The ongoing situation at Manly has taken another turn, with reports that one of the club’s star players has thrown their support behind under-fire coach Des Hasler, claiming he would be ‘gutted’ if the coach was ousted.
The Daily Telegraph reports ‘close friends’ of Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic have revealed the fullback’s 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: “Tom said he would be gutted if Des left. Tom thinks Des should be Manly coach for as long as he wants and that he’s earned that right.
“It was clear Tom believes Des is the best man to lead Manly.
“The club needs everyone on the same page and working together, and that’s not happening at the moment. Tom doesn’t think Des walking away would help that happen.
“A few Manly players can’t understand why it’s Des’ job to offer up a succession plan. Isn’t that the job of the club?
“Tom is trying to stay positive through all this trouble, but it’s getting to all players. Tom knows Des is the coach Manly need to sort through this mess.”
The statements come in the wake of captain Daly Cherry-Evans throwing his support behind his coach on Channel 9.
“I endorse Des, I’ve got massive raps on Des and I think he’s the person who will help get us out of the rut we’ve been in this year.
“There’s a lot going on behind the scenes. My gut feeling is he stays. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t see out at least (2023). He’s too successful as a coach for this to be the end.”
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.