NRL 2022: Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett ready for ‘hostile’ reception on return to Brookvale
Trent Barrett left Manly in a blaze of controversy in 2018 and Sea Eagles fans won’t let him forget it when he returns to 4 Pines Park for the first time as a head coach.
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Manly is about to unveil a new centre of excellence and a flash undercover grandstand. Seems fitting then that the game to mark the occasion will herald the return to 4 Pines Park of Trent Barrett as a head coach.
Those with long memories will recall the way Barrett left the Sea Eagles in a blaze of controversy in 2018 and while he has been back to the ground, he has never returned in charge of his own team.
That’s about to change and Barrett can expect a hostile reception. They take no prisoners at Manly, a ground where the visiting coaches are separated from the fans in the western grandstand by a glass window and little else.
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Barrett’s relationship with the players remained strong after his departure, but the club’s supporters haven’t forgotten the way things ended. The allegations and accusations. Complaints over facilities and furniture.
What Barrett would have given for a shiny new stadium and some cutting-edge facilities. Just for a laugh, you would love to see Manly put a couple of garden chairs in the visiting coach’s box on Sunday afternoon.
Barrett, after all, wrote to the club with a list of concerns that he suggested made his position untenable. He claimed he had to bring his own outdoor furniture from home for the team’s common room.
He claimed he had to supply his own desk for use in his office. He told the club he had to hire chairs for the locker room. He felt he was left with no choice. So he packed up and left, waiting for another chance.
In the meantime, Des Hasler rebuilt Manly and the state government rebuilt the ground. New offices, new boardrooms, new corporate facilities, new locker rooms, new gym and a pristine new surface. About the only thing Brookie doesn’t have is a nice set of outdoor tables and chairs.
Barrett, meanwhile, landed the gig at Canterbury and the jury remains out on whether he has what it takes to be a success. The Bulldogs were woeful last year but there have been green shoots in 2022.
They dug in against North Queensland and walked away with a win. They went toe-to-toe with Brisbane and gave it a shake. While neither opponent was regarded as a genuine heavyweight when the season began, the Bulldogs showed something for the first time in Barrett’s tenure.
Manly will be a different proposition, something Barrett knows only too well. If he wanted a taste of how his side stacks up this season, it’s about to arrive at a ground he knows like the back of his hand, albeit having been tarted up with a sparkly new stand and lick of paint.
Manly has started slow but it remains a dangerous proposition. Tom Trbojevic has been criticised over his form and there has been an acknowledgment that his teammates need to give him a hand, starting with their forward pack.
No Canterbury fan can forget what Trbojevic did to them last season. The Sea Eagles star finished with a hat-trick as the Bulldogs were beaten 66-0 at CommBank Stadium.
In the return match, played at the Dolphins’ home ground, Canterbury was soundly beaten again. The Bulldogs had no answer to a rampant Trbojevic.
They are improved this year but 4 Pines Park represents a different proposition. The Sea Eagles have again turned the ground into a fortress. Barrett will be in the eye of a storm.
“It will be hostile – they will be into him,” Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans said.
“Not too many people come back to the club and get a warm reception – I don’t know many players or ex-coaches who have that luxury.
“Baz played the game at all levels. So he knows exactly what it is about. He will be well prepared for it and take it in his stride.
“I had so much time for him. He was a massive help in my development as a football player and captain of the club.”
Cherry-Evans has clearly moved on. Manly fans may not be as kind.
HAAS IN NO RUSH
Payne Haas’ legal fight with his former agent is scheduled to head back to court in mid-April. Until the matter is resolved, Haas is unlikely to strike a new deal with the Brisbane Broncos.
Haas is contracted until the end of 2024 which means he is unable to formally negotiate with any rival club until the late-2023.
The Broncos have time on their side. They have no need to rush, other than their own desire to tie down a footballer who is playing at a different level to his fellow frontrowers.
Haas has quickly become the most important player at the Broncos. He has a motor that never stops, footwork and a sneaky offload. He is the prototype modern forward and he is crucial to Brisbane’s revival.
For all the talk about Adam Reynolds joining the club, arguably no player is more influential than Haas. The Broncos need to keep him. Simple as that.
The decision to release Jamayne Issako to the Gold Coast may help. Isaako’s exit clears money under the cap that the Broncos can use in their fight to keep not just Haas, but also Selwyn Cobbo.
They are the future.
HYNES AND BRAILEY ON FIRE
Nicho Hynes’ remarkable rise continued at WIN Stadium on Thursday night. The 25-year-old’s career has been a slow burn but it has caught fire over the past year.
He was outstanding for Melbourne and has quickly become the cornerstone of the Sharks. It has taken only three rounds to show he could be the buy of the season.
Crucially, he has made those around him better and the greatest beneficiary may be hooker Blayke Brailey. The Sharks fought off approaches from elsewhere — most notably the Dolphins – to retain Brailey for another four years.
It has proved a canny retention. Brailey has been outstanding over the opening three weeks. After a fast start, the Dragons have lost two in a row and one of their off-season acquisitions – Jaydn Su’A – can’t avoid the sin bin.
Su’A could argue he was unlucky on the two occasions he has been sent from the field. His reputation hasn’t helped, nor his penchant for sailing close to the wind.
He needs to adjust his technique because the match officials are unlikely to change.
Originally published as NRL 2022: Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett ready for ‘hostile’ reception on return to Brookvale
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