Manly Sea Eagles look to former club greats to help restore the glory days

NOT content with rehiring the former premiership-winning coach, Manly could have as many as seven members of the Sea Eagles’ 2008 squad back at Brookvale next season.

2008 Clive Churchill Medal winner Brent Kite with Matt Ballin.

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MANLY are going back to the glory days in a bid to reignite the club’s fortunes with seven members of the Sea Eagles’ 2008 premiership-winning squad looking to return to Brookvale next season.

On the back of Des Hasler’s second coming as coach and Noel ‘Crusher’ Cleal’s appointment to his old role as head of recruitment, Manly are looking to inject further Sea Eagles DNA into the club.

2008 Clive Churchill Medal winner Brent Kite with Matt Ballin.

Ten years on from the Sea Eagles’ 40-0 grand final win over Melbourne, The Daily Telegraph can reveal Clive Churchill medallist Brent Kite and hooker Matt Ballin have expressed interest in joining Hasler’s coaching staff.

Former strength and conditioning coach Don Singe is yet to be approached but is tipped to return, while popular gear steward and successful businessman, Sam Rahme, is back on board.

Club legend Steve Menzies, who played his final game with Manly in the 2008 decider, has been a club ambassador for the past four years and will likely continue in that role for 2019.

Kite has coached the Tweed Coast Raiders the past three years.

Kite has been coaching the Tweed Coast Raiders.

“I would be as keen at mustard,” Kite told The Daily Telegraph. “I haven’t asked formally but have dropped my interest here and there.

“I have been watching the Des situation unfold with interest. If an opportunity came up, I would jump at it, that’s for sure.

“Des left in spectacular circumstances (after 2011) when we thought there might be one or two more premierships in the offering. It would be great if the team could get back to having success again.

“I have done a three-year apprenticeship up here with the Tweed Coast Raiders. I got so much out of it. It wasn’t a paid job — just a group of mates who came together.

“Tweed Coast boys gave me back as much as I gave them. I found love for the game again.”

Ballin, who played State of Origin for Queensland, is also seeking to enhance his coaching career under Hasler.

Ballin would jump at the chance to work with Hasler again. (Gregg Porteous)

“I would love to come back and learn off Des but I know he has a lot of things to sort out, so do Manly,” Ballin said.

“But I would like to be involved under Des. I believe he is one of the best coaches in the game. I want to learn more and Brent and I had a lot of success under Des.

“There is already a lot of good staff there but I would be pumped to get back there, especially at the club which gave me my start.

“I have been coaching and teaching at a Brisbane school about the processes of the game and the psychology of coaching. No one does that better than Des.”

Manly already has a strong coaching staff which includes assistant coaches John Cartwright and Chad Randall.

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Originally published as Manly Sea Eagles look to former club greats to help restore the glory days