Rugby league 2022: Manly boss Tony Mestrov breaks silence on sackings and pride jersey fiasco

Everything seemed to fall apart at Manly after the Pride jersey fiasco, but where, according to club CEO Tony Mestrov, does the club stand on wearing it again?

Daily Telegraph. 01, August, 2022. New Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov on his first day, at the Manly Centre of Excellence, at Brookvale Oval, today. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

After just three months in the job Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov has axed two iconic figures at the Sea Eagles and dealt with the continued fallout from the pride jersey fiasco he inherited.

Now the Sea Eagles boss speaks with Michael Carayannis and Phil Rothfield in a no-holds barred interview where he discusses the sackings of Des Hasler and Kristie Fulton, his tensions with broadcasting giant Ray Hadley, why the club appointed Anthony Seibold and if Manly will wear the rainbow jersey again.

You’ve only been in the job for a matter of months but from the outside looking in, it’s like you’ve blown up the joint. What did you identify needed to change?

Before I started I watched from afar. Watching the matches — I think the most difficult thing to watch was the way we lost. That was hard. When I started in the job it wasn’t so much that we were losing it was the nature in which we lost. That concerned me. We were run down against Parramatta at home. That was the first concern. Then we started to have dialogue around a potential contract extension from Des and the discussion went from there.

Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov has put the broom through the club. Picture: Justin Lloyd

How bad of a shape was the club in?

In the defence of the club, they hadn’t had any continuity of CEO for a long, long time. That lack of continuity didn’t allow decisions to be made. The consistency of decisions and genuine leadership in the organisation was missing. It had nothing to do with the board or playing group.

Why is Des Hasler no longer Manly coach?

The club had a vision and we were going in another direction. That’s it in a nutshell. During the discussions we had it was quite clear that we didn’t have the same vision for the club. Des is a two-time premiership-winning coach and player at the club. We all respect him.

Two-time premiership-winning coach and player Des Hasler was shown the door.

What was the reaction to Des’ dismissal from sponsors and members?

Scott Penn (chairman) and I were disappointed and sad that Des was going. There were lots of critics around the decision and the media was pretty loud. There was nothing positive coming out of the club and we had to weather that. At all times the board and myself had the best interests of Manly at heart and it was about bringing success back to the club.

We were getting criticised but people didn’t know what was going on because they were only reading what was in the paper and that was disappointing. In the last couple of days people are understanding why we made the decision. They’ve seen the outcome and have a lot of hope for the future.

You knew the sacking of Kristie Fulton would mean people would come for your head. How have you coped with the criticism? Ray Hadley is a powerful dude. He was very close to Bob Fulton and you axed Bozo’s daughter.

This had nothing at all to do with the surname this was about running the business and getting the business in the best shape for the future. Ray and I worked closely and very successfully during my time at greyhounds. It did disappoint me but I will leave it at that.

I knew part of this job was about getting criticism. If you can’t take that you can’t take on the job. My wife asked me if I wasn’t all right would I tell her. I told her I would. A lot of ex-Manly players have reached out to me which isn’t surprising. It was nice to have the support of ex-players and people around the club.

How did the club land at Anthony Seibold?

We have a different playing group to the ones synonymous with Manly who have relied on a large group of senior players. We have a core group of senior players but a lot of young Pacifika players. We thought Anthony was the best person to coach this group and get the best out of them. He has shown that by the discussions he has had with the players already. He is a fantastic human being and the playing group are a terrific bunch of people. We thought Anthony would fit them well.

Tony Mestrov believes Anthony Seibold is the right person to take Manly forward.

Why is he the man to turn the club around?

While Anthony hasn’t played for the club he understands the club having coached here before. He understands the political environment which we are looking to reduce. He lives locally and is part of the district which is important. From the first discussions we’ve always been on the same page. Then he had discussions with Scott Penn and the board and we all agreed where we thought the team could go and how we could get the best out of them. Seibs discussed bringing in Shane Flanagan. That was his decision. He also wanted to bring in Jim Dymock who can communicate really well with the Pacifika players. Those combinations showed you that Seibs had matured as a person and learnt from his past. He has come off the canvas and is ready for a second chance. When I did my due diligence and spoke with his ex-players and people who have coached with him, they all said he was ready to coach again.

What is your relationship with Anthony like?

We played against each other when I was at Wigan and he was playing for London. We have some common friends so I felt like I knew a bit about him. We had a relationship without being best mates but it seems like we’ve had a good understanding – particularly around what’s required. It’s been easy.

Do you really think Shane Flanagan will stick out his three-year contract?

In some ways, we would like Shane Flanagan to be a head coach in the NRL again because it means we’ve had success. If we have success I think he can be an NRL coach within the next three years. It’s important for Shane that he inputs structures and processes in place that will stay for a long time. That’s part of the reason why he is here. We want to use his knowledge to win us a premiership. If he moves on — and we all hope he does — that means he has done his job here. Seibs and I have both told him that.

What are your expectations for next season – top eight or four?

Ultimately I’d like to think we’re a top four team year-on-year. That has to be your aim. That gives you sustained premiership success. For next year realistically the goal would be to make the top eight. That’s not a cop out. We came 11th this year. There are reasons for that but the fact is we came 11th. We need to have the eight as a yardstick. I’m not saying we don’t have a team to win future premierships, but that’s what I think is a realistic aim for next year.

The club’s season imploded following the Pride jersey fiasco.

Will Manly wear a Pride jersey next year? Josh Aloiai has already said he won’t wear one.

The club hasn’t made a decision. In all honesty it’s something that hasn’t been discussed internally. We need to do a lot better in the way we communicate and educate — it was a warning for the club. Until we can do that better I don’t think it’s a discussion point.

How will you improve communications between front office and footy staff and players?

It goes back to the club not having had a CEO for a while. A CEO is able to communicate clearly with players, staff and the board. Throughout this difficult period communication with the players and staff has been important. I’ve been ringing the players and telling them about everything that has been going on. Seeing each other throughout the organisation is important. We are finally under one roof at the centre of excellence. That is a massive advantage.

Roster-wise, what areas have you identified that you need to strengthen long-term?

There’s no doubt we’ve got a team for the future and players will be given these opportunities. Daly Cherry-Evans is in the form of his life and it would be great if he can play a part in his succession plan. Daly will leave an amazing legacy at the club and should finish with the most games played in the club’s history. I would love for him to stay on and nurture the club’s future halves.

Will there be a change of philosophy in terms of the western Sydney pathway?

The important thing is that we get the balance right like any other club. That’s a mix of players outside the area and players within the area. You want every player to have an opportunity to play for Manly.

Was this a bigger task than you imagined?

I don’t think so. There were things that surprised me and needed more work than I first thought. I came here with my eyes wide open and it’s been difficult but I knew it would. This has been more public than my other roles but I have strong support from the chairman to get the job done.

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Originally published as Rugby league 2022: Manly boss Tony Mestrov breaks silence on sackings and pride jersey fiasco