The ongoing situation at Manly has taken another turn, with reports that one of the clubโs star players has thrown their support behind under-fire coach Des Hasler, claiming he would be โguttedโ if the coach was ousted.
The Daily Telegraph reports โclose friendsโ of Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic have revealed the fullbackโs concerns about the seemingly chaotic situation, claiming the No.1 wants Hasler to remain at the helm of the northern beaches club.
Hasler has been reportedly considering ending his tenure at the club prematurely as the result of a seemingly concerted campaign to undermine the club in the media. The head coach has asked for more stability as well as a contract extension and neither have been forthcoming.
According to the Telegraph, an unnamed friend of Trbojevic said: โTom said he would be gutted if Des left. Tom thinks Des should be Manly coach for as long as he wants and that heโs earned that right.
โIt was clear Tom believes Des is the best man to lead Manly.
โThe club needs everyone on the same page and working together, and thatโs not happening at the moment. Tom doesnโt think Des walking away would help that happen.
โA few Manly players canโt understand why itโs Desโ job to offer up a succession plan. Isnโt that the job of the club?
โTom is trying to stay positive through all this trouble, but itโs getting to all players. Tom knows Des is the coach Manly need to sort through this mess.โ
The statements come in the wake of captain Daly Cherry-Evans throwing his support behind his coach on Channel 9.
โI endorse Des, Iโve got massive raps on Des and I think heโs the person who will help get us out of the rut weโve been in this year.
โThereโs a lot going on behind the scenes. My gut feeling is he stays. Iโd be surprised if he doesnโt see out at least (2023). Heโs too successful as a coach for this to be the end.โ
Co-incidentally, in recent weeks both Cherry-Evans and Trbojevic have been forced to deny rumours of a rift between each other. With so much alleged information coming from unknown sources, the uncertainty surrounding the club is likely to worsen before it improves.
