Cherry-Evans said the Sea Eagles had never put forward a formal offer for 2026,even though the club argued otherwise.

It was the rugby league break-up few saw coming. Things could have been handled differently,says Penn.

“Did the announcement disrupt our season? It certainly hasn’t derailed our season,but we probably wish it had played out differently,” Penn says.

“That’s the best way to answer it. We had started the year well,so the timing wasn’t ideal.

“Things like that needed to be played out behind closed doors,then we could have made a joint announcement,regardless of the outcome. They are big decisions.

“I think everyone,in hindsight,wishes it played out differently.

“We’re now all making the best of the situation. We respect Daly – he plays 350 games next Saturday against the Dolphins,which will be a huge occasion. He’s the longest-serving player at our club. We want to celebrate that and send him out in style.”

Penn does not want to get dragged back into the debate about who was offered what and when,and for how much.

“I won’t get into semantics,but the way we all negotiate with managers these days is you put numbers out there,” he says. “It’s never all in writing,it’s a journey,like all negotiations,and when you start getting down to the finer detail,you put things in writing.

“There was no question we put verbal offers forward,and I put forward an email offer at the back end of November. There was serious interest from our end. To suggest we didn’t put forward a formal offer is not true.

“Daly has his own reasons for making the choice he did. That’s fine. He’s been with us over 20 years. The next four games are really important for our season,and I’m sure it will be emotional for him.”

Should the Sea Eagles bomb out of the finals,or finish seventh and eighth – and miss that chance to host an elimination final in week one – Penn said Cherry-Evans would be given a fitting send-off in front of his home fans.

Protecting Jake

The sight of Jake Trbojevic hitting the turf at GIO Stadium following a head knock in the second half against the Raiders was troubling,to say the least,especially given it was his third concussion this year.

The 31-year-old still has to decide if he has the hunger to go on next year,let alone negotiate a potential extension for 2027,which the club has already discussed.

“That was tough watching him the other night,” Penn says. “I’ve known Jake his whole playing career,and we’re all concerned – that’s three category-one concussions he’s had now.

“I caught up with him at the club on Monday,and he was typical Jake,telling me,‘I’ll be right’. He’s such a champion.

“I’m concerned for him as a parent and a friend. But it’s also not for us to stand in his way for whatever he wants to do. It’s his call. I don’t think his headspace is there right now. I think that talk of[retirement] is premature.

“We want him to play as long as he wants to play,and when it comes to life after footy,the Trbojevic family is part of the fabric at Manly – we want them involved as long as they want to be.”

A jubilant Jake marched into the sheds after a shock win over Melbourne in their own backyard a few weeks ago and kicked over a dozen drink bottles –then felt bad and stayed behind to clean up the mess. Those scenes reminded Penn why he loved the local junior so much.

“You’ll never see someone play with more passion than Jake,” Penn says.

How much is Tom worth?

Tom Trbojevic is off contract at the end of 2026,and free to negotiate with rivals from November 1 should he fail to broker an extension with Manly.

The club has sat down with his management to discuss a deal. They are yet to settle on how many years. Tom does not want any focus on his contract while he is trying to recapture form and confidence,and with the Sea Eagles fighting for their season.

At his best,Tom is worth the million dollars plus a season he is getting. But niggling injuries have made it difficult for him to find any rhythm on the field.

Players are worth what a club is prepared to pay them. So what will Manly pay?

“We’ll pay Tom the best package we can give him,” Penn says. “He’s a Dally M winner,and he’s still young in the scheme of things – he’s only 28 – even though he has played a lot of years now.

“The fact is he has been well paid for the last 10 years. We’re not looking for a massive discount,but we also need to make sure we can continue to build our roster. He’s aware of that,and we’re working on a future contract that works for everyone.

“We’re in deep discussions now. Everyone wants the same outcome. It will get done.”

Sticking with Seibold

Anthony Seibold’s future has been a hot topic recently,but he is going nowhere,Penn says,and will eventually move into a consultancy role. Seibold has made it known he does not want to be a career coach.

There has been talk Manly need to bring in a coach that bleeds maroon and white.

“We’re sticking solid with ‘Seibs’,” Penn says. “We haven’t achieved what we want to achieve yet,we’re focused on finishing this year strongly,then getting stuck into 2026.

“We’re working on what happens beyond 2027,but there’s no rush.

“There’s a fair bit of propaganda about how the next coach needs to be a Manly man. It’s no secret the majority of our premierships have been won with Manly people.

“But we’ve got a former Manly player who is our CEO[Tony Mestrov],there are plenty of Manly people on our coaching staff – it doesn’t mean our head coach has to be a Manly person.

“One thing Seibs has brought back is that culture,which we had been lacking for a while,and he brought the old boys back. He was the first one to put his hand up and say,‘We need that Manly mentality back’.”

Penn splits his time between the US and Sydney,and will never give up on his beloved Sea Eagles. He genuinely believes they will win a premiership in the coming years.

A host of talented juniors are coming through the ranks,including Joey Walsh,Onitoni Large and Hugo Hart,who are all 12 to 18 months away from playing in the top grade.

“We’re building,not rebuilding,” Penn says. “I’m as passionate as ever about Manly,and this is still a childhood dream for me.

“It’s a passion project. It’s never been about making money – it’s about success. During my time,we’ve been in four GFs[grand finals] and won two. But we want a lot more. Once you get that taste,you want it again. It’s been a dry run,but we want to get back – and we will get back.”

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