Richie Barnett: Manly players need to honour deals they signed

Glenn Stewart of Manly Sea Eagles. Photo / Getty Images

Manly arrive in Auckland with uncertainty swirling around the futures of three exceptional players.

Many of the senior players are upset the club didn't fight hard enough to keep Glenn Stewart - he's signed for the Rabbitohs - and Brett Stewart, Anthony Watmough and Steve Matai have subsequently all asked for releases.

I understand what they are doing but it's misguided. I'm a traditionalist at heart and believe players should honour their contracts.

They signed the deals in the first place and, for the betterment of the club, need to respect that. You don't always get what you want. That's life, get over it.

In this salary cap era, a club can't keep everyone. The Sea Eagles are stacked with some of the best players around so it was inevitable something would give and they also need to be mindful of retaining a lot of their best young talent.

When I was at Cronulla, I was desperate to get out. I felt I was stagnating there and was frustrated by the one-dimensional game plan, but I saw out my contract. It was the right thing to do.

Fortunately, the Roosters came knocking towards the end of my time with the Sharks and it was a perfect fit for me.

I realise it's a different era. A player's welfare is important, and many want a release for personal reasons like homesickness, but contracts are there for a reason.

I can't see Manly willing to let Stewart, Watmough and Matai go, as much as I would love to see Matai at the Warriors, because we're talking about a dynasty being torn apart.

Brett Stewart, in particular, is critical to Manly's success and gives so much direction to their attack. He's so quick and is the best attacking fullback in the competition.

The Sea Eagles are a joy to watch and have been throughout their history. It doesn't mean they are popular, and it's probably not fully appreciated just how hated Manly are in Australia.

New Zealand's link with the Sea Eagles, through the likes of Graham Lowe, Mathew Ridge, Kevin and Tony Iro and Darrell Williams, means many here have a soft spot for them.

Not so in Australia. It all started in the 1980s when no salary cap existed and, with Ken Arthurson on their side, they opened the chequebook and pilfered some of the best talent in the game, and often from rivals Wests.

It's how the Silvertails and Fibros rivalry came about. There are other reasons why they're not liked, including being blamed for killing off the North Sydney Bears, their recruitment of English imports and the influence of Bob "Bozo" Fulton, but their approach has been successful.

In their 67-year history, they have won eight premierships, played in 19 grand finals and never picked up the wooden spoon. In the past six years they have played in four grand finals (two wins, two defeats).

They play an exciting, and tough, brand of football and have played that way since the 1970s and 80s. When I was playing, Cliff Lyons had the ability to attack from anywhere, meaning you were never safe regardless of where you were on the park.

Manly are well aware they are hated. In fact, it's a strong motivating factor for them and is part of their DNA. They sense it, hear it, and it galvanises the players.

They seem to be galvanised over Glenn Stewart's departure and that shows the strength of character at the club. Many other outfits would let an issue like this get the better of them. Not Manly. It's why they are so dangerous this season.