The Sea Eagles NRL saga may not be over even though Des Hasler has left Manly
Des Hasler anticipated guiding the team he had served for so long back to premiership contention when he returned to Manly in 2019. Now, with a year left on his contract and after four seasons and a ton of drama, he quits against his will.
- There had been months of bluster, media leaks, and open negotiations from both sides of a bitter divide between Manly's administration and Hasler by the time he was fired at a board meeting on Thursday morning.
- And already, Anthony Seibold, a former coach for South Sydney and Brisbane, is slated to take his place. Just two years prior, his disastrous tenure at Brisbane came to an abrupt end less than two seasons into a five-year contract due to open political conflict, the team's first wooden spoon, and three of the Broncos' four biggest defeats ever.
- Hasler, who played 256 games for the Sea Eagles and won two championships on the field before coaching 303 games over two stints and winning two more championships, has experienced a stunning decline. He has long been regarded as a favorite son of the team. Hasler's relationship with club power brokers, however, has broken down to the point where Manly did not think he could carry on without causing harm because of his desire for total control over football matters and what was seen as a lack of respect for ownership.
- Long-simmering tensions erupted during the Pride jersey controversy in July when Hasler permitted seven players to miss a game on moral or religious grounds. He split up the playing group by permitting those players to refrain from participating without punishment. Manly lost their last six games, including four by more than 16 points, after being in the running for a top-eight spot.
- Relationships were already strained when Hasler used the club management in a press conference to try and explain the situation. It also made the owners look bad because they were forced to defend Hasler and the players who didn't want to wear the jersey in addition to pushing it as a symbol of inclusivity.
- After Hasler decided to ban owner Scott Penn from the locker room following the final-round game against Canterbury, the club was forced to fire their coach. The club proposed several measures they believed would not be accepted, including creating a succession plan with a club-appointed successor and a loss of influence over recruitment and retention.