Contracts in Sport

With Manly's Coach Des Hasler signing with the Bulldog's for 2013 it raises an interesting debate.

Should he be sacked immediately by Manly? 

Let's look at the situation.  Firstly if you are contracted by one company and then sign with a competitor, is your current employer going to be happy and retain your services?  In most situations they will release you straight away and frog march you out the door.  No company in their right mind would keep an employee who is going to rival at the end of the current term.  There is too high a risk of that employee taking with them valuable information as well as current and potential assets.  For the last year of his term with the Eagles who will he be recruiting for.  Take Wayne Bennett as an example.  He made sure he looked after St George in their recruitment and ravaged Brisbane.  Brisbane lost many key players and Bennett had a hand in all of their signings.  He has then done the same thing to St George once he signed with Newcastle.  As much as I dislike Manly I think they need to be smart and sack Hasler straight away. 

I never have sympathy for someone who benefits from such a deal and then is hurt in the same fashion.  St George cannot complain about Bennett as they did the same thing to get him.  Canterbury cannot complain if they lose a coach under contract as they have done the same thing.  In the modern professional era sport is now a business.  The mighty dollar is greater than loyalty. Players change clubs at the drop of a hat just to get a greater deal.  Fair enough, if the money is there then I would take it too, but when a player or coach is sacked for signing another contract then they need to cop it on the chin.