League Immortal Bob Fulton has endorsed Des Hasler as the “perfect fit” for Manly, believing he returns an even better coach now than during his first, dual premiership-winning stint at the club.
Hasler returns to the club he made his name at on a three-year deal, raising hopes of a rapid rise after a disastrous 15th-placed finish under Trent Barrett. While Barretts future remains in limbo – the club has to date refused to offer a payout to get him off their books – Hasler has immediately begun work in preparation for the first official day of preseason.
League Immortal Bob Fulton has backed Des Hasler's return to Manly.Credit:AAP
Fulton, who coached Hasler for almost the entirety of his club and representative career, anointed the former Canterbury mentor as the man to take the Sea Eagles back to the top.
“Hes the perfect fit for Manly, for what Manly need right now,” Fulton told Fairfax Media.
“And Manly is the perfect fit for him for what he needs right now.
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“This is a classic example of symbiosis. To their credit Des, his manager George Mimis, [chairman] Scott Penn and the board decided to let bygones be bygones for the mutual benefit of all parties.
In charge: Des Hasler strolled back into Manly like he never left.Credit:Fairfax Media
“Des gets back into coaching and he is Manly through and through. There is no better qualified person to get Manly out of the mess they are in.
“Our supporters will have something to look forward to. Its a massive challenge but not one that is unachievable. Theres a good roster there, it just needs a bit of fine-tuning and that will happen.
“They are a top-eight team, they could even be a top-six or top-four team. It all depends on what happens next year in relation to the add-ons that can happen, such as losing those close games.
“Thats the secret of the competition, you win the close games and you make the eight. Then anything can happen.”
Hasler sat out last season after Canterbury allegedly reneged on an agreement to extend his tenure for a further two years. The parties settled the matter out of court and Hasler returns to Brookvale after smoothing over relations with the Penn family. Fulton said the former NSW and Kangaroos playmaker will return to the fold an even better coach following his gap year.
“I know he will be,” Fulton said.
“Des sitting out a year is the best thing thats happened for Manly. They will get the benefit of having Des sitting out and reflecting on games. Having an outsiders point of view for 12 months from a coach who has been fulltime is hugely advantageous.”
Much has been made of Haslers salary cap management. Critics claim that, after assembling crack sides at Manly and Canterbury, a raft of back-ended deals bent their salary caps out of shape. Hasler hit back at the criticism as “simplistic and generally wrong”, a view echoed by Fulton.
“If he had stayed on at Manly and Canterbury, he would have managed his way out of any so-called back-ended payments, hes that savvy” Fulton said.
“Hes very astute, hes very smart. Hes not called the 'nutty professor' for nothing. He has an unbelievable brain, hes very intelligent and when he wants to be hes super-articulate.
“I had him in international sides, I coached him at representative and club football. He was always a perfectionist and thats what he demands from everyone hes associated with, including his staff and players.
“Manly will get the benefit of him having a year off. Hes 57, [Wayne] Bennett is still going and hes nearly 70.
“The fact is Des achievements are there for everybody to see.”
Adrian Proszenko is the Chief Rugby League Reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald.
