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By Adrian Proszenko SMH
21 April 2018 — 7:36pm
Manly are eyeing off Canterbury utility Fa’amanu Brown to ensure they never have to select Jackson Hastings in first grade again as details emerge of another heated blow up involving a player the club sought to move on.
Fairfax Media revealed that Daly Cherry-Evans was facing sanctions for his role in a series of incidents with Hastings, with the club confirming on Saturday they had slapped their skipper with a $10,000 fine. Cherry-Evans escaped a suspension and will take his place against Parramatta at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, while Hastings was banished to the Manly's feeder team, the Blacktown Workers who took on Wyong at Berkeley Oval on Saturday.
The altercation between Hastings and Cherry-Evans has dominated headlines this week, but it is not the only issue involving a player the club wanted to squeeze out. Fairfax Media can reveal prop Darcy Lussick had a furious row with Trent Barrett about the coach’s decision not to pick him in first grade.
The tirade occurred in front of the entire playing and coaching staff at a recent training session at Narrabeen, Lussick making his displeasure known during an expletive-laden spray. Moments later, Lussick’s father, Jason – a full-time member of the Sea Eagles staff – also unloaded on Barrett in defence of his son.
Stunned players and officials claim it was one of the most fierce verbal attacks they had witnessed and feared it could spill over and become physical. After overcoming injuries, Lussick was fit for NRL selection in recent weeks, but was instead relegated to Blacktown. The Lussicks believed Darcy being dropped to reserve grade was a ploy to move the former Parramatta prop on from his lucrative deal to free up space under the salary cap.
Manly are under salary cap pressure after being busted for systematically rorting the system to the tune of $1.5 million over five years. The club have been handed a $750,000 fine, as well as a $660,000 reduction in their salary cap allowance for 2018 and 2019.
If so, it appears to have worked. Manly recently announced that it agreed to release Lussick from the final year of his contract to take up a rich deal with the Toronto Wolfpack.
Jason Lussick – whose son Joey also remains on the Sea Eagles books and has played one NRL game for the club – declined to comment.
The blow up between the Lussicks and Barrett is the latest in a series of heated altercations at the embattled club. Former Manly assistant coach Willie Peters complained of being bullied before exchanging blows with fellow staffer Dan Ferris last year. The fight resulted in Peters leaving the club with “immediate effect” and he subsequently joined South Sydney.
Meanwhile, the fallout from the Hastings-Cherry-Evans altercation continues. It was initially suggested Hastings’ teammates weren’t prepared to play with the former Roosters playmaker, although it has become apparent that some would support his return to the NRL side. Some have privately messaged Hastings to pledge their support, while Addin Fonua-Blake and Brad Parker have publicly stated they would have no issue playing alongside him.
While Cherry-Evans has been fined, it is clear the club has backed its $10 million man in the tussle. Barrett said during the week that Hastings wouldn’t be picked in first grade despite the cap and injury issues the Sea Eagles are facing.
Canterbury’s Brown was poised to start the season as Kieran Foran’s Bulldogs halves partner, but was relegated to reserve grade because he didn’t meet the standards required by coach Dean Pay.
Manly believe Brown could fill in at hooker and in many places in the back line – the same positions covered by the out-of-favour Hastings. Whether the Sea Eagles will have salary cap space to poach Brown – they are still waiting to learn whether they will be granted leave to appeal against their salary cap sanctions – remains to be seen. One option may be a player swap, but it’s unclear whether the Bulldogs would agree to this.
21 April 2018 — 7:36pm
Manly are eyeing off Canterbury utility Fa’amanu Brown to ensure they never have to select Jackson Hastings in first grade again as details emerge of another heated blow up involving a player the club sought to move on.
Fairfax Media revealed that Daly Cherry-Evans was facing sanctions for his role in a series of incidents with Hastings, with the club confirming on Saturday they had slapped their skipper with a $10,000 fine. Cherry-Evans escaped a suspension and will take his place against Parramatta at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, while Hastings was banished to the Manly's feeder team, the Blacktown Workers who took on Wyong at Berkeley Oval on Saturday.
The altercation between Hastings and Cherry-Evans has dominated headlines this week, but it is not the only issue involving a player the club wanted to squeeze out. Fairfax Media can reveal prop Darcy Lussick had a furious row with Trent Barrett about the coach’s decision not to pick him in first grade.
The tirade occurred in front of the entire playing and coaching staff at a recent training session at Narrabeen, Lussick making his displeasure known during an expletive-laden spray. Moments later, Lussick’s father, Jason – a full-time member of the Sea Eagles staff – also unloaded on Barrett in defence of his son.
Stunned players and officials claim it was one of the most fierce verbal attacks they had witnessed and feared it could spill over and become physical. After overcoming injuries, Lussick was fit for NRL selection in recent weeks, but was instead relegated to Blacktown. The Lussicks believed Darcy being dropped to reserve grade was a ploy to move the former Parramatta prop on from his lucrative deal to free up space under the salary cap.
Manly are under salary cap pressure after being busted for systematically rorting the system to the tune of $1.5 million over five years. The club have been handed a $750,000 fine, as well as a $660,000 reduction in their salary cap allowance for 2018 and 2019.
If so, it appears to have worked. Manly recently announced that it agreed to release Lussick from the final year of his contract to take up a rich deal with the Toronto Wolfpack.
Jason Lussick – whose son Joey also remains on the Sea Eagles books and has played one NRL game for the club – declined to comment.
The blow up between the Lussicks and Barrett is the latest in a series of heated altercations at the embattled club. Former Manly assistant coach Willie Peters complained of being bullied before exchanging blows with fellow staffer Dan Ferris last year. The fight resulted in Peters leaving the club with “immediate effect” and he subsequently joined South Sydney.
Meanwhile, the fallout from the Hastings-Cherry-Evans altercation continues. It was initially suggested Hastings’ teammates weren’t prepared to play with the former Roosters playmaker, although it has become apparent that some would support his return to the NRL side. Some have privately messaged Hastings to pledge their support, while Addin Fonua-Blake and Brad Parker have publicly stated they would have no issue playing alongside him.
While Cherry-Evans has been fined, it is clear the club has backed its $10 million man in the tussle. Barrett said during the week that Hastings wouldn’t be picked in first grade despite the cap and injury issues the Sea Eagles are facing.
Canterbury’s Brown was poised to start the season as Kieran Foran’s Bulldogs halves partner, but was relegated to reserve grade because he didn’t meet the standards required by coach Dean Pay.
Manly believe Brown could fill in at hooker and in many places in the back line – the same positions covered by the out-of-favour Hastings. Whether the Sea Eagles will have salary cap space to poach Brown – they are still waiting to learn whether they will be granted leave to appeal against their salary cap sanctions – remains to be seen. One option may be a player swap, but it’s unclear whether the Bulldogs would agree to this.
