NRL 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.
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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.
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 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.
MANLY TABLE MONSTER OFFER FOR OLAKAU’ATU
Manly have offered rising star Haumole Olakau’atu the equal-longest deal in the club’s history – worth almost $7 million - in a bid to keep the back-rower away from rival clubs.
It is understood the Sea Eagles have upped their deal to re-sign Olakau’atu by tabling a bumper eight year offer worth about $850,000 a season.
The contract length matches the club’s longest ever deal which was given to skipper Daly Cherry-Evans. Cherry-Evans just completed the final year of that mega contract before re-signing with the club for another two years.
Olakau’atu is still not off-contract until the end of 2025, but the Sea Eagles know that other clubs are preparing to entice the Tongan international on deals worth more than $900,000 a season.
The new contract will take Olakau’atu through until the end of the 2031 season where he will be 33. Should he sign he will become the only Sea Eagles player contracted beyond 2027 when the current deals of Josh Schuster, Luke Brooks and Tolutau Koula expire.
The Sea Eagles only extended Olakau’atu’s contract last year through until the end of 2025. During recent talks, they had originally offered a deal to take Olakau’atu through to the end of the 2030 season.
However, Manly has upped the contract length knowing the likes of St George Illawarra and Canberra will swoop should Olakau’atu hit the open market.
The Sea Eagles are also close to securing former NSW forward Nathan Brown on a one-year deal. Brown met with Manly coach Anthony Seibold on Tuesday just days after his wedding to his partner Nadine.
A host of rugby league players including Mitchell Moses, Luke Brooks, Reed Mahoney, Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard were guests.
Manly also announced the return of Corey Waddell this week on a one-year contract. Waddell left the Sea Eagles at the end of 2020 to join Canterbury.
Waddell’s sister Alix is the long-term partner of Jake Trbojevic. Despite the connection we’re told Reuben Garrick is the player who pushed hardest for Waddell to make his return to the club.
SIGNING SPREE
The Roosters are set to complete a mega pre-November 1 re-signing spree with Siua Wong expected to re-sign for the next two years.
The Roosters have already agreed to long-term deals with Nat Butcher and Nafu Whyte and now the in-demand Wong will follow.
Wong was chased by both codes but the 20-year-old - who has played just 10 matches - will stay in the NRL until at least the end of 2026.
STORM STAR NOT FOR SALE
Melbourne have emphatically declared Ryan Papenhuyzen is going nowhere.
Rumours swirled in recent days that Papenhuyzen could be moved on from the Storm as he fights his way back from recent injury troubles.
However, the Storm said Papenhuyzen would remain at the club.
“Papenhuyzen is a Melbourne Storm person,” the Storm said in a statement. “He is loved by his teammates, coaches and staff and adored by Storm members and fans across the country and we look forward to seeing him on the track when he resumes training in December.”
REP PAY OVERHAUL
Players can earn more than $100,000 in representative player payments under the new CBA.
Player agents were emailed a CBA summary last week after the NRL and RLPA finally agreed to a new deal after months of protracted talks.
Included in the email was a breakdown of representative player payments.
They included; - $40,000 per World Cup appearance for Kangaroos - $30,000 per Origin match - $6000 per All-Stars match - $3000 per PM’s XIII match - $3,000 per Kangaroos international outside of World Cup - $2000 to be an Origin squad member per game.
The Jillaroos players will receive $35,000 when they play in a World Cup while NRLW Origin players will earn $15,000 per match.
POM ON NRL RADAR
Centre Harry Newman is regarded as one of the best young players in England and he is back on the radar of NRL clubs as they look to Super League to strengthen their ranks.
Newman, named in the England squad for the Test series against Tonga, turned down interest from the NRL and rugby union two years ago to sign a contract with Leeds until the end of 2024.
However, his head has been turned again by the promise of plying his trade in the NRL and it is understood several clubs have been asked whether they would be interested in signing Newman.
Newman will get the chance to make an impression on future Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf throughout the Test series against Tonga.
OUT OF HIS ELEMENT
Peter V’landys is well known for steering clear of fancy food at sports functions, preferring simple fare like hot chips.
“It’s the Wollongong in me,’’ he tells people.
So we wonder how he went at Wednesday’s state dinner at the White House, where he mingled with the likes of US President Joe Biden.
The first course featured farro and roasted beet salad with popped sorghum and herb vinaigrette; butternut squash soup with smoked paprika and candied pumpkin seeds.
The main course was Sarsaparilla-braised short ribs, sorghum-glazed young carrots, brussels sprouts, celery root puree and carrot jus.
For dessert: hazelnut and chocolate mousse cake and creme fraiche ice cream.
And hopefully a bowl of chips on the side.
PONGA’S NEW DO
A refreshed Kalyn Ponga is sporting a new look during the off-season. The Knights superstar took to the tennis court to show off his fresh new blond locks. Ponga has been a regular at Newcastle HQ getting cracking on pre-season training early.
SON OF A GUN
We’re not too sure how often two sons of former Australian captains in different sports ever take the field against each other.
But it happened last Saturday and will happen again this Saturday when Austin Waugh (son of former cricket captain Steven) and Elijah Eales (son of former Wallabies captain John) face off in Premier Cricket.
Waugh has made his return after a break from the game for Sutherland this year while Eales plays for Mosman.
It was an unhappy day one for the pair with Waugh scoring five batting at no.5 while Eales went wicketless after opening the bowling.
ROBBO’S TOUGH OFF-SEASON
Roosters coach Trent Robinson is putting the hard yards in during the off-season.
Robinson has joined Mark Hughes, Paul Harragon and Danny Buderus in trekking
to Everest Base Camp to raise money for the Mark Hughes Foundation.
Robinson was part of a group of 21 climbers who arrived at Everest Base Camp on Wednesday after slogging it out for nine days.
“(We) worked hard to get here. We really, really value your support. It’s been an adventure, we loved it. Loved the support. Just want to say to all the Roosters out there, thank you very much, love you, and look forward to getting back down and getting to work,” said Robinson on the Roosters’ Instagram.
The trek is expected to take around two weeks to complete and has so far raised over $500,000 for brain cancer research.
HIGH PRAISES
Grace Kim secured her first win on the LPGA Tour earlier this year and it was accompanied by a surprise message from one of Australia’s greatest athletes.
Kim, having won the Lotte Championship in April, turned on her phone and was stunned to find a note of congratulations from tennis legend Ash Barty.
“Apart from all the golf professionals that have congratulated me, I remember Ash Barty left me a message on WhatsApp and instagram,” Kim told Sport Con.
“She loves golf. She is a legend but that was cool to read a message from her.”
Kim, who will head home later in the year to play the Australian Open, returned the favour this week in Malaysia.
“I actually sent her a photo from this week,” Kim said.
“There is a photo from when she won the Malaysian (tennis) Open. She said the only thing (she) really wanted to do that week was play golf.”
The 22-year-old Kim is coming to the end of a breakout year as a professional and hopes to put an exclamation point on 2023 with a win at her national open.
She will return to Sydney in December for the Open alongside former world No.1 and 2013 champion Jiyai Shin of Korea, the pair joining an all-star cast that includes the country’s top two women - Minjee Lee and Hannah Green.
“It is probably going to be on the top of my achievement list for a long time if that does come through,” said Kim, who finished fourth at the Open last year.
“It really is a big privilege to be playing in your national open but to be able to win it as well is a big cherry on top.”
FLASHBACK
More than 34,000 watched the Kangaroos beat the Kiwis on this day 15 years ago. Australia raced away 30-6 winners at the SFS in their opening match of the tournament. The Kiwis would have the last laugh though, beating Australia in the final a month later.
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