Daley reveals his interest in joining Sea Eagles’ flock
FORMER Australian, NSW and Canberra superstar Laurie Daley has broken his silence over an approach to join Manly from next season, declaring: “I’m interested”.
News Corp revealed on Monday that Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov had opened preliminary discussions about luring Daley to Brookvale in a consultancy role.
Manly is hoping that as an outsider, Daley can offer an independent view on the club.
The approach comes as Manly readies itself to announce Anthony Seibold as the new head coach.
Speaking on Tuesday’s Big Sports Breakfast radio show, Daley confirmed Manly’s interest in him.
“I had a phone call from Tony Mestrov from Manly – there is no formal offer in place – it was just a discussion around Manly and where I would be interested in a role with their pathways. Actually, it was a bit of everything – leadership, culture, connection to the team and community,” Daley said.
“I gave an indication that I would be interested for it to progress further …
“It would be an exciting opportunity and Manly have plenty of potential. They have always been a club a lot of people have admired.
“The discussions I had (were about) a position that they will go with moving forward, regardless of who the coach is.
“There is no coaching element. It’s all about having an outsider and having a look at pathways, leadership and culture. Nothing has been defined yet and there’s no job description.
“Over there on the Northern Beaches they want success and that will take a lot of hard work but they certainly have the playing roster capable of playing finals footy.
“It’s in the preliminary stage and there are still some hurdles to jump.”
Daley must seek permission from his employer, the TABaligned Sky Sports Radio – given Manly’s major sponsor, is PointsBet, a rival betting agency.
The NRL will also need to approve Daley’s possible move to Manly, given his TAB background. In 2019, the NRL blocked a move by Wests Tigers to employ Daley as the club’s halves coach due to his links to the betting industry.
Daley is a current Australian selector and helped coach Mal Meninga select the Kangaroos World Cup squad.