Manly ready for Hasler and his salary cap management

Manly chairman Scott Penn has described newly appointed coach Des Hasler as the game's 'salary cap master'.

Hasler has been publicly blamed and criticised for the financial chaos which occurred at Canterbury, as well as the previous salary cap dramas when he was at Manly.

The Dogs have stated they will not be active in the player market until at least 2021 due to the Hasler-approved, back-ended deals which were made.

The officials at Canterbury have relentlessly attacked the management of Hasler's salary cap, as well as his retention and recruitment decisions.

Despite all of this, Penn seems to have no concerns regarding the matter, even suggesting Hasler had always been 'strong and terrific' at controlling club salary caps.

Hasler has come to the defence of his own methods, stating if he wasn't sacked from Belmore he would've been able to help the club through that difficult phase.

The now announced Sea Eagles coach believed privately the Bulldogs officials used him as the scapegoat to smooth over many the issues facing the club.

Manly have a seven-member recruitment and retention committee, but Hasler will oversee every deal made and will therefore make the final decision.

Penn said Hasler is one of the best in the business when it comes to dealing with salary caps.

“Des is one of the masters of cap management,” Penn told The Daily Telegraph.

“In previous times (at Manly), he had 150 different scenarios. That is what modern cap management makes.

“That is something he has always been strong at. Des is terrific at cap management.

“Des will be significantly involved in it. All clubs have a committee that comprises CEO, CFO, cap manager.

“There are guidelines from the NRL on who you should have on that committee and we follow those guidelines.

“There are more people at the table now, playing devil’s advocate and looking at different scenarios. I don’t want to comment on history and certainly can’t comment on his involvement at previous clubs.”

When he was formally announced as the new coach of Manly, Hasler put to bed all the issues regarding the salary cap.

He spoke freely regarding most issues, but even it came to questions being asked regarding the cap, Hasler reverted back to a pre-conceived script.

The former Bulldogs coach didn't hold back on his criticism of his old side either when addressing the media.

“I have always had a robust philosophy about the best ways to manage the cap and list management,” Hasler said.

“With an incumbent coach, it’s always a coach’s priority to look at that list and to manage it and carve out a way, craft a way, going forward.

“That exercise shouldn’t be about laying the blame. I did the same at Canterbury and it was no different for me here at Manly prior to 2012.

“I think it is naive to suggest one salary cap management plan is another’s misery.

“I have always had a plan and have always been committed to executing that plan going into the future in my time at the Dogs and Manly. In my time, we have had some success.

“The notion of back-ended deals, as reported, is simplistic and generally wrong. There are many, many factors that are relevant to list management. There is always an agenda but I’m not going to get into that today.”

Hasler says he has moved on from his sacking at Canterbury but still remains curious about the decision.

“Those decisions were taken at that time,” Hasler said.

“I wasn’t expecting the Canterbury decision but that’s the way it worked out, that’s the way they chose to go. There’s no point to prove.

“I had a great time at Canterbury. Like this club, they are a very proud club. I think we had pretty good success at Canterbury, the semi-final ­appearances and a couple of grand finals.”

Signing a three-year contract with the Sea Eagles will see Hasler remain head coach until 2021, despite the club still not working out what to do with Trent Barrett, who quit as coach mid-season.