Club great shattered by explosive match fixing allegations at Manly Sea Eagles

TWO-time Manly premiership-winning captain and club legend Fred Jones believes any current players found guilty of match fixing should be named and shamed.

Coach Ron Willey (suit) and captain Fred Jones (no jersey) after winning the 1972 grand final at the SCG in Sydney.

TWO-time Manly premiership-winning captain and club legend Fred Jones says any players found guilty of match-fixing should be named and shamed.

Jones, the tough-as-nails hooker who guided the Sea Eagles to titles in 1972 and 1973, feels tanking is the lowest act a professional sportsman can do.

“I can’t understand how someone could stoop so low in a team environment,” he told the Manly Daily.

“The current accusations are a slur on the club’s character. If proven to be true, with concrete evidence, they all need to go for life.”

When asked if the players reportedly under investigation are found guilty should be named and shamed, Jones said: “Absolutely”.

A former first-grader from the club, who asked not to be named, pointed to the damaging of the Manly brand.

“If the NSW Organised Crime Squad are looking into the matter, it is obviously serious,” he said.

“Those blokes don’t mess around.”

Manly coach Trent Barrett.

Yesterday the Sea Eagles fired back at allegations involving the club.

In a statement they revealed they had had no contact from the NSW Police or NSW Organised Crime Squad with respect to alleged match-fixing in two NRL games last season.

And they will continue to support their players 100 per cent and give them the presumption of innocence.

The strong words follow revelations detectives from the NSW Organised Crime Squad are investigating two Manly losses to Parramatta and South Sydney last season.

“We will continue to support our players 100 per cent and give them the presumption of innocence – particularly against unfair main-stream and social media innuendo,” Sea Eagles chairman Scott Penn and chief executive Joe Kelly said.

They said the club fully supported the strong stance by NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg that any player found guilty of match-fixing be banned for life.

The club “emphatically” stated that it valued the integrity of rugby league above all else and would ensure full co-operation was provided to any investigation.

“It is bitterly disappointed the club’s hard-earned, 70-year reputation for fair play has been unfairly tarnished by imputations raised by some media outlets involving two Sea Eagles matches last season, albeit there is presently no formal investigation,” the statement said.

Coach Trent Barrett told his players to ignore the furore.

“They are professionals and we have a job to do.

“Where we sit on the competition table, this is an extremely important game. It is not ideal; we’d rather it not be around the whole game.

“But the one thing we can control is to block it out, stick together and win for the Manly football club.”