6 hours ago
3
They will have new leadership on the field next season, and now it appears Manly will have new leadership in head office, too.
The Sea Eagles are expected to announce later this week that chief executive Tony Mestrov, the man who oversaw the negotiations that resulted in long-serving skipper Daly Cherry-Evans choosing to leave the club, is resigning.
Manly officials said on Monday they had “no comment at this stage” over their CEO’s future, but speculation first surfaced several months ago that Mestrov was poised to move on.
A former front-rower who played for the Sea Eagles and South Sydney in the 1990s, Mestrov was installed as Manly’s CEO in 2022, after a five-year stint running Greyhounds NSW.
He replaced Stephen Humphreys, becoming the club’s sixth CEO in eight years, and took over a club in turmoil after the infamous “pride jersey” boycott just a few months earlier.
Soon after, Manly sacked Des Hasler as coach, replacing him with Anthony Seibold, who has steered the Sea Eagles into the finals once (2024) in three seasons.
Manly CEO Tony Mestrov is set to depart the club.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
Manly started promisingly in 2025, winning three of their first four games, only for Cherry-Evans to announce on a live episode of Channel Nine’s 100% Footy that he would be leaving the club at season’s end.
Mestrov countered by tabling a belated two-year deal, insisting it wasn’t a “kneejerk reaction” but an offer that had been several months in the making.
“If Daly does play in the NRL, we want him to play with the Manly Sea Eagles,” Mestrov said at the time in a press conference.
As far as Cherry-Evans was concerned, however, it was too little, too late. He stuck to his guns, farewelled the Brookvale faithful with a last-round win against the Warriors, and next season appears certain to continue his illustrious career at Sydney Roosters, at the age of 37.
Manly fans farewelled long-serving skipper Daly Cherry-Evans this season.Credit: Getty Images
While all parties maintained a diplomatic front until the end of the season, only Cherry-Evans, Mestrov and Seibold will know how strained their relationships were, behind the scenes.
If the Cherry-Evans contract talks were little short of a public-relations disaster, the retention of another Manly superstar, Tom Trbojevic, also proved to be problematic.
Trbojevic considered the option of moving to Super League before eventually agreeing to a one-season extension, taking him until the end of 2027.
As well as a new captain and CEO, the Sea Eagles will head into 2026 with a revamped coaching staff.
Michael Ennis has joined his former mentor Shane Flanagan at St George Illawarra, while Brett Kimmorley takes over as NSW Cup coach and soon-to-be-retired Kieran Foran will be one of Seibold’s assistants.
Meanwhile, the Sydney Roosters have thrown a career lifeline to former St George Illawarra outside back Cody Ramsey, signing the 25-year-old to a two-season deal.
Ramsey hasn’t played in the NRL since 2022, after he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, prompting surgeons to remove a large portion of his bowel.
Loading
Before surgery, Ramsey was advised that he would be unlikely to play rugby league again, but he staged a miraculous recovery to return last season and captain the Dragons’ NSW Cup team, who reached the grand final.
Ramsey has played wing, centre and fullback in his 36 NRL games and will provide cover for the Roosters’ star-studded backline.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Most Viewed in Sport
Loading
