Berkeley_Eagle
Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
GEOFF TOOVEY and Des Hasler now find themselves on opposite sides of enemy lines for the first time in more than two decades, but the new Manly coach insists there is no bad blood between the pair.
After his first training session in charge of the reigning premiers, Toovey told the Herald he had recently been in contact with HaslIer, who offered to help the rookie coach as he begins the Sea Eagles' quest for back-to-back premierships.
While it's unlikely Hasler will be offering up any advice leading into the round-eight clash between Canterbury and Manly at ANZ Stadium, the new Bulldogs coach has put his hand up to help out with any teething problems Toovey experiences in his first weeks as an NRL coach.
''I've spoken to Des, and he just offered his help if I needed it, and that was it,'' Toovey said. ''But there's definitely no drama there. Me and Des are fine. We're just getting on with our business.''
When Scott Penn announced Hasler's sacking a fortnight ago, it was inevitable Toovey's first job on day one of year one AD (After Des) was to address the elephant in the room.
The majority of his players returned to training yesterday and before they could even raise a sweat, Toovey made sure their queries and concerns were laid to rest.
''Most of the players were away so a lot of them just wanted to hear exactly what was going on and what has happened,'' Toovey said.
''I spoke to them about it, and once that was done everyone was keen to just get on with it.''
There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Brett and Glenn Stewart, who have developed a very close relationship with Hasler over several years, but despite their tight-knit bond with the former Manly coach, Toovey believes he has their full support.
''They were good as gold,'' Toovey said. ''A lot has been said in the newspapers but they were asking me about what was going on. That's how it is. They're very excited and right behind having a successful year and excited about training again.''
Given the fact Toovey has had just two weeks to prepare for his first preseason as coach, a major shake-up of the club, at least on the field, isn't on the top of his agenda.
He finds himself in a position that is the envy of every other young coach in the competition, coaching a team that only just over a month ago was crowned NRL champions.
''The structure is going to remain the same or very similar to previous years,'' Toovey said. ''It's business as usual. The way things have happened there's been no time to really change things and, with the successful group that we've got, you wouldn't want to change too much anyway.
''We've lost a few players in Michael Robertson, Will Hopoate and Shane Rodney, but we've still got the nucleus of the team together and we believe we have the team that can be competitive and come good at the right end of the season.''
Before Manly kick off their season against the Warriors in the grand final replay at Eden Park, Toovey will lead the Sea Eagles to England for the World Club Challenge against Leeds.
''It will be nice,'' he said. ''We've done it before and we'd love to do it again. We just need to get through to Christmas first then get to the serious stuff after that.''
Meanwhile, St George Illawarra will resume training duties this morning under new coach Steve Price, with the club set to make a major announcement at the end of training.
http://m.brisbanetimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/toovey-down-to-business-after-hasler-talks-20111121-1nr23.html
After his first training session in charge of the reigning premiers, Toovey told the Herald he had recently been in contact with HaslIer, who offered to help the rookie coach as he begins the Sea Eagles' quest for back-to-back premierships.
While it's unlikely Hasler will be offering up any advice leading into the round-eight clash between Canterbury and Manly at ANZ Stadium, the new Bulldogs coach has put his hand up to help out with any teething problems Toovey experiences in his first weeks as an NRL coach.
''I've spoken to Des, and he just offered his help if I needed it, and that was it,'' Toovey said. ''But there's definitely no drama there. Me and Des are fine. We're just getting on with our business.''
When Scott Penn announced Hasler's sacking a fortnight ago, it was inevitable Toovey's first job on day one of year one AD (After Des) was to address the elephant in the room.
The majority of his players returned to training yesterday and before they could even raise a sweat, Toovey made sure their queries and concerns were laid to rest.
''Most of the players were away so a lot of them just wanted to hear exactly what was going on and what has happened,'' Toovey said.
''I spoke to them about it, and once that was done everyone was keen to just get on with it.''
There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Brett and Glenn Stewart, who have developed a very close relationship with Hasler over several years, but despite their tight-knit bond with the former Manly coach, Toovey believes he has their full support.
''They were good as gold,'' Toovey said. ''A lot has been said in the newspapers but they were asking me about what was going on. That's how it is. They're very excited and right behind having a successful year and excited about training again.''
Given the fact Toovey has had just two weeks to prepare for his first preseason as coach, a major shake-up of the club, at least on the field, isn't on the top of his agenda.
He finds himself in a position that is the envy of every other young coach in the competition, coaching a team that only just over a month ago was crowned NRL champions.
''The structure is going to remain the same or very similar to previous years,'' Toovey said. ''It's business as usual. The way things have happened there's been no time to really change things and, with the successful group that we've got, you wouldn't want to change too much anyway.
''We've lost a few players in Michael Robertson, Will Hopoate and Shane Rodney, but we've still got the nucleus of the team together and we believe we have the team that can be competitive and come good at the right end of the season.''
Before Manly kick off their season against the Warriors in the grand final replay at Eden Park, Toovey will lead the Sea Eagles to England for the World Club Challenge against Leeds.
''It will be nice,'' he said. ''We've done it before and we'd love to do it again. We just need to get through to Christmas first then get to the serious stuff after that.''
Meanwhile, St George Illawarra will resume training duties this morning under new coach Steve Price, with the club set to make a major announcement at the end of training.
http://m.brisbanetimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/toovey-down-to-business-after-hasler-talks-20111121-1nr23.html
