Berkeley_Eagle
Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
By Margie McDonald
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23340062-23214,00.html
March 08, 2008 MANLY has ensured its players will never be left in the corporate dust after assembling a group of businessmen whose success is matched by their love of the club.
A group of businessmen who call themselves the One-Eyed Eagles has formed to support the club and its players.
It's a concept introduced to rugby league via the Thoroughbreds, a corporate group that has risen to prominence at the Brisbane Broncos.
A lunch-time presentation on the top-floor boardroom of accountancy giant KPMG in Sydney brought together 15 business leaders. They are also mad Manly fans.
Sea Eagles chief executive Grant Mayer and head coach Des Hasler were the head speakers at the function, delivering their vision for the direction of the club.
"We then basically invited them to become involved to try to rival the famed Thorougbreds from Brisbane in launching the One-Eyed Eagles," Mayer said.
By the end of function, seven people had signed up to form the One-Eyed Eagles, chaired by Rory Muscat, BankWest's NSW director of private banking.
He has proved his one-eyed tag by driving from his home, near Campbelltown, to Brookvale for every Sea Eagles' home game - a return trip of more than 120km.
"The emphasis is on fun and enjoyment. It's about learning from each other and making things happen," Mayer said.
It is not solely focused on the players, he adds. It is about growing the brand of Manly beyond the traditional borders of Sydney's northern beaches.
The club failed in previous attempts to form such groups, with 'The Captain's 13' and the 'Silvertails'.
"It's evolved over the last five years," Mayer said. "I think my three or four predecessors had a crack at trying to do something like this. But the difficulty was that when you were at the bottom of the table, few people wanted to know about you."
The club has reached the finals for the past three seasons and reached last year's grand final, where it lost to Melbourne.
"The success of the football team over the past few years, particularly last year, means Manly fans are shouting from the rooftops again," Mayer said.
While many of the 16 clubs have powerful businessmen among their supporters, Manly and Brisbane are the only two to have formalised an arrangement.
The Thoroughbreds have attracted plenty of attention since their interaction with Broncos players was revealed. NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert has been kept busy ensuring the relationship does not go beyond a mentoring role.
Among the seven foundation members of the One-Eyed Eagles are BankWest, KPMG, Visa International and national law firm Gadens. "They represent their own businesses. They aren't the owners. They come from multi-national brands, so they've got to protect the integrity of their own roles with their employers," Mayer said.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23340062-23214,00.html
March 08, 2008 MANLY has ensured its players will never be left in the corporate dust after assembling a group of businessmen whose success is matched by their love of the club.
A group of businessmen who call themselves the One-Eyed Eagles has formed to support the club and its players.
It's a concept introduced to rugby league via the Thoroughbreds, a corporate group that has risen to prominence at the Brisbane Broncos.
A lunch-time presentation on the top-floor boardroom of accountancy giant KPMG in Sydney brought together 15 business leaders. They are also mad Manly fans.
Sea Eagles chief executive Grant Mayer and head coach Des Hasler were the head speakers at the function, delivering their vision for the direction of the club.
"We then basically invited them to become involved to try to rival the famed Thorougbreds from Brisbane in launching the One-Eyed Eagles," Mayer said.
By the end of function, seven people had signed up to form the One-Eyed Eagles, chaired by Rory Muscat, BankWest's NSW director of private banking.
He has proved his one-eyed tag by driving from his home, near Campbelltown, to Brookvale for every Sea Eagles' home game - a return trip of more than 120km.
"The emphasis is on fun and enjoyment. It's about learning from each other and making things happen," Mayer said.
It is not solely focused on the players, he adds. It is about growing the brand of Manly beyond the traditional borders of Sydney's northern beaches.
The club failed in previous attempts to form such groups, with 'The Captain's 13' and the 'Silvertails'.
"It's evolved over the last five years," Mayer said. "I think my three or four predecessors had a crack at trying to do something like this. But the difficulty was that when you were at the bottom of the table, few people wanted to know about you."
The club has reached the finals for the past three seasons and reached last year's grand final, where it lost to Melbourne.
"The success of the football team over the past few years, particularly last year, means Manly fans are shouting from the rooftops again," Mayer said.
While many of the 16 clubs have powerful businessmen among their supporters, Manly and Brisbane are the only two to have formalised an arrangement.
The Thoroughbreds have attracted plenty of attention since their interaction with Broncos players was revealed. NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert has been kept busy ensuring the relationship does not go beyond a mentoring role.
Among the seven foundation members of the One-Eyed Eagles are BankWest, KPMG, Visa International and national law firm Gadens. "They represent their own businesses. They aren't the owners. They come from multi-national brands, so they've got to protect the integrity of their own roles with their employers," Mayer said.
