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Moves are being made at Manly to bring Hasler home to Brookie.
By Tony Adams and Joel Gould (RLW 26/4/15)
Manly is considering a daring plan to go back to the future - by targeting former favourite son Des Hasler.
The Broncos, Sharks and Newcastle have all done it this year, with former coaches Wayne Bennett, Shane Flanagan and Rick Stone returning to their old stomping grounds to rebuild their respective clubs.
RLW can reveal that in a stunning new development, sections of the Manly hierarchy are investigating bringing back Bulldogs coach Hasler to restore the club to the glory days it enjoyed under his eight-year reign.
Geoff Toovey did a stellar job to take the club to a Grand Final in 2013 and go deep into the finals in 2012 and 2014. He is a club legend who will always be a fan favourite at Brookvale Oval.
But Hasler is viewed as the man most capable of rebuilding the roster and attracting the big-name players the Sea Eagles crave. He has already helped rebuild Manly to their former glory once before, picking up the pieces from the failed Northern Eagles merger in 2004 and taking them to the finals the following year.
The Eagles have not failed to make the play-offs since .... but face a steep climb to keep the run going in 2015.
There are some officials at Canterbury who are not enamoured by Hasler's abrasive style and would not stand in his way if he moved on, although whether Manly can afford the $1 million a season he commands is a moot point.
"The people who count at Manly were always happy for Des to run the club his way because it worked," a well-placed source says.
"They'd like to see him back on deck to work his magic. It is where he belongs. It was Des who rebuilt Manly post the a Northern Eagles debacle."
The source tells RLW that some of those formerly on the Manly board wanted to treat Hasler like a novice and "virtually micromanage him" and that is why he fell out with them and eventually left for the Bulldogs in 2012.
"The club doesn't want to become one of those places where veterans go for their last deal. Manly wants to be first on the superstars' list, and Des will bring that," the source says. "But beyond that is all about rebuilding the club and developing players in systems from the grass roots up, and Des is a master at that."
The players remain behind Toovey, though, and talented utility back Peta Hiku has called on the clubs younger brigade to step and take the heat off the old guard.
"We can't expect guys like Jamie Lyon and Steve Matai to win us games on their own every week," Hiku says.
" It's up to us younger players to rise to this challenge and get us back on track and take the heat off the senior players."
"We all have to look in the mirror and work harder to get ourselves back on track."
What's everyone's thoughts???
By Tony Adams and Joel Gould (RLW 26/4/15)
Manly is considering a daring plan to go back to the future - by targeting former favourite son Des Hasler.
The Broncos, Sharks and Newcastle have all done it this year, with former coaches Wayne Bennett, Shane Flanagan and Rick Stone returning to their old stomping grounds to rebuild their respective clubs.
RLW can reveal that in a stunning new development, sections of the Manly hierarchy are investigating bringing back Bulldogs coach Hasler to restore the club to the glory days it enjoyed under his eight-year reign.
Geoff Toovey did a stellar job to take the club to a Grand Final in 2013 and go deep into the finals in 2012 and 2014. He is a club legend who will always be a fan favourite at Brookvale Oval.
But Hasler is viewed as the man most capable of rebuilding the roster and attracting the big-name players the Sea Eagles crave. He has already helped rebuild Manly to their former glory once before, picking up the pieces from the failed Northern Eagles merger in 2004 and taking them to the finals the following year.
The Eagles have not failed to make the play-offs since .... but face a steep climb to keep the run going in 2015.
There are some officials at Canterbury who are not enamoured by Hasler's abrasive style and would not stand in his way if he moved on, although whether Manly can afford the $1 million a season he commands is a moot point.
"The people who count at Manly were always happy for Des to run the club his way because it worked," a well-placed source says.
"They'd like to see him back on deck to work his magic. It is where he belongs. It was Des who rebuilt Manly post the a Northern Eagles debacle."
The source tells RLW that some of those formerly on the Manly board wanted to treat Hasler like a novice and "virtually micromanage him" and that is why he fell out with them and eventually left for the Bulldogs in 2012.
"The club doesn't want to become one of those places where veterans go for their last deal. Manly wants to be first on the superstars' list, and Des will bring that," the source says. "But beyond that is all about rebuilding the club and developing players in systems from the grass roots up, and Des is a master at that."
The players remain behind Toovey, though, and talented utility back Peta Hiku has called on the clubs younger brigade to step and take the heat off the old guard.
"We can't expect guys like Jamie Lyon and Steve Matai to win us games on their own every week," Hiku says.
" It's up to us younger players to rise to this challenge and get us back on track and take the heat off the senior players."
"We all have to look in the mirror and work harder to get ourselves back on track."
What's everyone's thoughts???
