Kids of extraordinary talent do not fall out of trees. They come along quite rarely and if your team has a chance of grabbing one or two, you would be crazy not to ensure that they are held onto especially if they have a liking for your team or were raised in the area.
Manly in the past were careful about caring for their younger generation and that more than anything else is why they succeeded. They brought from elsewhere or held onto locals and made them feel like family. Stanton, Fulton, Eadie, Thompson, Gibbs, Lyons, Hasler, Toovey, Menzies. Even in the present crop, there were the Stewarts, Ballin, Foran, Watmough, DCE, Taufua, Matai....all young players cared for through the system.
More recently, and unlike Manly of old, we've let some very good junior talent slip through our fingers eg Will Hopoate, Whare, JWH. I know the salary cap contributes, but Manly dont have a very strong junior comp and we dont have the constant stream of top talent coming through. As more and more teams follow the Roosters, Storms and Sea Eagles method of grabbing talented juniors and developing them rather than pay big backs for an established star, these talented kids will become harder to grab and hold onto.
Its therefore surely imperative that those you've got and seem to have the talent, are handled well and feel they are wanted. More often than not they'll knock back a better offer as long as Manly's offer is in the ball park. Realistically playing for Manly is like playing for Man U, Man C. Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool in English soccer. It has the reputation players want to be associated with.
But they must be locked up quickly lest the Dogs of War come a'hunting. And to ignore the media is folly, because that is bringing the issues to the fore, and for our young blokes, making them more known and attractive for predatory interests.
