Sea Eagles declare they have no intention of quitting Brookvale Oval as drama with Warringah Council continues

A defiant Sea Eagles CEO Joe Kelly says the club has not contemplated moving away from their spiritual home of Brookvale Oval this season.

Sea Eagles captain Jamie Lyon at Brookvale Oval ahead of Sunday's game wiith Newcastle Knights. Picture: Troy Snook

A defiant Sea Eagles CEO Joe Kelly says the club has not contemplated moving away from their spiritual home of Brookvale Oval this season as the impasse with Warringah Council over hiring for the ground continues.

With the NRL season to kick off in eight weeks Manly has yet to reach an agreement with the council over playing at “the fortress” this year.

The team is scheduled to kick start their premiership campaign at Brookie on Friday, March 4, against the Bulldogs.

And while Kelly admitted that the current relations with the current relations with council were frosty, the Sea Eagles were not looking at alternative stadiums to play their home games.

Sea Eagles say Seabattle with Warringah Council over hiring Brookvale Oval “reaching flashpointt”

“We are not in discussions or made enquiries with any other venue whatsoever,’ he said.

“We are literally focused on getting an outcome with Warringah Council along the lines of a fair and reasonable proposal we put to them which was flatly rejected.”

Manly boss Joe Kelly at Brookvale Oval.

The council want to charge the Sea Eagles $375,000, saying it cost $600,000 a year to maintain Brookvale to NRL standard.

The club proposed they pay $220,000 for their 10 home games and captain’s runs.

Kelly was confident that the matter can be resolved.

“We hope common sense prevails,” he said.

Kelly said the club was only taking two games away in 2016 to Perth and Brisbane.

“And that is as a result of the poor yielding results we receive at Brookvale Oval through the excessive hiring fee as it stands as it stands,” he said.

“If we were more profitable at Brookvale Oval we would not be contemplating in the long term games away.”

Kelly was confident that the matter can be resolved.

“We hope common sense prevails,” he said.

Kelly said that since the story of the deadlock had appeared in Wednesday’s Manly Daily the club had received overwhelming support from their members, supporters and the community.

The club now intends to ramp up their campaign and articulate how important it is that Manly is part of the local community.

“And they have a team that is locally based they can support in the NRL and I just think that has been missed by council in all this,” Kelly said.