Why Des Hasler’s brutal sacking from the Sea Eagles doesn’t make sense on manly levels

However you look at the Sea Eagles choosing to fire Des Hasler, it makes no sense.

The 61-year-old coach, who has won two premierships in 2008 and 2011, is a legendary club of Manly having previously also won a number of titles as a player.

He even left the club to take up an offer with the Bulldogs ahead of the 2012 NRL season – and in 2019 he was again welcomed with open arms by owner Scott Penn.

How often does that happen in professional sports?

Fiercely loyal, Hasler always put the needs of his players first.

Just ask Brett Stewart, who was falsely accused of sexual assault in 2009 following the team’s season start at the Manly Wharf Hotel on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Hasler knew Stewart’s character, didn’t hesitate to back the champion fullback when many didn’t, and was proved right when ‘Snake’ was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

Hasler again stuck his neck out for rising star Manase Fainu, who was accused of stabbing church youth leader Faamanu Levi in ​​a brawl outside a dance party in Wattle Grove, south west Sydney, on October 25, 2019.

Fainu has since been found guilty and jailed – but again, Hasler was there day in and day out in court, doing everything he could.

Hasler certainly didn’t lose the playing group at Manly and had the support of key figures such as Jake and Tom Trbojevic, as well as captain Daly Cherry-Evans.

The Trbojevic brothers – the lifeblood of the club – valued Hasler so highly that they asked for clauses in their contracts that if their coach ever got a point they could leave.

That daring contractual request was turned down, but Tom Trbojevic – comfortably Manly’s best player – is stunned by Hasler’s ouster and considering his options.

The 2021 Dally M medalist is highly unlikely to be released, but if the club traded in one unlucky star it could set off a domino effect.

Rugby league is a results-driven business, and Manly’s missing out on the top eight this season was unacceptable in the eyes of owner Scott Penn and the club’s board.

The rainbow jersey saga in July resulted in a divided playgroup, which was not Hasler’s job.

He was not consulted about the planned use of the Pride jersey for the Round 20 home game with the Roosters, which led to seven players boycotting the game and dragging the Sea Eagles to international headlines.

With Penn in New York and other club figures in hiding, Hasler took the plunge when the club held a press conference to deal with the fiasco.

He acknowledged that the situation was unacceptable, but refused to point the finger at others.

The blame game is not his goal.

Anthony Siebold – a former assistant at the club and a local who apparently gives him male ‘DNA’ – will be ushered in as Hasler’s replacement.

To suggest he has big shoes to fill is 2022 understatement.

As head coach, his current record won’t keep Manly’s fans rubbing their hands happily.

He made an impression when he was at the helm of the Rabbitohs, but his stint as leader of the Broncos was an absolute disaster in 2020.

With a Brisbane squad that would have killed rival NRL coaches, Siebold won just three games and the Broncos took the wooden spoon for the first time in their rich history.

So is he really the answer to Manly’s supposed woes?

Hasler also led Manly to the top four and the preliminary finals in 2021 – during a pandemic that saw the players largely interstate based in a bubble.

After news of Hasler’s firing became public news, former team-mate Mark Carroll spoke for many when he called the outcome “incredible.”

“For me, it all comes down to the pride jersey. I look back on that situation… of course it derailed them,” Carroll told SEN Radio.

“Dessie stood up and spoke to the media, that was not his position to do. Why didn’t the CEO or the boss of Manly do that? Why did Dessie have to risk his neck?

“I can’t believe he really had to fall on his sword. He’s bleeding maroon and white. Dessie did everything for that club.

“Someone else made the (sweater) decision, and it cost (Hasler) his job, really.”

Earlier this week, Hasler reportedly told the club that he would like to partner with Siebold next season as part of a succession plan leading to 2024.

That outcome was not accepted by the board, which met on Thursday and chose to start Hasler immediately.

The case is now expected to play out in court, where Hasler could be awarded a whopping $2 million if the messy outcome is decided in his favor.

Sea Eagles fans would be filthy, with many on social media declaring that they will not renew their membership after Hasler’s shabby treatment.

Siebold will have to get off the ground in the preseason because if he doesn’t, the blades are out.

Male fans are also used to success, so talking about a remodel before 2023 and beyond is unacceptable.

To you Siebs – good luck, you will need it.