Trent Barrett says Lachlan Croker is in the lead to partner Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves for Manly
MANLY coach Trent Barrett insists he has no regrets releasing Blake Green despite being left without an established five-eighth for the upcoming season.
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MANLY coach Trent Barrett insists he has no regrets releasing Blake Green despite being left without an established five-eighth for the upcoming season. The Sea Eagles were in pursuit of Mitchell Pearce when they allowed Green to sign a long-term deal with the Warriors, only for Pearce to choose Newcastle. Barrett reiterated the club remains in talks with former playmaker Trent Hodkinson, who is now with the Knights, but are hamstrung but salary cap dramas. The NRL on Tuesday granted Manly a second extension to reply to possibly salary cap cheating over the last five years, resulting in a recruitment hold. “We’re in a difficult spot at the moment with our recruitment. We are on hold with everything,” Barrett said on Sky Sports radio on Wednesday. “We have got money there, (but) until we get a ruling on the cap and the situation handed down to us, I’m stuck.
“It’s not ideal but it is what it is and it certainly hasn’t disrupted our preparation.”
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Together with captain Daly Cherry-Evans, Green helped lead the Sea Eagles into the finals but had been offered a three-year deal to move to the Warriors. Barrett said the club could have forced Green to serve the final year of his contract in 2018, but didn’t want to stand in the way of financial security. “You can look at it two ways. You can look at it as a bit of a risk to let him go without a replacement locked in,” Barrett said.
“But it was also a risk for me in terms of the functioning of the team if you had a player here who had an opportunity to set his family up for the next three or four years, who made it quite clear to us that he didn’t want to be here given the opportunity that was in front of him.
“It was a difficult one for me and one we stewed over for months. “In the end, we made a decision and if I look back now, no I wouldn’t change the decision. I’m really happy with how it worked.” Barrett hinted new recruit Lachlan Croker would begin the season wearing the No. 6 jumper ahead of fellow halves contender Jackson Hastings. He also admitted centre Dylan Walker (broken leg) could be out until round four, while lock Jake Trbojevic (pectoral) is on track for their trial matches.