Gutho left gutted by Manly ditching
“MANLY has asked me to move you on.”
These were the eight heartbreaking words from a leading player agent that left then aspiring Manly star Clint Gutherson feeling “devastated”.
It was during 2015 and Manly – with Brett Stewart at fullback and a young Tom Trbojevic emerging – decided to cull local junior Gutherson, who wanted to play his entire career at Brookvale.
Not wanting to tell his client such gut-wrenching news over the phone, player manager Sam Ayoub called Gutherson and his father, Rob, to meet for coffee at Locantro Bakery, around the corner from Ayoub’s office in Leichhardt.
Ayoub clearly remembers the 2015 conversation.
“I said to him: It’s good to catch up – I have bad news and good news. The bad news is Manly has asked me to move you on because of the club’s financial position,” Ayoub recalled.
“However the good news is I don’t have any shortage of interest elsewhere. We need to cop the decision and move on, as much as we disagree.”
Gutherson, who sustained an ACL injury at Manly in 2015, returns to 4 Pines Park on Thursday night to lead his winless Eels into battle yet again against old rivals, Manly.
Ayoub said Manly officials years later claimed to have regretted the decision.
“Manly at the time said they didn’t think Clint would force their hand as a centre or fullback,” Ayoub said.
“Everyone makes mistakes. To the club’s credit, they did come back and acknowledged it was a wrong decision.
“Next to Johnathan Thurston, I think ‘Gutho’ has been the most competitive player in the game over the last 10 years.”