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Anthony Seibold urged Manly fans not to boo Des Hasler as the Championship coach returned to Brookvale for the first time since being sacked, over which he is still suing the Sea Eagles.
Hasler’s legal action against Manly was an interesting subplot to the Sea Eagles’ clash with the Titans on Sunday, with the Gold Coast side surprisingly entering finals contention on the back of three straight wins.
With his return to Manly imminent, the 63-year-old was as gruff as ever at Saturday’s press conference, abruptly ending his post-match press conference at the mention of “next week” following the Titans’ win over Parramatta.
Hasler seeking seven-figure compensation from Seahawks In October 2022, after he was fired, he rejected a $565,000 settlement offer.
Mediation talks have also failed to resolve the dispute and Manly has issued a subpoena to the Titans to investigate its negotiations with Hasler, who signed a three-year contract with the Gold Coast in June last year.
Seahawks coach Dez Hasler was frustrated with the officiating.Credit: NRL Photos
The case will be heard over two days in the NSW Supreme Court in November.
Despite a rocky end to his second stint as Sea Eagles coach, Siebold pointed to Hasler’s playing and coaching record in 1987, 1996, 2008 and 2011, which won championships, as reason for Manly fans to celebrate and respect on Sunday.
“Des is a legend at the club,” Siebold said.
“How many people have won multiple championships as a player and a coach? He is a legend at our club and, in my opinion, one of the truly elite coaches in our sport. You could argue he is one of the top five or six coaches rugby league has ever produced.
“I have the utmost respect for him and I am sure the fans will recognise his contribution to our club. He gets on extremely well with many of the people in the dressing room I currently coach.”
Daly Cherry-Evans and Des Hasler celebrate Manly’s 2011 title win.Credit: NRL Photos
Hasler played 255 games between 1984 and 1993 and 1995 to 1997, making him the sixth most capped player in Manly’s history.
Only the immortal Bob Fulton coached the club in more games (305 to Hasler’s 303).
Hasler’s two departures from Manly ended badly, with him moving to Canterbury in 2011 after winning the grand final and being accused of breaching his contract and poaching staff. When Hasler returned to Brookvale to coach Canterbury for the first time in 2012, Sea Eagles fans booed their former coach.
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Hasler’s impact on the Seahawks roster is evident, with the likes of the Trbojevic brothers and captain Daly Cherry-Evans making no secret of their support for Hasler when he recently left the team.
Titans veteran Kieran Foran will be another familiar face in the away side, having performed well recently to secure a one-year extension with the NRL next year, his 17th season.
“Des is still Des,” Manly defender Tom Trbojevic said of his old coach’s return.
“He obviously wants to win every game, but that’s not what we’re going to talk about. We know what we need to do as a football team to put ourselves in the best position to win games.”
Storm plans to release Ryles early to focus on Eels
The Melbourne Storm are likely to release Jason Lyles from his contract with immediate effect, a move that will allow the new Parramatta coach to start planning for life with the Eels in 2025.
Jason Ryles will coach the Parramatta Eels from 2025.
Lyles and his agent are expected to meet with Storm officials after State of Origin III to discuss the possibility of being released from his contract early so he can focus full-time on rebuilding the struggling Parramatta side.
Lyles’ position with the Storm is coaching coordinator and his potential departure will not have a major impact on Craig Bellamy’s run for a championship as he has three assistant coaches (son Aaron Bellamy, Mark Brentnall and Ryan Hinchcliffe).
A Melbourne official confirmed the club would hold talks with Lyles this week and would be watching to see if he could complete training with the Storm on Friday.
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Parramatta is aware of the situation and has no intention of asking Lyles to join interim coach Trent Barrett’s side in 2024.
Rice is eager to start planning personnel and squads for 2025. The first big order of business is trying to convince rookie Blaize Talagi to stay at the club beyond this season after he turned down an option in his contract to stay at Parramatta next year.
Lyles will meet with Taraji within the next 48 hours to sell his vision for the club and entice him to stay with the Eels.
The Dragons are also considering and planning to meet with Taraji and his family this week, with both teams having the week off.
Officials at St George Illawarra have also shown keen interest in signing Taraji’s brother as part of a package deal to lure them to the Red V club. Excellent rebuild by coach Shane Flanagan.
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