Manly says goodbye
Steve Zemek | 14th January 2010
MANLY chairman Scott Penn says he is doubtful yet optimistic that the NRL club will continue its association with the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles in 2011.
The two clubs began a feeder deal last year only to have it kyboshed by the ARL and NSWRL months later.
The agreement, which sees Manly players turn out for the Sunshine Coast in the Queensland Cup, is likely to come to an end at the conclusion of this season, after the rugby league’s governing body abolished “dual registrationâ€Â.
Under the laws passed by the ARL board last year, NSW-based NRL clubs are not allowed to have a feeder relationship with Queensland Cup sides.
Penn, speaking to the Daily from the US, said he was hopeful of getting around the rules but predicted Manly would most likely field a team in the NSW Cup in 2011.
“If the deal ends, like any entity, we’ll look to the market and what’s available,†he said.
“We’ve enjoyed our relationship (with the Sunshine Coast). We saw it as a tremendous opportunity.
“Obviously some of that didn’t eventuate, particularly with the stadium at Kawana Waters. We saw it as a chance to build some infrastructure and a good operation.
“If it was still on the table, it certainly would sweeten the pot.â€Â
Penn has invested heavily in the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, with his contribution to the club understood to be in the millions.
He has openly admitted that he hoped for the Sunshine Coast to be the base for the fourth Queensland NRL side.
Late last year the two clubs said they were looking into ways to circumvent the rules.
Under one plan put forward by the Queensland Cup premiers, Manly would loan a number of lower grade players to the Sea Eagles for the duration of the season.
QRL managing director Ross Livermore said such an arrangement would be acceptable under the terms of the dual registration laws.
“There’s nothing wrong with that – if they want to transfer up here for the year, it’s their right to do that, that’s fine,†Livermore said.
“They just can’t transfer back and forth each week whenever they want. They can’t do that.â€Â
The ARL passed the dual registration rules last year at the prompting of the NSWRL.
Despite opposing the rules, Livermore said he sympathised with his southern counterparts after watching the standard of the NSW Cup fall steadily over the last few years.
While the ARL will review the decision at the end of 2010, Livermore said the only chance of there being a change of heart was if the NSWRL managed to address the badly flagging standard of their flagship competition.
“We support New South Wales’ push to strengthen their own competition, but not at the expense of weakening something else,†he said.
“The laws will be reviewed at the end of 2010.
“And if we see that they’ve managed to strengthen their competition and do it right like we do, we’ll see what happens then.â€Â
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/01/14/manly-says-goodbye/