It's finally happened - Des Hasler has coached his last game in a Sea Eagles polo.
The club held yet another board meeting on Thursday morning, where the board decided to part ways with the veteran coach. His manager, George Mimis, was informed of the decision shortly after the meeting, per the Daily Telegraph.
Similar to the late-2018 Wayne Bennett saga, Hasler agreed to a host of changes and measures to be put in place, only to be terminated days later.
It's expected the head coach will pursue legal action against the Sea Eagles over his sacking.
Despite the turmoil of late, Hasler is one of Manly's all-time most successful coaches, leading the Sea Eagles to both the 2008 and 2011 premierships, as well as coaching the second-most amount of games for Manly during their tenure.
Hasler had agreed on Wednesday afternoon to remain for 2023 and welcome Anthony Seibold as his assistant-coach and future successor, but following intense scrutiny and leaked emailsย regarding the Pride jersey fiasco, something had to give.
The e-mails revealed that Hasler's own football staff signed off on the jerseys months ago - without informing Hasler, with sources revealing toย The Daily Telegraphย that the involved staff member, John Bonasera, apologised to Hasler at a later date.
Seibold is the front-runner to take the reins, having formerly assistant-coached at the club prior to his move to South Sydney. The former Dally M Coach of the Year will face the same dilemma at the Sea Eagles that he met at Brisbane - an exodus of experience.
While the Sydney club has snared Samoan international Kelma Tuilagi for 2023, they've lost the likes of Kieran Foran, Andrew Davey, Martin Taupau and Dylan Walker to rival clubs, and now talks of concerned Trbojevic brothers have emerged.
It's a drastic fall from grace compared to the Sea Eagles outfit that challenged the Rabbitohs for a Grand Final spot in last year's preliminary final, now kicking their coach out the exit door after finishing 2022 with seven-straight defeats.
The club is putting their eggs into the basket of youngsters like Gordon Chan Kum Tong, Zac Fulton and Jamie Humphreys, just as Brisbane did at the start of Seibold's tenure with the likes of Payne Haas, David Fifita and Tom Dearden.
It's looking likely that former NSW coach Laurie Daley will take a consultancy role with Manly in the near future as the club seeks to avoid a repeat of what happened at Red Hill.
The legal battle is expected to pick up between the two parties, with Manly being advised that not paying out Hasler is an option, despite the veteran coach reportedly being on $900,000 for the final year of his deal.
The Sydney Morning Heraldย has reported that a payout was initially capped at $450,000 if the pair parted ways prematurely, however it appears a date with the court room looms likely.
The Sea Eagles are expected to confirm the news by the end of the week.
