Laurie Daley has come clean after being refused a job on Manly's coaching staff due to his direct affiliation with the TAB.
While Daley was eager to link up with Manly and new head coach Anthony Seibold, the NRL's head of integrity Jason King confirmed that because Daley worked onย The Big Sports Breakfastย onย Sky Sports Radio,ย a TAB-owned company, the former Blues coach wasn't permitted to accept the offer.
It's an odd move from the NRL, who permit Manly to have rival betting agencyย PointsBetย on their jersey front, and Laurie Daley was eager to show his disappointment after being delivered the news.
โI'm not allowed to have association because of the links to TAB. Obviously I would like to think they would change their mind but I don't think they will. I would have loved to have been part of it,โ Daley said on the program.
โI was informed of the decision by Jason King from the NRL integrity unit. We spoke about it and he told me the reasons why.
โThey (NRL) have strict codes when it comes to players, coaches or officials being involved in the game, and being involved with betting agencies. I accepted (King's) words - it's one of those things. I think I would have had a lot to offer.
โBut at the end of the day, the rules are that I can't do it so I have to play by those rules and accept the decision."
Following Des Hasler's October sacking, the Sea Eagles board have been working overtime to reshape the club's coaching staff as well as the rest of their football department. While Daley's role wasn't necessarily assistant coaching, there were hands-on factors involved with the role.
โThere was some coaching component to it (his role) but not a lot. It was some mentoring and coaching with the halves. It was working with individuals. But it was all pathways, list management and different aspects of the business.
โYou think you've got something to offer and you can help some young footy players. It would have been lovely to work with the young Manly halves but, unfortunately, it's not to be and I have to accept the umpire's decision and move on.
โI would love to have got back involved and again get to know what a football club is like, the inner workings of it.โ
Buzz Rothfield, editor atย The Daily Telegraph, tweeted following the news at the NRL's grand inconsistencies after hearing the news.
โSo the NRL won't let Laurie Daley work for the Sea Eagles because he works for a radio station owned by the TAB," Rothfield wrote on his personal account.
โAt the same time, they allow Matt Tripp to be chairman of Melbourne Storm and be part owner of a corporate bookmaker firm. Work that out.โ
Daley also does promotional work for TAB onย Late Night with Matty Johns,ย delivering odds as well as a 'multi of the week' type segment on theย Fox Sportsย program.
