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AAP
AAP
Sport
Scott Bailey

Manly eye change in process, not people

Manly coach Des Hasler's future with the NRL is being debated. (Flavio Brancaleone/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Manly CEO Tony Mestrov insists he can create stability without putting the broom through the NRL club with personnel changes.

Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler will sit down for a crucial meeting with Mestrov and owner Scott Penn on Thursday, after a week of dramas at Brookvale and with the coach's future in the headlines.

Since last Friday's seventh-straight loss to end the season, the Sea Eagles have endured days of rumours of in-fighting in both the playing and management ranks.

Captain Daly Cherry-Evans has been forced to defend his leadership, while he and Tom Trbojevic have also denied any talk of a split.

A player survey which featured questions about who should coach the team next year leaked, with key football staff adamant such questions are asked each season.

There have also been claims of rifts between the Fulton family and Hasler, as well as repeated questions over the futures of the coach and his assistants.

Beyond that, Mestrov also faces a battle to turn the club around internally.

He walked into a storm last month when he started in the days after the pride jersey saga that tore apart Manly's season.

That rainbow jersey drama and subsequent seven-player boycott was no doubt propelled in part by the fact Manly were without a CEO at the time, with Stephen Humphreys the fifth to exit in eight years.

But Mestrov insists he is in for the long haul and, while he knows change must come, he is adamant the right people are already in place.

"I can look inside the business at the moment and say a lot needs to change," Mestrov told AAP.

"I am not saying the personnel needs to change. The processes and structures need to.

"We need some stability.

"We need a reset button. (This year) hasn't worked out. It has exposed some issues with business."

Key around Mestrov's cause is long-term planning.

Manly have fluctuated from finalists to also-rans each season since 2017, with their success clearly linked to injury-hit superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic's fitness.

They finished last in reserve grade and third-last in under-21s this year, putting the club in its worst position since 2016.

Pathways and recruitment will also be looked at, as Manly aim to continue a Blacktown feeder system that has produced several talents such as Josh Schuster and Haumole Olauka'atu.

They know they must also find a balance in utilising their shrinking local juniors, which has become a contentious point on the Beaches in recent years.

Off the field, Mestrov will place profits on the same level as winning matches, with the club under-resourced at an administration level.

"You can't keep doing band-aid solutions. You need to holistically fix it and you fix it with planning," Mestrov said.

"You need a plan for the future. It's not about 2023, it's beyond. It's about four or five years, what players have we got, how do we be a top-four or top-six side?

"I still maintain there is a terrific opportunity. We have a centre of excellence to set us up for the future. We've got a terrific playing group.

"It's all there for us to be successful."

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