The Wrath Of The Player Manager

The manager is the most powerful force in the National Rugby League. This is the sad old truth of rugby league in the year 2015.

Journalists know it, coaches know it and the players sure as hell know it.

For you see, the manager is all mighty.

He holds all the cards in his devilish little hands, a shape shifting demon, a guru of the game.

The manager can determine your club’s premiership chances long before a ball is kicked in anger. He scares recruitment officers, Chief Executives and coaches, all the while pulling strings, tipping off journalists and setting up long lunches.

The scariest part of all is, the higher the salaries in our game go, the more dollar signs spin in players’ eyes, the more power their manager’s gain.

Just last week South Sydney’s superstar skipper Greg Inglis was reportedly off to French rugby.

Fairfax Media reported that the fullback had been shopped around to French clubs for season 2016 which directly implicates his manager Allan Gainey. The Australian also reported in October 2014 that Inglis had received an offer of $2million to switch codes which Inglis flatly turned down.

Gainey told The Australian in October that there were possibilities in the future.

“If I was betting man, I would say at some stage something would happen which he would have to seriously consider,” Gainey told The Australian.

“When and where, I couldn’t say. French rugby did throw out ‘what’s he doing, would he be interested’, about six months ago.

“…It definitely wouldn’t be out of the question.”

Gainey has two agents working for him in Europe too, specifically to shop Inglis around.

But wait!

Boom!

Three days ago the Courier-Mail published an exclusive, reporting that Inglis was now finishing his career at the Brisbane Broncos.

“He has bought a house in Brisbane and Sally is living up there at times during the year,” Gainey told The Courier-Mail.

“That’s where he will eventually settle.

“He is enjoying life. He’s very busy.

“He spent the eight weeks up in Brisbane. He is doing up a house up there and when he’s not playing that’s where he spends most of his time.

“Now that Wayne [Bennett] is there the Broncos are a chance.”

“He has two years to go on his contract but I am getting inquiries every day. Even the Sheffield Eagles, a division two club contacted me.”

Yes, even the Sheffield Eagles.

Then there is Daly Cherry-Evans, a fresh-faced, talented and confident young man, carving out what will be one of the great rugby league careers. He’s impressed the media and fans alike with his honest opinions, charm and smile. So you have to wonder what’s happened to DCE in the off-season.

The kid living his dream, for Australia, Queensland and Manly has been replaced by something else.

The question is, is this Cherry-Evans or his manager Gavin Orr?

Cameras were there on Sunday to see a “shocked” Cherry-Evans and Orr heading into Cronulla HQ to meet with Sharks’ Chairman Damian Keogh. Now there’s a rumoured $2.5million offer on the table.

And only a few short weeks earlier, Cherry-Evans was on the Gold Coast with Orr, mingling, laughing and pushing his price up.

All the while, the Sea Eagles sit back at home wondering what they did to deserve this or to deserve something as evil as the player manager.