The only reason im still on silvertails today is to check if any new info comes out. If Des is pushed out like Toovey i'm probably done with the club, at least while Penn and the 7 are here. I will probably watch the games, but I can't respect anything here at the moment.
I hated the Trent Barrett years, absolutely hated them. But at least during that time I just hated having Trent Barrett as coach and was annoyed by the treatment of Toovey + disrespect to senior players + recruitment. I still thought we were a unique nrl team that thrived off tribalism, loyalty and history.
We were a perfectly OK footy team this year after moving in a great direction last year. We were headed for 6th-8th and would've bombed out in week 1 or 2 unless we could pull together some form like we were building mid season vs knights, storm, cowboys. We had many problems around resilience and that's on the players (ongoing problem).
Then management throws a curveball and a few players get together to grossly overreact to some colours/make it about themselves. They leave the club on the most important game of the year at brookvale. Club legend Foran is also shafted (against Des's wishes) and trying to go out well in his last season.
But no. His season died as a result of a 7-man tantrum, and all for a young, unfit, undisciplined player who got his manager to pull strings. Manly's season - already affected by injury and confidence issues - nosedives and then a few weeks after the season the blame (from the board) goes to the man with no role in the matter. To make it worse, he has been apart of the club for decades, and selflessly addressed the media after the rainbow fiasco despite it not being his problem. Suddenly the club wants to install a puppet coach who is apparently reformed and ready to 'take advice' because he failed miserably at his last club (on a little bit of an ego trip)
It's the toovey thing all over again, and has happened to players and coaches here too many times over the last few years.
Sad times, but the reality is that im not going to invest myself in a boardroom-club that disrespects those who have dedicated their life to rugby league and manly specifically. Too many times in such a short period. Hope Penn sells the club and we remove players that have more passion for themselves than for Manly. I can take a few years of losing as a result. I can't stand a bunch of the players, but I mainly can't stand a few years of supporting the gutter-level, mean politics from head office.
