Manly ready to cede to Des Hasler’s salary cap expertise
ASK Canterbury why their club is in financial chaos, and they will point the finger in one direction. But as far as Manly are concerned, Des Hasler holds all the cards.
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MANLY chairman Scott Penn has described new Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler as rugby league’s “salary cap master”.
Hasler has been blamed and heavily criticised for the financial chaos Canterbury are enduring, as well as previous cap dramas when he was at Manly.
The Bulldogs declared they would not be active in the player market until 2021 due to Hasler-approved, back-ended deals.
Canterbury officials relentlessly attacked Hasler’s salary cap management along with his retention and recruitment decisions.
But Penn has no similar concerns, even claiming Hasler had always been “strong and terrific” at controlling club salary caps.
Hasler defended his methods, believing if he wasn’t sacked by the Bulldogs that he would have helped the club through the salary cap maze. Privately, he believed Canterbury officials used him as a scapegoat to smother all issues at the club.
Manly have a seven-member recruitment and retention committee but Hasler will virtually oversee every decision.
“Des is one of the masters of cap management,” Penn said. “In previous times (at Manly), he had 150 different scenarios. That is what modern cap management makes.
“That is something he has always been strong at. Des is terrific at cap management.
“Des will be significantly involved in it. All clubs have a committee that comprises CEO, CFO, cap manager.
“There are guidelines from the NRL on who you should have on that committee and we follow those guidelines.
“There are more people at the table now, playing devil’s advocate and looking at different scenarios. I don’t want to comment on history and certainly can’t comment on his involvement at previous clubs.”
Hasler addressed the salary cap issues when formally announced as Manly coach on Monday afternoon.
He spoke freely about most issues but reverted to a script when discussing the cap questions.
Hasler didn’t hold back at criticism levelled at him by Canterbury.
“I have always had a robust philosophy about the best ways to manage the cap and list management,” he said.
“With an incumbent coach, it’s always a coach’s priority to look at that list and to manage it and carve out a way, craft a way, going forward.
“That exercise shouldn’t be about laying the blame. I did the same at Canterbury and it was no different for me here at Manly prior to 2012.
“I think it is naive to suggest one salary cap management plan is another’s misery.
“I have always had a plan and have always been committed to executing that plan going into the future in my time at the Dogs and Manly. In my time, we have had some success.
“The notion of back-ended deals, as reported, is simplistic and generally wrong. There are many, many factors that are relevant to list management. There is always an agenda but I’m not going to get into that today.”
Hasler has moved on from his Belmore sacking last year but remains curious about the decision.
“Those decisions were taken at that time,” Hasler said. “I wasn’t expecting the Canterbury decision but that’s the way it worked out, that’s the way they chose to go. There’s no point to prove.
“I had a great time at Canterbury. Like this club, they are a very proud club. I think we had pretty good success at Canterbury, the semi-final appearances and a couple of grand finals.”
Hasler will be Manly head coach for the next three years. However, the club still hasn’t worked out what to do with Trent Barrett, who quit as coach in July.
Manly’s media manager, Wayne Cousins, told Monday’s media conference that Penn and club CEO Lyall Gorman wouldn’t be answering questions about Barrett.
“I haven’t had any discussion around that,” Hasler said.
“In the negotiations I have had, there have been no discussions about Trent.”
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