Manly coach Des Hasler will opt for a “sympathetic” approach to the seven Sea Eagles players who were withdrawn from the club’s 20-10 defeat to the Roosters following the club’s decision to pull the jersey of the Pride.
Key points:
- Without seven key players, the Sea Eagles went down 20-10 to the Roosters on Thursday night
- Manager Des Hasler called for “sympathy” for the players who chose to boycott in the club’s Pride shirt.
- Manly take on Parramatta next Friday night
With all seven Manly stars set to return for next week’s clash with Parramatta, Hasler was full of praise for the effort shown by his lackluster side against the Tricolors after a week full of drama .
“It’s been very emotional in all different aspects,” Hasler said.
“We’ve got some work to do (on and off the field), and I’m honest, but as long as we’re all supportive of each other’s cause, we’ll get there.
“I used the word before: nice. We have to be honest and certainly responsible
“It’s been a lot to process this week – young people and the issues and society that come with it, I hope it’s been a learning curve.”
Without the services of Jason Saab, Tolu Koula, Toafofoa Sipley, Haumole Olakau’atu, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Aloiai and Josh Schuster, beating the Roosters was always going to be very difficult for the Sea Eagles.
But on strong displays from veterans Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic, Manly defied the odds to keep their top eight rivals honest.
Cherry-Evans believes the experience could be a galvanizing force for the club in the coming weeks.
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“I haven’t come out after a loss and smiled that quick. Because when you sit back and think about what’s happened this week, all we’ve asked for is for everyone to work hard, give everything they can.” , Cherry-Evans. said
“For the mass of fans that came tonight, I hope we did them proud. I hope we did.
“I felt like everyone who came in tonight got behind us. From a player standpoint, I knew there wasn’t as much pressure as usual, we had some massive changes to our squad.
“I think everyone just wanted to see us commit to an effort for the club and that’s exactly what we did tonight. That’s why I’m so proud.”
Cherry-Evans also defended the understanding of the Manly seven, all of whom objected to wearing the shirt on cultural and religious grounds.
“I think it’s really important to understand where everyone is coming from,” Cherry-Evans said.
“To wear that shirt … how can we not go in there and understand and accept what people have done if we’re out here trying to represent inclusion and diversity.
“There’s a human emotion attached to it, it won’t be perfect, but it could bring us together like never before.
“I always see opportunity in things, and I think this could be an opportunity for us to come together and understand each other a little more, learn from this and move on.”
ABC