Manly Sea Eagles struck by pay crisis

[The Wheel]

| January 28, 2009 12:00am

 
MANLY are about to discover the downside of winning a premiership as they struggle to reward the efforts of their squad, many of whom are expecting better deals, and still somehow stay within the salary cap.
Most pressing of all is the imminent expiry of captain Matt Orford's contract, and how Manly can do the Dally M holder justice while also rewarding the likes of Michael Robertson and David Williams.

No wonder Des Hasler dislikes the salary cap so much.

Hasler's captain wants to stay on the Northern Beaches but with English clubs circling, the price of retaining him isn't going down.

The player's manager, George Mimis, conceded there is a delicate balancing act to pull off if Orford is to remain a Sea Eagle next season.

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"I'll sit down with Manly this week or next and we'll have to see what sort of value they put on Matty, and how that compares with what we feel he's worth," Mimis said. "But there aren't too many halfbacks in the world of his quality, and we need to make sure his status and his contribution are reflected in a new deal.

"To be honest, if it just came down to the highest bidder Matty would head overseas but he enjoys his footy at Manly and is keen to stay."

 

[Cameron]

i think ox should take the money and run
hes done what we bought him for and i dont think we can afford to keep him and the other guys coming off contract.

He could get a massive contract from a SL club that can set him up for life.

 

[ManlyBacker]

Most of the talk has been that he will definitely go at the end of the season. The issue is whether you like living and playing in freezing, damp and miserable conditions to make money. Being a player can be more than about the doallars - just ask Beaver. Matty just needs to weigh up the needs of his clubmates and his own and be reasonable.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Bottom line, our 2010 side will look remarkably different to 2008/2009.

Salary cap sucks.

 

[Cameron]

Bottom line, our 2010 side will look remarkably different to 2008/2009.

Salary cap sucks.

no it doesnt with out the cap i dare say we wouldnt have got BK or Kite
it gives all 16 teams a chance if their management and coaching staff are good enough

 

[CC_Eagle]

Shh.

Let me be selfish and want more premierships.

 

[Fluffy]

if Ox follows that lead he will ask for 500K+ instead of 350K where we can jsut afford him

 

[Fro]

Cliffy is right.

Piss him off if he asks for too much, anyone who doubts what paying a couple of players too much can do to a playing roster can just glance at Melbourne.

If he's reasonable keep him, otherwise bye bye

 

[vidmar]

The current cap is (I believe) $4.1 million....Being able to offer players what they want (or rather what their managers value them at!) is not always cap inhibited...More and more the CEO's of the club (as with any business) are looking (Have to) at the P & L's to see what the club can afford to pay in line with their budgets........I don't want to turn this in to a membership drive thread again...But 3,000 or so members isn't exactly filling the club coffers to overflowing at the moment?

 

[Corso_Pete]

The question that needs to be asked is can Orford be a better player, or at worst no less a player in 2010 and beyond than the form that he has shown with us for the past 3 seasons?

Orford will be 30 I think either this year or next and the reality is that for most players that is beyond their peak as a player. In my opinion Hasler will be ruthless and let Orford go to the ESL.

 

[Fro]

I don't want to turn this in to a membership drive thread again...

but you will

 

[The Wheel]

Well if we lose Ox, Wolfman or any other player due to budget constraints I will happily lay blame on all those apathetic supporters out there who couldn't be bothered signing up for membership. 

 

[Matabele]

I think we're all agreed on this?  We don't want to curtail the club's medium/long term future by paying too much for a player that will be there on reputation only and well past his prime.

I expect we'll let Orford go unless he decides to stay for significantly less than what he's on.  Anything else would be negligent for our future.

 

[clontaago]

The question that needs to be asked is can Orford be a better player, or at worst no less a player in 2010 and beyond than the form that he has shown with us for the past 3 seasons?

Orford will be 30 I think either this year or next and the reality is that for most players that is beyond their peak as a player. In my opinion Hasler will be ruthless and let Orford go to the ESL.

Pete is spot on.

Really the only players that should receive significant pay increases are guys who have improved dramatically. Orford, in my opinion, has not really improved dramatically since we signed him. He has done exactly what he was paid to do originally.

Its a situation that wont be ideal when we are attempting back to back premierships. We have all seen first hand what a distraction it can be when one of your marquee players is unsigned and potentially unhappy...... Lets hope that either way it goes its sorted out quickly and most importantly behind closed doors and not through the media.

Players who I reckon most deserve to be rewarded for dramatic improvent last season are G Stewart and Josh Perry. For mine they were the biggest improvers. Williams to a lesser extent, he needs to back it up this year though.

 

[willstyles]

Why is this even in the paper? There is absolutely nothing new there at all.

I'm fairly sure Ox will take the money on offer in the ESL. In my opinion, the only alternative would be if the Central Coast got a team for 2011 or 2012, whichever year the NRL are reassessing how many teams are in the comp, in which case he might push for a 1 or 2 year contract somewhere (maybe Manly, maybe ESL) and then sign on as the marquee player of his home area/junior area.

He's done everything he would have hoped for at Manly. Dally M medal, captained the team to a comp, he's ticked all the boxes - and deserves to cash in because of it. What I don't want to happen is for there to be a situation where he leaves the club on bad terms because he ends up deciding he wants to stay etc, but Manly don't want to pay him a certain amount.

I think he'll go though. And he'll leave as a popular captain who broke a fairly decent drought!

 

[byso]

I reckon this same article gets released for the GF winning team each year...........Its hardly a surprise is it?

The Ox will probably have to go.

 

[SilentBob]

Always expected him to leave after his contract was up and the recruiting has reflected the club had that in mind too.

It's a shame Michael Monaghan signed a four year contract with Warrington  ;D

 

[Canteen Worker]

I think some of us are very quick to write off the Ox. He did win the Dally M last year for a reason and some have very short memories re the weeks in which he was injured. 1, 6,7 and 9 are vital ingredients in a premiership winning team and we do okay in each of those positions. He has done well with Manly and probably has a good couple of years left.  I would be wary of dumping him so quickly unless there is a better option at a cheaper or equal price. He is the Premiership winning halfback and now has the 'monkey' off his back.

 

[Garts]

No more than $300k to $350k for one more year. 

 

[deadlyeagle]

we cant simply sign him for just one year because :

Jason King
Jamie Lyon
Steve Matai
Josh Perry
Glenn Stewart
Anthony Watmough

*are all off contract end of 2010

and most of their contracts had been back ended.  It doesn't paint a pretty picture for 2011 though because most of these players will be asking overs bar Lyon who was already on high $$$.

and at the end of 2009 there are these off-contract players:

Adam Cuthbertson
Glenn Hall
Heath L'Estrange
Matt Orford

Who once again bar Orford will / should ask for more. So if Orford is going to stay he will stay for at least 2 years or none.


Source: http://www.geocities.com/darrylbradford/index.htm