Manly players remain in the dark over the future of NRL coach Trent Barrett but won’t be drawn into any ongoing issues between the coach and administration.
Sea Eagles players returned to training on Monday after Friday’s second-half collapse to the Gold Coast and off the field the club have their own battles.
Speculation continues to swirl about Barrett’s future after reports suggested he was ready to walk out on the club at season’s end, fed up with a lack of resources for his football department.
Chairman and owner Scott Penn has since denied such shortcomings and defended his management, after he arrived back into the country on Sunday.
But prop Martin Taupau said players were yet to learn if their coach would see out the final two years of his contract.
Although he insisted Barrett couldn’t be criticised for their lacklustre season
“We all get told the same thing so I don’t think there’s any progress in that,” Taupau said.
“I think we’re all behind Trent and the club. We are the driving force, without a team there is no Manly.
“We seek the advice of our coaching staff in Trent Barrett and we do what we get told with our ability.
“Trent Barrett and our coaching staff aren’t out there, we do that physically.”
However, Taupau and other players on Monday refused to buy into any potential issues between Barrett and the club’s hierarchy.
On the same weekend captain Daly Cherry-Evans questioned whether the board were fully supporting Barrett, Penn defended the club’s training facilities and efforts to hire a recruitment manager.
“We are certainly sick of the criticism when all we have done is put our hard earned into it,” Penn told The Australian.
“It is ridiculous. This constant barrage that I am constantly overseas — I am on the phone every day to (CEO) Lyall (Gorman).
“We are literally on the phone every day. We do not rest. We have to fix it — we are totally committed to fixing it.”
Meanwhile, Taupau said he was keeping a close eye on the Barrett situation as reports have persisted this season about his own future.
The Kiwi forward is contracted until the end of 2020 but has previously said he has been frustrated by rumours he could be unwanted at the club next year.
“You can’t be a person that lives in your own bubble without knowing what’s happening in the real world,” he said.
“I do keep tabs on what’s happening but at the end of the day it all comes down to my performance on the field week in and week out.”