Laurie Daley breaks silence on Manly Sea Eagles approach
Rugby league legend Laurie Daley has confirmed an approach from Manly and spoken about his level of interest in joining the NRL club.
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Former Australian, NSW and Canberra superstar Laurie Daley has broken his silence over an approach to join Manly from next season, declaring: “I’m interested.”
The Daily Telegraph revealed on Monday that Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov had opened preliminary discussions about luring Daley to Brookvale in a consultancy role.
Manly is hoping – as an outsider – Daley can offer an independent view on multiple levels of the Sea Eagles organisation.
The approach comes as Manly readies itself to announce Anthony Seibold as the new head coach.
Speaking on Tuesday’s Big Sports Breakfast radio show, Daley confirmed Manly’s interest and revealed why he would be keen to explore the job opportunity.
“I had a phone call from Tony Mestrov from Manly. There is no formal offer in place, it was just a discussion around Manly and where I would be interested in a role with their pathways. Actually, it was a bit of everything – leadership, culture, connection to the team and community,” Daley said.
“I gave an indication that I would be interested for it to progress further. Manly asked whether I would be interested and I said yes. It would be an exciting opportunity and Manly have plenty of potential. They have always been a club a lot of people have admired.
“The discussions I had (were about) a position that they will go with moving forward regardless of who the coach is.
“There is no coaching element. It’s all about having an outsider and having a look at pathways, leadership and culture. Nothing has been defined yet and there’s no job description.
“Over there on the northern beaches they want success and that will take a lot of hard work but they certainly have the playing roster capable of playing finals footy.
“It’s in the preliminary stage and there are still some hurdles to jump. That’s where it’s at. We will see where all that ends up.”
Daley must seek permission from his employer – the TAB-aligned Sky Sports Radio – given Manly’s major sponsor is PointsBet, a rival betting agency.
And the NRL will also need to approve Daley’s possible move to Manly, given his TAB background.
In 2019, the NRL blocked a move by Wests Tigers to employ Daley as the club’s halves coach due to his links to the betting industry.
Daley is a current Australian selector and helped coach Mal Meninga select the Kangaroos World Cup squad.
This isn’t the first time Daley has been linked to Manly. He was interviewed for Manly’s top job back in 2016 before withdrawing from the process with Trent Barrett eventually named head coach.
MANLY’S SHOCK BID TO BRING IN NRL GREAT
By Dean Ritchie and Phil Rothfield
Manly has started preliminary discussions with former Test and NSW captain Laurie Daley about joining the club as a consultant from next season.
There are several obstacles to overcome but Daley is known to have an interest in the part-time role which would potentially centre around roster management and pathways.
The Daily Telegraph understands Daley and Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov have spoken.
Manly is hoping – as an outsider – Daley could offer an independent view on multiple levels within the Sea Eagles’ organisation.
The approach comes as Manly readies itself to announce Anthony Seibold as new head coach.
Daley must first secure a full job description before mulling over his decision.
He must also seek support from his employer – the TAB-aligned Sky Sports Radio – given Manly’s major sponsor is PointsBet, a rival betting agency.
And the NRL will also need to approve Daley’s possible move to Manly.
In 2019, the NRL blocked a move by Wests Tigers to employ Daley as the club’s halves coach due to his links to the betting industry.
Daley is a current Australian selector and helped coach Mal Meninga pick the Kangaroos’ World Cup squad.
No offer has been lodged but Manly was buoyed after gauging Daley’s interest. Manly’s majority owners, the Penn family, have a high opinion of Daley.
While his brief hasn’t been finalised, Daley would not be part of Manly’s coaching team.
This isn’t the first time Daley has been linked to Manly.
He was interviewed for Manly’s top job back in 2016 before withdrawing from the process with Trent Barrett eventually named head coach.
Manly’s decision to chase Daley is not dependent on who coaches Manly next season.
Since February 2018, Daley, the former NSW State of Origin coach, has been co-host of the Big Sports Breakfast radio show – which airs on Sky Sports Radio – alongside former Test cricket captain Michael Clarke and sports broadcaster Gerard Middleton.
Des Hasler is this week expected to reveal whether he will coach — as the club has demanded — with Seibold in 2023 before departing the club.
Seibold would take over in 2024.
If Hasler decides the situation has become untenable and walks away, which is becoming increasingly likely, Seibold would take over immediately.
Hasler has certainly garnered plenty of support among Manly fans. An online petition calling for him to be retained as head coach has attracted nearly 2500 signatures.
Cronulla Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay was part of Hasler’s succession plan but the club rejected the proposal while already working on signing Seibold.
FED-UP EAGLES DEMAND HASLER ANSWER
By Michael Carayannis and Brent Read
Des Hasler has until the end of the week to decide if he will remain as Sea Eagles coach after the club imposed a deadline on the veteran mentor to accept a raft of changes to his powers.
News Corp understands that Hasler has a matter of days to fall in line or face the prospect of being shown the door.
Frustrated Sea Eagles officials privately concede the situation between club and coach has become toxic, almost to the point of no return.
Hasler’s only hope would be to accept the changes that the club wants to impose on his coaching department and work with the club cohesively on a succession plan for his eventual departure.
There is every chance the parties decide to go their separate ways before the deadline given the divide between coach and head office.
Hasler may come to a conclusion that the writing is on the wall and walk away from the final year of his contract. That would then leave the two parties to negotiate a settlement which could be as high as $1 million.
Hasler spent the weekend mulling the changes the club put to him late last week after a raft of meetings. The changes include stepping away from recruitment decisions and allowing the club to appoint his assistant coaches after News Corp revealed the restrictions placed on Hasler.
One of those assistants will be Anthony Seibold, who the club has anointed as their preferred long-term option to replace Hasler.
Hasler is understood to be considering his legal position as he ponders taking the club to court over the handling of the pride jersey fiasco.
Hasler’s dream scenario is to be granted a 12-month extension and work with Cronulla assistant Josh Hannay for the next two year before Hannay takes control as coach in 2025.
However, senior figures in the club are fast losing patience with their coach given the way the past month has played out, with key figures barely speaking since News Corp revealed the depth of the dramas on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Sea Eagles officials have become frustrated with what they perceive as Hasler’s refusal to cede power and influence at the club. They feel they are being treated with no respect, a feeling that is no doubt reciprocated within the Hasler camp given he is arguably the most successful coach in club history.
The coach has been the most dominant figure at Manly during his two stints in charge, a period when the club has had a revolving door of chief executives.
The only stability has been in the coaching department, although those with long memories haven’t forgotten the way Hasler walked out on the club after the 20011 grand final win to join Canterbury.
He returned when things at the Bulldogs went sour and was given unfettered control at Manly on his return. However, figures within the club have made the decision that Hasler’s power needs to be reined in after the disappointment of 2022 – the club missed the finals, losing a series of games after the Pride jersey fiasco.
That sombre end to the season left Sea Eagles powerbrokers determined to wrest back control from their coach and have more say over the future, including the plans for a successor to Hasler.
Hasler has dug in his heels and that has only strengthened the resolve of Manly officials to take back control of the football club from their coach.
Chief executive Tony Mestrov has been at the centre of talks with Hasler, although chair and owner Scott Penn is back in the country and determined to resolve the issue before he heads back to America,
There is a view at the upper echelons of Manly that Hasler has shown little inclination to change. They also dismiss the notion that they are making life difficult for Hasler as retaliation for his handling of the Pride jersey fiasco, which some have suggested reflected poorly on club hierarchy.
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