Kent and Hooper said to Gorman they had heard Barrett is getting advise from friends and advisors to walk away. Suggestion that Gould and STuart have called him.
They just read Weidler’s column
Barrett urged to walk away from Manly
Manly coach Trent Barrett has been encouraged to walk away from a tough situation at the club.
Photo: NRL Photos
Manly would like nothing more than for the Gladstone drama surrounding skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and Jackson Hastings to be over and done with. But it’s a long way from over.
Trusted confidantes of Manly coach Trent Barrett have been telling him to walk away from the Sea Eagles. Now.
He has received calls of support from rivals such as Ricky Stuart and Phil Gould, but the Sea Eagles’ salary cap is a mess, the club has no real ability to bring in new talent, seven players are off contract and players are being required to sign on for minimum wage or thereabouts.
None of that is due to Barrett. He has a roster that is dominated by Cherry-Evans, who will earn about $1.3 million this season. Four other players, Marty Taupau, Tom and Jake Trbojevic, and Dylan Walker take up a significant chunk of the rest.
That means the Sea Eagles need to sign players on smaller contracts, and with that sometimes comes problems. It’s why Barrett has been urged to walk. But his view is that he has never quit anything in his life.
The issue is far bigger than a few players — and there are definitely some — who don’t like Hastings. The issue for Manly is that Hastings has basically been branded as someone who can’t play as part of a team. It’s something the Hastings family is fuming about.
It was not something pushed by Barrett publicly; he said it was his decision not the players’ decision. Players have supported Hastings publicly and privately.
The other area the Hastings family is not happy about — and they are considering legal options — is their view that there was workplace bullying. That relates to pranks. The club has form in that area.
One of Barrett’s assistants, Willie Peters, punched team conditioner Dan Ferris on a night out after persistent pranks.
But there is another issue. I was told the players disobeyed Barrett by going out in Gladstone. I put that to Barrett and he said he had no problem with it because the club’s security guard and Cherry-Evans, the club’s captain, were with the group.
I took him at his word and didn’t pursue the story. The players have since been fined. If what Barrett told me is true, they should have no issue, because he knew and endorsed them going out.
We now know that Cherry-Evans and Hastings sledged each other at the strip club over their respective relationships with players. Hastings left and, 10 minutes later, DCE did the same. Cherry-Evans then showed up at Hastings’ hotel room. What happened next is in dispute, but there was an altercation.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/cl...attle-players-may-follow-20180428-p4zc8y.html