As many as eight Sea Eagles considering their futures in light of Trent Barrett’s decision to quit Manly
IF Trent Barrett’s decision to quit wasn’t bad enough, it seems the Manly shambles could get even worse with players and sponsors considering their futures with the club.
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THE shambles at Manly continue with suggestions as many as eight Sea Eagles players are reconsidering their futures at Brookvale now that head coach Trent Barrett won’t be there next season.
Michael Maguire is the frontrunner to replace Barrett, although he could be a short-term fix to Brisbane’s coaching woes if Anthony Seibold joins the Broncos in 2020.
In a sign of the times, some of those reconsidering their futures have yet to consider that little inconvenience in their drawer called a contract.
Several sponsors have questioned their futures with the club, and Brookvale Mazda has already dropped off.
The Sea Eagles are riding it out, hoping more bad news doesn’t break from inside the club.
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WHILE there has been some outrage among fans regarding the coaching circus, there was little angst among the chief executives on Tuesday.
Club bosses were in a room and had an opportunity to raise anything, including the prospect of the NRL having rules in place to stop coaches being poached more than a year before their contract expires, but there was silence all around.
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SKY Channel is set to launch a new sports show for Wednesday nights.
Driven by Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys, who likes to think big, the show will be hosted by Richard Callander and is a sign of SKY’s growing presence.
500,000 REASONS TO SAY THANK YOU
THE Men of League has spent a record $500,000 on wellbeing so far this year, it was announced at the annual gala dinner at the Westin Hotel on Wednesday night.
An audience of more than 400 people attended the charity dinner, where the 1989 grand final between Canberra and Balmain was unveiled as rugby league’s greatest premiership decider.
More than 4000 people voted on The Daily Telegraph’s website, and Tigers legend Steve Roach was on hand to talk about the blockbuster match his side lost to Mal Meninga’s star-studded Raiders.
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TACKLING CLUBS OVER MERCHANDISE ERROR
TWELVE NRL clubs have been forced to make changes to their merchandise sales following an investigation by the ACC.
The clubs include Brisbane, Canterbury, Cronulla, the Roosters, Manly, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, South Sydney, St George Illawarra and Gold Coast.
The Sydney Swans were also among nine AFL club who were sanctioned.
“The changes made by the AFL and NRL clubs in question follow a review of returns and refunds policies of various professional sporting clubs nationwide to check they were compliant with the Australian Consumer Law,” ACC chair Rod Sims said.
The ACC said from April, 21 AFL and NRL clubs made claims in their returns and refunds policies which the ACC considered were misleading, including that items must be unworn, purchased at full price and returned within a specified time frame to qualify for a remedy.
Some of the AFL and NRL clubs also told consumers they had to provide the original proof of purchase when seeking a remedy.
“If football fans buy a piece of merchandise that has a major failure, they are entitled to a choice of a refund or replacement,” Sims said.
CHOOKS’ BACKROOM BOOST
THE Sydney Roosters have landed a coup by signing Melbourne assistant Adam O’Brien.
O’Brien is a gun coach and it is considered a matter of time before he takes the head role somewhere in the NRL.
Part of the lure to leave Melbourne behind was working with head coach Trent Robinson.
“He really wanted to come to us to be with Robbo for two or three years before he goes out on his own,” Roosters supremo Nick Politis said.
It was thought O’Brien had re-signed with Melbourne earlier this year when Craig Bellamy’s future was being decided but that was not the case.
O’Brien will resume his work with Cooper Cronk next season when he takes over the Roosters’ attack.
The Roosters have held off announcing O’Brien’s appointment out of respect to current attack coach Jason Taylor.
The Roosters look set to take over the association with the North Sydney Bears, who are the feeder club for South Sydney, and Robinson is keen for Taylor to oversee that.
“This is his area,” Robinson said. “He’ll be great at it.”
Robinson believes Taylor is a strong development coach and the Bears, who he once captained, are in his sweet spot.
ADD another name to the coaching merry-go-round.
Successful English coach Shaun Wane has put his hand up to fill one of the coaching vacancies after opting to leave Wigan at the end of the year.
While Wane has an agreement to join Scotland rugby, he can knock that back if an NRL job comes up.
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EXPECT the denials, but after Canterbury ambushed their rivals by going into secret training for last year’s Legends of League tournament, which they ultimately won, more than a few clubs are also preparing the odd secret session.
The rival teams saw the benefit the Bulldogs got and don’t want to be left short.
This year’s tournament is on November 17 at Central Coast Stadium.
Recent Hall of Famers Steve Menzies, Cliff Lyons and Gorden Tallis are expected to play.
“There is no other competition like it anywhere in the world,” Menzies said.
SPOTTED
Sydney Swans legend Paul Kelly with Callum Irish, 11, from Knox, Kelly Jack, 11, Marist College Canberra and Mary Quinn, 11, from St. Patrick's Albury at the annual Paul Kelly Cup, which is the largest AFL primary school competition in NSW and the ACT. Picture. Phil Hillyard
Listen! Nick Campton and Tim Williams discuss where Ben Barba will end up in his NRL return, who will win the Dally M Medal, while also reviewing the Roosters-Souths blockbuster.
You can download the League Central podcast on iTunes.
MR POPULAR AFTER $35M JACKPOT
STRUGGLE Street waved goodbye to one of its own last week, although not without the usual intrigue.
It’s a common understanding around old-school Sydney that, as old as the struggle itself is the snip whenever somebody comes into a little money.
So for such reasons we have decided not to name our guy so he doesn’t have to dust off his old fend, although we might be too late.
It happened last week when the final ball dropped in the OzLotto, determining two division-one winners for the massive $70 million jackpot.
Our man, a former winger who played 10 seasons but never scored more than three tries in a season, pocketed his half, a tidy $35 million.
News of the windfall quickly spread through his old stomping ground and several former teammates called up. All merely to congratulate him, of course.
GUN GRANNY
AS far as dedication goes, you won’t get a much more rusted-on Arsenal fan than Mary Hannan.
The Central Coast-based grandmother had the Gunners logo tattooed on her arm last year.
Hannan has become the face of Optus’s Premier League advertising campaign after the telco partnered with English football magazine Mundial to find the most dedicated fans in Oz.
“Nans are often seen as cute, cuddly and old,” Mundial’s associate editor James Bird said. “Mary is definitely all of those things, but she’s also the most hardcore of hardcore Arsenal fans.”
REFS HELP OUT FARMERS
NSWRL referees have banded together to raise more than $5900 to be used for a trailer-load of hay bales and much-needed water for the drought-stricken farming communities.
Funds raised in the campaign, spearheaded by NSWRL match official Jake Sutherland, will be donated to the Rural Aid buy-a-bale initiative.
With the original target of $5700 exceeded, the referees will continue to take donations up until the end of the NSWRL regular season at their GoFundMe page. Click here and give generously to help out those doing it tough.
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NEVER fear for the next generation.
The Australian Primary School Championships are being held in Adelaide and NSW coach Brad Fittler is there watching son Zach.
Also there is the son of former Queensland Origin hooker PJ Marsh and the son of Canberra chief executive Don Furner.
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SPOTTED: All Blacks players at Canterbury training on Wednesday.
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