Manly have been fined $25,000 after being hit with a breach notice by the NRL for comments made by senior coach Des Hasler.
The comments made by Hasler were directed at Match Officials following last week's match against Parramatta, occurring in a post-match press conference, along with further interviews.
The league has also stated that their breach notice also took into account comments made by Sea Eagles forward Josh Aloiai.
"The comments by a coach of Des’s standing were disappointing,” NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said in a league statement.
“Particularly disappointing was the sustained criticism of Match Officials over the course of the week.
“We look to those in leadership positions in the game to set an example. We understand that passions run high, but that is simply no excuse to make comments which question the integrity and competence of our officials.
“Public criticism of this nature makes it harder to recruit and retain match officials at all levels of the game.
“To see not only a coach, but a player, criticise officials to this extent is not the level of professionalism we expect in Rugby League.”
The Sea Eagles have been given five business days to file their response to the NRL's sanction and breach notice.
