Manly face the prospect of being without any coaches in the next few weeks with Des Hasler and his assistants, Chad Randall and Michael Monaghan, all poised to leave the club.
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revealed a week ago that Hasler’s employment is becoming untenable, even more so after a lack of appetite from his bosses to provide a stable work environment. Hasler doesn’t want to work in uncertain surroundings where there is little or no enjoyment.
Paul Gallen has defended Des Hasler amid his side's alarming tumble, saying the Manly coach should not wear the blame for the fallout of the pride jersey drama.
It is becoming apparent that Hasler and new Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov will not be able to work with each other. And with Randall on his way to the Bulldogs and Monaghan looking to leave, it will be a clean slate at Manly unless there is a big shift.
That’s the very real scenario facing the club after a disastrous fallout from an hour-long meeting between Hasler, his agent George Mimis, Manly owner Scott Penn and Mestrov in North Sydney on Thursday. It was originally painted as a constructive meeting, but no sooner had it been reported that Manly wanted Hasler to coach on until 2024, with a succession plan to follow, it was back to square one as the club immediately backtracked.
In fact, as owner Penn boarded a flight on Friday to travel to his New York home, the parties were even further apart. Manly are not budging on Hasler for 2024, which means he goes into next year as a coach without a future – if he stays.
The weekly speculation will be relentless if he accepts a one-year contract, and the media scrutiny of Manly’s inclusivity jersey disaster will continue into 2023.
Mestrov is fresh off the greyhound track, where he was a hero for saving the sport. He wears that as a badge of honour, but must understand if he is to work with Hasler there can only be one high-flying Eagle – and it’s not the CEO.
Mestrov is learning quickly he is now in the big league – dealing with governments and Peter V’landys in the racing industry is a snack compared to running strife-torn Manly. The odd thing is, in the hours after Manly’s presentation night on Monday, there was a real love for Hasler from officials. Maybe it was the sponsor’s drop talking.
Hasler won’t hang about if he’s not convinced about the direction of the club, and isn’t convinced his players can thrive. He is 61, a two-time premiership winner who has coached 458 games. He doesn’t need 100-hour weeks if it’s not enjoyable.
If Hasler does go – and it’s a real chance – it will create huge uncertainty in an already edgy playing group. Some players will want to jump ship, and all of a sudden the club is facing a lengthy rebuilding process under a new coach with an owner looking to cash in on his investment. They could be tipped into a five-year rebuild phase.
