Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Des Hasler’s contract clause, stadium wars and Dolphins woes
Des Hasler may pay a high price for the refusal of some Manly players to play in a pride jersey, stadium blue could cost NSW dearly and more in Australia’s best sporting gossip column.
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The player boycott at Manly could prove costly for veteran coach Des Hasler.
Hasler has a clause in his coaching agreement that he needs to make the finals this year to trigger an extension. If not, he can be axed at the end of next season.
Manly plays Parramatta, the Titans, Sharks, Raiders and Bulldogs in the run home to the finals.
They may need to win all of those games.
Dessie’s contract is an intriguing situation given reports he has a strained relationship with some board members and senior management.
It will be interesting when new chief executive Tony Mestrov starts on Monday, determined to stamp his authority early on.
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SAINT
The powerful leadership of coach Des Hasler and his skipper Daly Cherry Evans in the most traumatic week in Manly Sea Eagles history. There are some Manly officials who believe Des holds too much power and influence at the club, which is probably true. However, from what we have witnessed this week, it’s actually a good thing that he took control of the situation while other executives chose to hide. DCE showed, too, that he will make a wonderful captain of Australia for the World Cup if the ARLC decides to go that way
SINNER
The inconsiderate and thoughtless Manly football club employees who kept players in the dark over the pride jerseys. The idea was a good one but the process was so dumb. So much angst could have been avoided with proper consultation and discussions with the players. Having said that, I will never understand how some NRL players, whatever their beliefs, are prepared to be billboards for gambling and beer companies but not support the gay community.
SHOOSH
There is absolutely no doubt the Manly playing roster has been split, possibly irreparably, over the events of the past seven days. A number of established players who played on Thursday night cannot comprehend why seven teammates boycotted the game. All agree the club handled it poorly. However, they are bitterly disappointed, some furious, that the boycotting players have potentially ruined all the hard work that has gone into their season. At full strength, they could have beaten the Roosters.
SHOOSH
The leak at St George-Illawarra has been identified. It’s the same player who was renowned for leaking sensitive information to the media at his previous club. Players are now on guard when in the company of this particular individual.
SPOTTED
Storm hooker Harry Grant is used to dealing with 110kg forwards but nothing that took as much effort as landing this 117.8kg bluefin tuna on a Port Phillip Bay fishing charter last week.
SPOTTED
A 5th grade greyhound race at Wentworth Park called Doust, Gallop and Richo, obviously named after former rugby league officials Peter Doust, David Gallop and Shane Richardson and won by a dish licker called Fat Boy’s Lucky.
SPOTTED
How fitting in Women in League round that a fifth female director joins Dr Deidre Anderson, Pippa Leary, Hannah Southwell and Chelsea Lenarduzzi on the board of the RLPA. Joanne Taylor, the managing director of Compass Group Australia and a strong and strategic business leader, will no doubt become a key player in upcoming CBA negotiations.
* * * * *
The NRL normally releases grand final tickets for sale as early as April.
This year we’re in August and you still can’t buy one.
The truth is the NRL has yet to lock in Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park as the venue.
This has been a delicate issue since this column revealed on March 21 last year that the NRL had not reached an agreement with the State government for suburban ground funding.
On Monday, commission chairman Peter V’landys and CEO Andrew Abdo will meet with premier Dominic Perrottet to try to finalise an agreement.
This meeting is absolutely crucial to deciding the venue for this year’s grand final.
We’re told the Queensland government is ready to pounce. They will pay tens of millions to play the decider at Suncorp.
The State government released its budget in June with a record $112.7 billion spend on infrastructure but no mention of funding for Brookvale, Penrith or Cronulla as had been promised at talks between V’landys and the Premier in April.
Behind the scenes there has been rumours around embattled Minister Stuart Ayres and his role in the final funding decisions.
It has been suggested that Ayres wanted to cut funding to Brookvale and Shark Park to spend an extra $200 million on a roof over a new $30,000 seat stadium at Penrith in the Minister’s home seat where he is under pressure at the next election.
Whatever the case the NRL is running out of time.
A decision needs to be made in the next seven days to start corporate ticketing and general sales.
V’landys and Abdo will not back down.
This time they want a funding agreement in writing. Otherwise a Sydney grand final is under serious threat.
* * * * *
Bob Fulton’s two best mates – Peter Peters and Ray Hadley – were at Brookvale on Thursday night to watch his grandson Zac in a super impressive NRL debut against the Roosters.
The pair sat with the late immortal’s wife Anne in the grandstand named after the Sea Eagles legend.
“Bozo would have been so proud,” Peters said, “It’s tough for any kid to make an NRL debut, let alone in a side that had seven players out. Zac did the family proud.”
* * * * *
No one knows better than old Rabbitohs legend Craig Coleman about the challenges of building an NRL team from scratch with limited time to prepare.
Tugger was the South Sydney coach when the club was reinstated to the competition in July 2001.
They had a massive fan base but no players.
Coleman had just five months to get a squad together for pre-season training.
The club even hired Gus Gould and put him in charge of recruitment.
It was tough. The first season they won five games, lost 19 and finished 14th of 15 teams.
Souths got three wooden spoons in their first five years back in the competition.
This shows the difficulties facing the Dolphins and old-super coach Wayne Bennett.
They were added as the 17th team in October last year, giving them 12 months to prepare for their first pre-season.
Coleman recalls the Rabbitohs got as many knockbacks from players as the Dolphins, who have missed out on the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Ryan Matterson, Harry Grant, Brandon Smith and Reece Walsh.
“We were lucky the Northern Eagles fell over and we got a few of their players,” he said, “It would have been horrendous otherwise. Seriously, it can take years to build a successful club.
“We got no help. I tried to get Johnathan Thurston when he was a teenager at the Bulldogs on $20,000. I met him at Redfern.
“He was a skinny little kid but you could see he was going to be special. We offered him a fortune, I think it was $150,000, but Canterbury increased his money and he stayed.”
Coleman is not just concerned about the problems the Dolphins face.
It’s the overall depth of playing strength.
“I don’t know if there are going to be enough quality players for 17 teams,” he said.
“There are already two or three sides that are NSW Cup standard.
“The Dolphins will struggle, even with Wayne. You need the best players to win comps and to be there on grand final day.”
At least the Gold Coast Titans were given two years to prepare for entering the NRL in 2005.
It gave them the opportunity to sign established stars – the likes of Mat Rogers, Preston Campbell, Scott Prince and Luke Bailey.
They made the top four after three seasons.
* * * * *
The appointment of former Cowboys boss Peter Parr at the Newcastle Knights has prompted speculation around embattled coach Adam O’Brien.
Probably because Parr is close to out-of-work coach Paul Green, who he worked alongside to deliver the 2015 premiership to North Queensland.
However Parr insists he is backing O’Brien.
“I can tell you the board wants him to succeed, “Parr said. “They like him.
“I can assure you nobody has said to me to come in and mount a case to get rid of him.
“I know these things can change quickly and I know I’m still close to Greeny but I haven’t even thought about another coach.”
* * * * *
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is always looking for that extra edge. That’s why he was in Melbourne last week on his day off to check out the high-performance facilities at Collingwood and Carlton.
Fitzy had a long chat with Collingwood coach Craig McRae. They have a lot in common.
Both are first-year head coaches and both have achieved beyond expectations this season.
* * * * *
Canterbury’s reputation as a caring family club lives on. Bulldogs chairman John Khoury has authorised a $5000 donation to help Greg Hartley replace his appliances and belongings that were destroyed in the recent Hawkesbury River floods.
Broadcaster Ray Hadley has also chipped in $1000 and the Men of League Foundation is looking at ways they can help out. Hartley has been left virtually homeless but has good people helping him out including his old radio partner Peter Peters.
* * * * *
It wasn’t just the vaping photo at CommBank Stadium that Kevin Proctor posted on social media that led to his dismissal from the Gold Coast Titans.
It was a sackable offence in that his actions were in breach of both NRL and Stadium regulations.
However there was also this other photo of him tenpin bowling on July 1 that contributed to his sacking.
It was taken and stupidly posted on his Instagram account on the same day his teammates were being flogged 38-12 by the Newcastle Knights.
Imagine how well that went down with Titans fans. While the team was producing one of its worst performances in history, one of their highest paid players was out enjoying himself at a bowling alley. Obviously dumb and unacceptable.
* * * * *
Former NRL star Sia Soliola has organised a reunion for Mose Masoe, the player who had his career cut short by a serious spinal injury in the English Super League in 2019.
Covid and the fact Mose now lives on the Sunshine Coast has prevented his ex-teammates and friends from visiting him since he was hurt.
Soliola has organised a catch up from midday at the Coogee Legion Club next Thursday, August 4.
“We’ve missed him and it will be great to be able to give him a hug and say hi,” Soliola said.
“Everyone is welcome and Mose would love to see as many people as possible.”
* * * * *
We told you recently how referee Gerard Sutton won a $5000 badge draw at Camden Golf Club on the same weekend he was stood down from duties.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga was not so lucky last week at Southport Surf club when his badge number was called out for an $18,000 cash prize.
He was 1100 kilometres in Canberra.
Mal is a member at Southport from his days as full-time employee of the Titans.
Now he is just a consultant and based in the ACT with his family.
We rang Mal on Friday to inform him of what had happened.
“Oh, that cruel,” he said, “did you really have to tell me?
“I used to take the family there. The beer’s good and they do great meals. Oh well, you can’t win them all.”
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