The extraordinary situation of having two head coaches on Manly’s books is poised to come to a head, with supporters of Trent Barrett adamant his contract stipulates he is the only man legally entitled to oversee the NRL side.
The Sea Eagles have privately maintained they will not pay Barrett out, a stance that is set to be challenged after the club appointed Des Hasler on a three-year deal.
In limbo: Trent Barrett’s immediate future remains unclear.Credit:NRL Photos
As per his contract, Barrett gave a 12-month notice period in July. The Sea Eagles, desperate to avoid a payout, expect him to continue to see out his commitments until the period is served. The contentious issue is whether the club has the right to shift Barrett into a different role until July to allow Hasler to coach the NRL team.
Barrett’s advisors believe only Barrett has that right, while Manly’s legal advice is to the contrary. It raises the prospect of an ugly legal stoush or the possibility of the players returning to find Barrett and Hasler on the training paddock for the first official day of pre-season on November 5.
“We’re doing the best we can in a tricky situation,” said Manly chairman Scott Penn.
“It’s something that, in the fullness of time, everyone needs to talk through. But our position hasn’t changed – it's [Barrett's] decision [to stay or go]. From the club’s point of view, we’re certainly not in a position to pay him out. He decided to resign.”
Barrett has continued to turn up to work and fulfil his commitments, although Hasler’s appointment on Monday has complicated matters.
“That’s one of the reasons lawyers are involved,” Penn said.
“The fact is if any employee or contractor resigns, the company needs to protect itself.
“If you were to resign from your job, the company would have to protect itself and find a suitable replacement at some stage.
“So then the company has the right – as long as he is still employed and turning up – to redeploy because he isn’t going to be fulfilling that role post July of [next] year. The company has the choice to as to what role they want him to fulfil, still paying him of course.
“We’re still going to pay him, we’ll tell him what we want him to do essentially.
“We have never been unreasonable in this process. It’s disappointing to be here, it’s not where we thought we’d be and he triggered it.
“We’re not being unreasonable, we’ve accepted it. We’ve tried to work with it as best as possible and we will continue to do so. We are are also going through a process, which we have advised them of.”
As to the critical issue of whether Barrett can be shifted sideways, Penn said: “They will have an opinion and our lawyers will have an opinion.
“There is also employment law, the Corporations Act, a whole range of things that come into play as to what is reasonable within a company.
“The fact is we’re still paying him.”
Barrett was heavily linked to Penrith after Anthony Griffin was sacked, but that role could be taken up by Ivan Cleary in coming weeks if he is granted a release from the final two years of his Wests Tigers contract.
Hasler, meanwhile, is already active in assembling his off-field team. Recruiter Noel Cleal is set to return to Manly, while the departure of physical performance boss Dan Ferris back to Gold Coast Titans will likely result in a homecoming for another trusted Hasler colleague, Don Singe, as his replacement.
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