DES Hasler has been dissolved from Manly's 2011 premiership win.
A fresh battlefront was drawn up last night after it was discovered the Manly Sea Eagles' merchandising store, across the road from Manly Leagues Club, is selling a range of beer mats, mousepads, coffee mugs and stubby holders celebrating last season's grand final win against the Warriors.
The only problem is, Hasler has been removed from all of the photos. Honestly, if it wasn't so funny it would be serious.
The picture - the same used in each piece of merchandise - shows the Sea Eagles squad celebrating on the victory dais shortly after receiving the premiership trophy.
In the original photo, Hasler is standing behind Anthony Watmough.
Manly chief executive David Perry was forced to go to the NRL for a "please explain" yesterday after inadvertently being drawn into the embarrassing gaffe - but was relieved to learn that it was no fault of Manly's.
"The NRL signed off on all that merchandise, we didn't even see it," Perry said.
"It got fired off on the public holiday in October the day after the game, before Des had even left the club."
The fresh snub has opened more wounds in what has been a drawn-out, bitter dispute between Hasler, his supporters, and Manly officials.
Hasler left the club in the most dramatic of circumstances, announcing he had joined Canterbury just days after leading the Sea Eagles to the premiership.
He did not want to comment when contacted yesterday.
Sacked media manager Peter Peters let out a long sigh when informed of the snub, but was willing to talk only of Hasler's contribution to the club.
"Des is a life member, he hauled the club back from the Northern Eagles to give them a fantastic decade from a miserable start, and this thing is there for historical reasons and not for anything else," he said.
The NRL claimed Hasler was removed during "phase two" of its memorabilia release, when the image tries to focus on a "players only" format. Similar images were released last year without Wayne Bennett in the Dragons premiership photos, and the same when Manly won its premiership in 2008.
Sometimes, though, some involved cannot be removed from the image without leaving holes on the photograph - which explains why incoming first grade coach Geoff Toovey and several other assistants remain.
Manly chairman Bob Reilly supported as much.
"I became aware of it only after reading some comments on the internet, where some said that he wasn't in the 2008 stuff either, apparently," Reilly said.
Did Des deserve to get erased from history?
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/n...from-memorabilia/story-e6frfgbo-1226251761815
