Manly to fine more players over strip club visit

Manly’s ill-fated trip to Gladstone is set to claim more scalps as the club prepares to issue fines more players.

Manly chairman Scott Penn and coach Trent Barrett Picture: Brett Costello

Manly’s ill-fated trip to Gladstone is set to claim more scalps as the club prepares to issue fines to as many as six players accused of disobeying team orders and attending a strip club after their loss to the Gold Coast.

Chief executive Lyall Gorman last night confirmed the Sea Eagles were ready to take further action against players who stepped out of line, while at the same time insisting the time had come to move on and focus on football.

That is unlikely to happen for at least another 24 hours as focus falls once again on Manly’s behaviour off the park.

The Sea Eagles will name their team today for Friday night’s game against Newcastle at Lottoland and the expectation is that out-of-favour half Jackson Hastings will again be overlooked despite the club’s embarrassing loss to Parramatta last weekend.

Hastings’ likely omission was expected to be a major talking point today, although it will be eclipsed by the breach notices the club will issue.

Captain Daly Cherry-Evans has already been fined $10,000 for his behaviour after the loss to the Titans — the captain and Hastings had an altercation that resulted in the latter being demoted to NSW Cup amid claims he had played his last NRL game for the club.

Manly chairman and owner Scott Penn made it clear in an interview with The Australian yesterday that some players had overstepped the mark and Gorman confirmed further sanctions would be handed down today.

He also stressed the need for the club to bring down the curtain on the matter so they could focus on their game against the Knights.

“We have made it very clear with our disappointment with the choices on the night,” Gorman said. “They don’t fall within our club values and culture. We have to learn a lesson and move forward on and off the field.

“We have games of footy to play. We have a business to build. We have to take on board the lessons. There are some other things we will do at looking internally at our systems and processes. Our job now is to continue our focus on our football season on and off the park.

“We have a home game on Friday night and that’s what we have to do.”+

The fallout from Gladstone has shone the light on the Sea Eagles’ culture and intensified pressure on Barrett, who looked at breaking point after his side succumbed to the Eels on Sunday.

Asked about Hastings, Barrett gave little indication he was ready to consider the 22-year-old for a return to first grade. Hastings was axed after the incident with Cherry-Evans, although Barrett insisted it was the culmination of a series of problems over some months.

That said, the coach is reaching a point where he may have no choice. Manly’s roster of 29 players includes Nate Myles and Darcy Lussick, who have both left the club but continue to be paid.

Curtis Sironen and Kelepi Tanginoa have also suffered season-ending injuries while winger Brad Parker is out for at least a month. That leaves Barrett with only 24 fit players to choose form including Hastings. Teams must name 21-man squads, which are then whittled down to 17 on game day.

What is fast becoming clear is that Lachlan Croker is not the answer at five-eighth, the former Canberra half struggling to make his mark in recent weeks.

Barrett is facing a potentially career-defining moment as he weighs up Hastings’s future.

Brisbane supercoach Wayne Bennett famously relegated Justin Hodges to reserve grade when he signed with the Roosters but he had the comfort of a deep squad.

More recently, Jason Taylor picked a fight with Robbie Farah at the Wests Tigers and it is arguable both men walked away losers.

Taylor’s authority was eroded and he never recovered, ultimately losing his job. Farah was moved on and now finds himself languishing in NSW Cup for Souths.

There are few winners out of these situations and Barrett needs to find a way to ignite his side given they have lost three successive games after a promising start to the year. He must do it with a side that continues to reel from Gladstone, the latest sanctions having the potential to upset a playing group already on edge.