Manly bracing for Tigers player raid as Fulton leaves Sea Eagles nest
Manly are bracing for the Wests Tigers to launch a raid on some of their biggest names after long-time recruitment manager Scott Fulton signed a deal to join Wests Tigers immediately.
Fulton, the son of Manly legend and NRL immortal Bob Fulton, has been head-hunted by the Tigers after his role at the Sea Eagles was diluted over the summer.
Fulton, whose sister Kristie Fulton was moved on from her administration role at the club last year, once called the shots when it came to recruitment and retention at Manly but the club has moved to a different model under new chief executive Tony Mestrov.
While Manly didn’t stand in Fulton’s way, the move could come back to bite the Sea Eagles. The Wests Tigers have already begun asking questions about the future of five-eighth Josh Schuster, who was involved in an altercation with NSW Cup player Dean Matterson — the younger brother of Eels forward Ryan Matterson — at training last week.
Schuster is contracted until the end of 2024 but question marks over his future surfaced last week following comments from skipper Daly Cherry-Evans.
“I have been playing long enough to see so many people at this club not maximise their opportunity,” Cherry-Evans said.
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“That is rugby league mate – if you’re not willing to work hard enough, if you’re not willing to sacrifice, you just don’t last long. He is at a crossroads early in his career but it can be a real positive.
“This doesn’t have to be a negative for him – spending some time away to get his body right, this could be a defining moment where he takes off to that level we all know he can.”
Making matters difficult for Manly is the fact they’ve gone to war in recent months with leading player agent Mario Tartak, who is extremely close to Fulton.
Manly locked horns with Tartak over the future of rising star Viliami Fifita and were in a tug-of-war for his services with St George Illawarra before they eventually released him to the Dragons.
(From left) Late Sea Eagles legend Bob Fulton, CEO Tony Mestrov and chair Scott Penn.CREDIT: NRL PHOTOS, GETTY
Tartak and Fulton worked together on luring a number of players to the Sea Eagles, particularly those from western Sydney.
They include Schuster, Jason Saab and Haumole Olakau’atu. Like Fulton, Tartak’s stranglehold on the club has been diminished under the Mestrov regime.
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Talk of Fulton’s potential departure has been doing the rounds for a couple of months and he has now signed a deal to oversee recruitment and retention at the Wests Tigers alongside Warren McDonnell.
McDonnell, who was brought back to the club by close friend Tim Sheens last year despite being moved on by chief executive Justin Pascoe on two separate occasions, will focus on the pathways at the Wests Tigers, with Fulton to look after NRL.
out in a cheap political stunt which sees Des get sacked again. The other Scott then hands over the reins to a coach responsible for claiming Brisbane's first ever spoon. Another trumpet blast rings out across the peninsular as Toovey is rehired and the Fulton's are sent packing. In between all this choose your own adventure style drama there is an the endless procession of CEO's, and the league's club is sold (for a tidy sum.) Not to mention the appointment of "I'm gonna stop the press leaks" Mestrov. Yeah the same dude who frog marched Kristie out of the joint. These Penn flops are like a fossilized dog turd spreading throughout a once mighty club.
