On the Ballin front at least, I think they might be forced to compromise, if indeed it's true that they want him out. For starters, Manly would be paying his salary whilst he played elsewhere. Never a good thing for a cash-strapped outfit, let alone an organisation awash in leagues club money (hello Parramatta!). And the impact on memberships, goodwill towards management and new coach etc. probably will be quite devastating.
Of late, we have already let two 200+ game veterans go elsewhere, with a third (who barring a season ending injury), would have made it to that milestone last year. This is unprecedented in the club's history, salary cap pressures notwithstanding.
Remember the strategic error Peter Blunt made in cutting David Fairleigh from the nascent Northern Eagles roster, prior to the 2000 season? A Central Coast junior, SOO and international rep gone. Granted, an unwittingly good move for Manly, but not good for garnering the locals' support on the Central Coast, back in 2000-01.