WHY DES HASLER IS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR MANLY

October 18, 2018

As speculation continues to surround the future of Trent Barrett as coach of Manly, the Sea Eagles may be going back to the future by appointing Des Hasler as head coach for the 2019 season.  Des Hasler, who won premierships with the club in 2008 and 2011, is the right choice for Manly.

Twenty-two men have coached Manly since they came into the competition in 1947.  Just four have won premierships with the club; Ron Willey in 1972 and 1973, Frank Stanton in 1976 and 1978, Bob Fulton in 1983 and 1996, and Des Hasler.  The common link is that all four played for Manly for a substantial portion of their careers.  Ron Willey played in the losing Grand Final sides of 1957 and 1959, Frank Stanton played in the 1968 loss to South Sydney; Bob Fulton also played in 1968, as well as the 1970 loss to the Rabbitohs, before featuring in the victories of 1972, 1973, and 1976; the last as captain.  Des Hasler played in the 1987 and 1996 premiership winning teams, as well as the shock 1995 loss to Canterbury.  All four are ingrained in the Manly culture.

Other coaches who have helped Manly into Grand Finals are Wally O’Connell in 1951, Ken Arthurson in 1957 and 1959, George Hunter in 1968, Ray Ritchie in 1982, and Geoff Toovey in 2013.  Once again, all four were Manly players during their careers.  O’Connell even sat out a season to qualify for playing for the Sea Eagles, such was his desire to assist the club.  Arthurson was the halfback in the 1951 loss to Souths, Hunter played in the two losses to St George in 1957 and 1959, and winger Ray Ritchie played in 1957; while Geoff Toovey captained the club to their 1996 victory, also against St George, and spent his entire career with the Sea Eagles, including his final years during the Northern Eagles debacle.

Looking at some of the other coaches of Manly over the years, the obverse pattern occurs.  Pat Devery was a fine player for Balmain, winning premierships in the 1940s and playing for Australia.  Devery coached Manly in 1955-56 with little success.  English star Russ Pepperill came to the Sea Eagles as head coach in 1964, and had two underwhelming seasons.  Peter Sharp took over in 1999, just as Manly collapsed into the joint venture with North Sydney, and was still there in 2003, when Manly returned to the competition, but narrowly avoided the wooden spoon.  Of course, the record of Trent Barrett does not compare favourably with his immediate predecessors, although he did not have the luxury of true Manly men such as Brett Stewart, Glenn Stewart, Michael Robertson, Anthony Watmough, Matt Ballin and others.  What Trent Barrett did have was a team that he and his recruitment team assembled.  The fact is they just haven’t delivered.

What Manly needs is what it has always needed.  Someone with a shared history of the club.  The only current head coach in the NRL that meets that requirement is Ivan Cleary, and he has other options on the table besides returning to a struggling Manly club where his career started.  That leaves Geoff Toovey and Des Hasler.  Either one would be a great fit, but let it be remembered that it was Hasler who kept the club together during the allegations surrounding a season launch in 2009, and was the poster boy for the Fortress Brookvale mentality that saw the club at its peak.  Des Hasler is simply the right choice for Manly.

You can read more about the history of Manly here.

For Manly fans everywhere, No One Likes Us And We Don't Care - 101 Reasons To Be A Proud Manly Fan here