Whichever way you look at the Sea Eagles opting to sack Des Hasler, it doesn’t make sense.
A two-time premiership winning coach in 2008 and 2011, the 61-year-old is a Manly club legend after also previously winning a couple of titles as a player.
He even left the club to take up an offer with the Bulldogs ahead of the 2012 NRL season – and in 2019 was welcomed back to the fold with open arms by owner Scott Penn.
How often does that happen in professional sport?
Fiercely loyal, Hasler always put the needs of his players first.
Just ask Brett Stewart, who in 2009 was falsely accused of sexual assault following the team’s season launch at Manly Wharf Hotel on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler was sacked by the club on Thursday, in a decision many have found bemusing
A power struggle with owner Scott Penn sealed Hasler’s demise, with scores of Manly fans seeking answers
Hasler knew the character of Stewart, didn’t hesitate in backing the champion fullback when plenty didn’t and was vindicated when ‘Snake’ was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.
Hasler again stuck his neck out for rising star Manase Fainu, who was accused of stabbing church youth leader Faamanu Levi in a brawl outside a dance in Wattle Grove, in Sydney’s south-west, on October 25 in 2019.
Fainu has since been found guilty and a jail sentence lingers – but again, Hasler was there in court, day in and day out, going above and beyond.
Hasler certainly didn’t lose the playing group at Manly, and had the backing of key figures such as Jake and Tom Trbojevic as well as captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
The Trbojevic brothers – the lifeblood of the club – valued Hasler so highly they asked for clauses in their contracts that if their coach was ever punted, they could leave.
That bold contractual request was denied, but Tom Trbojevic – comfortably Manly’s best player – is bemused by Hasler’s ousting and is considering his options.
The 2021 Dally M Medallist is highly unlikely to be granted a release, but if the club were to trade out one unhappy star, it could produce a domino effect.
Rugby league is a results driven business, and Manly missing the top eight this season was unacceptable in the eyes of owner Scott Penn and the club board.
The rainbow pride jersey saga in July resulted in a divided playing group, which wasn’t Hasler’s doing.
He was not consulted about the planned use of pride jersey for the round 20 home clash with the Roosters, which resulted in seven players boycotting the match and dragging the Sea Eagles into international headlines.
Manly fans are accustomed to success, and won’t accept talk of a rebuild under new coach Anthony Siebold
With Penn in New York and other club figures in hiding, Hasler took the hit when the club staged a press conference to address the fiasco.
He acknowledged the situation was unacceptable, but refused to point fingers at others.
The blame game isn’t his go.
Anthony Siebold – a former assistant at the club and a local resident which apparently gives him Manly ‘DNA’ – will be ushered in as Hasler’s replacement.
To suggest he has big shoes to fill is the understatement of 2022.
As a head coach, his current record won’t have Manly fans rubbing their hands together with glee.
He did impress when at the helm of the Rabbitohs, but his stint in charge of the Broncos was an absolute disaster in 2020.
With a Brisbane roster that rival NRL coaches would have killed for, Siebold won just three games and the Broncos collected the wooden spoon for the first time in their rich history.
So is he really the answer to Manly’s supposed woes?
Hasler also guided Manly to the top four and preliminary final in 2021 – during a pandemic where the players were largely based interstate in a bubble.
After news of Hasler’s sacking became public news, former teammate Mark Carroll spoke for many when he labelled the outcome ‘unbelievable.’
The decision by club management to wear a pride jersey in July derailed Manly’s top 8 aspirations (pictured, centre Morgan Harper)
Key figures Tom and Jake Trbojevic were big supporters of Hasler, and want answers
‘For me, it all comes down to the pride jersey. I look back at that situation…of course it derailed them,’ Carroll told SEN Radio.
‘Dessie got up and spoke in front of the media, that wasn’t his position to do. Why wasn’t the CEO or the boss of Manly doing that? Why did Dessie have to put his neck on the line?
‘I can’t believe he actually had to fall on his sword. He bleeds maroon and white. Dessie has done everything for that club.
‘Someone else made the (jersey) decision, and its cost (Hasler) his job, it really has.’
Earlier this week, Hasler reportedly told the club he was prepared to work alongside Siebold next season as part of a succession plan leading into 2024.
That outcome wasn’t accepted by the board, who met on Thursday and elected to boot Hasler immediately.
Skipper Daly Cherry-Evans is another Hasler supporter and wanted the esteemed coach to stay in charge at Manly
The matter is now expected to be played out before the courts, where Hasler could be awarded as much as $2million if the messy outcome is ruled in his favour.
Sea Eagles fans are said to be filthy, with many on social media declaring they won’t renew their memberships following the shabby treatment of Hasler.
Siebold will need to hit the ground running come pre-season, because if he doesn’t the knives will be out.
Manly fans are also accustomed to success, so talk of a rebuild for 2023 and beyond will be unacceptable.
Over to you Siebs – good luck, you will need it.
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