RL news: Des Hasler, Manly Sea Eagles set for mediation in last-ditch bid to avoid court battle | Sport Confidential
The Titans could be unwillingly drawn into the ugly legal stoush between Des Hasler and Manly, as court appearances threaten to disrupt their pre-season. See the full SPORT CONFIDENTIAL.Michael Carayannis and Brent Read
8 min read
October 26, 2023 - 6:19PM
Des Hasler will kick off mediation with his former club Manly in early-December as he looks to avoid an ugly court battle that could overshadow the opening months at his new club – the Titans.
This masthead understands Hasler and the Sea Eagles will begin talks on December 8 in a last-ditch bid to avoid a prolonged legal stoush that could take months to resolve and which would air plenty of dirty laundry.
Manly are said to be licking their lips at the prospect of court action – it is understood they have stacked their defence and are keen for the facts surrounding the “pride jersey fiasco” to be put on the record.
Des Hasler will begin mediation with the Sea Eagles in a last-ditch bid to avoid an ugly court battle. Picture: NRL Imagery
The club is also privately confident they have the ammunition to prove Manly would have struggled to make the top eight in 2022 - finals football would have triggered an automatic extension in Hasler’s contract for the 2024 season but the club drifted out of contention at the back end of the year.
Regardless, the club privately insists they relied on a clause in Hasler’s contract that gave them the right to terminate his deal at the cost of a six-month payout.
Hasler and the Sea Eagles parted ways in bitter and acrimonious circumstances at the end of the 2022 season and his former club is standing their ground amid a legal challenge, raising the very real prospect that Hasler will be drawn into a courtroom fight during the opening stages of his first season at the Titans.
There is every chance that Hasler will be forced to fly to Sydney and schedule training around court appearances unless the parties can find some common ground.
That appears highly unlikely as Hasler launches the second legal challenge of his coaching career - he threatened to take the Bulldogs to court after he was sacked by that club, only for the parties to settle before their fight reached the courtroom.
The new Titans coach could be forced to fly to Sydney and schedule training around his court appearances. Picture: Supplied
The Sea Eagles also plan to subpoena phone records, emails and text messages.
This masthead understands that the seven players who sat out the club’s loss to the Sydney Roosters in 2022 over the pride jersey are keen to provide their side of the story, which they may be asked to do if the matter head to court.
The Sea Eagles are confident any evidence provided by the players will work in their favour. The club also stands by their belief that Hasler repudiated his contract through his lawyer in October 2022, which gave them the fight to terminate his contract with immediate effect.