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REPORTS: Manly to opt against a Walker replacement

It looks as though Manly won’t seek cap exemption to help them through Dylan Walker’s ban.

Published by
Stephen Marson

Manly are unlikely to seek salary cap exemption after centre Dylan Walker became the first player to be stood down by NRL CEO Todd Greenberg under the league's new no-fault policy.

Walker was charged with assaulting his fiancee and will next face court on May 10, after pleading not guilty to the charge.

The Sea Eagle has been stood down by Greenberg until his case is heard, as one of a number of punishments handed down by the NRL boss on Friday.

Manly CEO Lyall Gorman spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald about his club's options moving forward, with Walker's loss having a negative financial affect on the Sea Eagles.

“The NRL hasn’t handed down its criteria yet for salary cap relief other than saying it will be based on application on a case-by-case basis,” Gorman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Clubs will incur performance on-field and financial off-field sanctions, so how do you set up a process that helps support clubs through that? It’s an interesting question.

“Length of time, financial impact, availability of player replacements - you can fit in a player on contract on at the moment, so where do you find a player in that context? What do they do with their family, their kids at school, do they relocate?

“There’s quite a lot to consider to get a framework that works across the board. It’s a bit hard to make a call until we better understand that process.”

Dylan Napa and Scott Bolton were also penalised on Friday by Greenberg, with Napa fined 10% of his 2019 salary, and Bolton handed a five-game ban provided he speaks to the club captains during this year's Magic Round.

Published by
Stephen Marson