The Manly Sea Eagles will weigh up changing the landscape of the NRL, with the club to target Melbourne Storm football boss Frank Ponissi.
The general manager of Melbourne has overseen the constant success in the Victorian capital alongside head coach Craig Bellamy, but was born on the Northern Beaches and began his journey there.
The Sea Eagles have had a tumultuous time of it in recent years, going through several coaches and CEO, and there is now a thought that the club needs stability both on and off the field above all else under new CEO Jason King.
Kieran Foran, who is taking over as head coach on an interim basis for the remainder of the year, will be allowed to prove his worth with the clipboard, but CEO Scott Penn told News Corp they are now looking at other changes, including the return of Ponissi.
“We have a standard board meeting this week, and we will be discussing a range of options for the future, and Frank will definitely be on the list,” he told the publication.
“Frank is quality and, as we have said multiple times, we are big believers in Manly DNA.
“He has arguably been the best head of football in the league for the past 20 years, so why wouldn't we look at him?
“We have spoken to Frank historically to try and get him back, but he's been on contract at Melbourne long term, so it's been tough.”
Ponissi's current deal with the Storm runs until the end of 2029, and he has made no indications that he is keen for a change of scenery.
The football boss of the Storm is widely credited as being the brains behind much of the club's success, with the Storm's standards viewed as the best in the NRL.
Their recruitment and retention, under his watchful eye, have also been masterful, with the club picking up talent left, right and centre out of Queensland in particular.
The Storm are now moving to their own junior programs, fielding teams across all major NSWRL competitions for the first time having won the under-21 Jersey Flegg Cup last year.
