Former Sea Eagle Darcy Lussick opens up on shattered Manly culture and polarising figures
THE other star forced out by Manly this season has broken his silence from Toronto and declared the Sea Eagles’ once proud culture is no more.
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THE other star forced out by Manly this season has broken his silence from Toronto and declared the Sea Eagles’ once proud culture is no more.
Jackson Hastings’ bitter banishment continues to divide the club, but feathers also flew over the acrimonious exit of Darcy Lussick, a falling out which culminated in the local junior giving coach Trent Barrett a furious spray on the way out the back door in April.
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Lussick was hurt and angry at not being picked in first grade as the club battled to find solutions to their salary cap mess, and now trying to make the most of his “new lease of life” with the Toronto Wolfpack, the 29-year-old doesn’t deny that the explosive row with the coach took place.
Reflecting back though, Lussick says Barrett has simply inherited the shambles from past administrators and admits; “I wouldn’t want his job.”
Lussick also went into bat for Hastings as being widely popular and launched a passionate defence of Daly Cherry-Evans who he insists is still the right man for the captaincy and very much not the problem.
However, the hulking prop did not hold back in his damning assessment of the way the club is now run and what he believes has become a cultural abyss at Brookvale.
“Manly was always known for having such a strong culture. They were always known for when there was a bit of adversity against them, that they would all come together,” Lussick told The Daily Telegraph.
“Is the Manly culture there anymore?
“Probably not what it was.
“I’ll probably get hammered for it but I reckon it has lost its Manly way.
“I’ll just leave that (what happened with Barrett). I like Trent. He’s in a tough position there. I wouldn’t want his job, that’s all I’m saying. I wouldn’t want his job.
“… I wasn’t happy with a few things that happened … I left at the right time I think …
“(But) I guess there’s no easy way to move people on. And the way you handle it? I don’t know. Is there a right way to handle it? I don’t know. I’ve got no hard feelings (with him).”
The Daily Telegraph understands a Manly player may walk out on the club at the end of the season in protest at the treatment of Hastings.
Lussick has supported the assertion that sentiment exists and says he reached out to Hastings – who is now trying to earn a deal in the English Super League – out of concern for his welfare.
“I like Jackson, I think all the boys liked Jackson,” said Lussick, who laments being forced out of the NRL prematurely, but nonetheless focused on the three seasons he has left in Toronto.
“It’s obviously well documented that there was maybe a couple of issues there (with Hastings) but there’s issues in every team like that.
“Whether they did the right thing by him, by his welfare, I don’t know. I spoke to him, he seems alright, but no one is going to tell you their problems are they.”
Cherry-Evans is a polarising figure around the game and according to former star Anthony Watmough, he is the No.1 destabilising factor at Brookvale.
But Lussick rubbished suggestions his good mate Cherry-Evans should step down as captain, arguing that the Manly skipper receives little help from his front office.
“Daly was there (when the culture was strong) and Daly is the best captain for that club at the moment,” said Lussick after Toronto took another step towards English Super League promotion by comfortably accounting for the Leigh Centurions.
“Everyone respects him so much. He’s a phenomenal player and the way he treats people is very classy.
“I don’t think Daly is the problem to be honest. Not at all. He’s doing everything he can.”
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