at fullback ... imho
 
I would say that the fact we are chasing Brown with a "huge" offer .. signals the release of Siro ...

With that sort of cash laid out for a locke/2nd rower means cheaper support players are needed around him .. eg Davey ..
 
Don 't mind Siro and at his best , damm good player but why is he not using his attacking prowess running good lines a bit wider at the opposition halves instead of trying to take on the middle on general dead end runs and no real forward momentum . Not to mention then the stifling of the attack outside him with that style of play . Suli has the capacity to do some damage but he hardly gets the ball with Siro on his side and D C E cutting back against the run of play often .
 
The good news is fullback Tom Trbojevic looked to be running relatively freely at the club’s headquarters on Sydney’s northern beaches on Monday, providing hope that he may be back sooner than expected.


Can't come soon enough
That is good news. BUT!!
How long will it be before he breaks down again and out for more weeks?
He's an injury waiting to happen.
 
That is good news. BUT!!
How long will it be before he breaks down again and out for more weeks?
He's an injury waiting to happen.

Depends if he has switched from showers to baths...or nurse aided sponge baths....I guess.

"Hopefully" all the testing and training means they are bullet proof now.

And that's a huge hope!

(and welcome)
 
Staggs was on the Manly radar some four years ago so at least the talent scouts were on the alert there . Think that he is looking at 700 k or so , already have Suli on 550 k , Can 't see it happening with Manly and think that he would prefer to sty at the Broncs unless some other club is prepared to pay overs . As for Brown , may bring a bit of mongrel but would not pay overs . Oloka - atu was showing a bit of aggression on the week end for Black Town , and surely is up to i st grade standard now , not sure of his injury report but will be a bit dishearted if he is out for any extended time
 

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