Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans has taken a dig at the NRL club's management while backing coach Trent Barrett and his calls for better football department support.
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Speculation over Barrett's future at Manly will continue after legal advice last week prevented him commenting on reports he was set to leave the NRL club at the end of the season.
It's understood Barrett's grievances surround a lack of football resources promised in a contract extension signed last year.
Manly are still operating without a recruitment manager or pathways coach, while the club are also searching for an assistant accountant to help oversee salary cap matters.
Cherry-Evans questioned how these matters were yet to be resolved in an interview with Fairfax Media published on Sunday, having cut a frustrated figure after Friday's second-half collapse in their loss to the Gold Coast.
"I don't know if Trent has the support [of the board]," Cherry-Evans said.
"But for things to have not changed after numerous requests, I don't understand why.
"I'd like to think our coach has never been the problem.
"The fact he feels he's in a position where he has to question a few things with our hierarchy puts into perspective how much he cares about this playing group."
The star halfback also referenced a comment last week from returned veteran Trent Hodkinson who said the club had barely changed in his seven-and-a-half seasons away.
"That's a little insight to what is happening or not happening around here," Cherry-Evans said.
Manly's chairman and owner Scott Penn was out of the country last week when the matter with Barrett ignited, with chief executive Lyall Gorman left in charge of the issue.
Cherry-Evans' latest comments came as NSW coach Brad Fittler suggested the Queensland Origin halfback needed to focus on his own game as Manly remain 13th on the NRL ladder.
"Daly most probably has to play better," Fittler said on Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
"He's the man, he's the one getting paid all the money. There's a limit of what administration and coaches will do. They can't run on the field.
"Daly should work on what he does on the field and then hope the other stuff gets itself better while he's saving a few games and keeping the fans going through the turnstiles."
Australian Associated Press
