{"id":265357,"date":"2025-11-06T00:12:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T00:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/265357\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T00:12:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T00:12:07","slug":"jason-king-named-manly-sea-eagles-ceo-daly-cherry-evans-future-luke-keary-rejects-newcastle-knights-coaching-role-to-return-to-sydney-roosters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/265357\/","title":{"rendered":"Jason King named Manly Sea Eagles CEO; Daly Cherry-Evans future, Luke Keary rejects Newcastle Knights coaching role to return to Sydney Roosters"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sea Eagles have revealed a club legend will take over from Tony Mestrov as chief executive<\/a>, while also denying Daly Cherry-Evans\u2019 contract saga influenced his departure.<\/p>\n

Jason King, a former club captain and premiership winner, has been appointed to replace Mestrov, moving on from his role as executive general manager of legal, integrity & risk at the NRL<\/p>\n

His arrival ends a three-year stint from Mestrov who was at the centre of controversial contract negotiations with both Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic.<\/p>\n

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Veteran halfback Cherry-Evans shocked the NRL world when he revealed in March his time at Manly would come to an end, with his Roosters arrival imminent according to Code Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n

Trbojevic, meanwhile, was left angered after his agreed upon three-year deal was taken to the board, who didn\u2019t approve and reduced his salary by almost $100,000 per-season.<\/p>\n

That move cast doubt on Trbojevic\u2019s future at the Manly club, but he eventually went on to re-sign a one-year contract despite being linked to a move to the Super League.<\/p>\n

Sea Eagles majority owner Scott Penn was asked whether both of those ugly contract stand-offs played a part in Mestrov\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s unfair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s circumstances behind everything. I think it\u2019s the right time for an orderly transition.<\/p>\n

Daly Cherry-Evans\u2019 contract saga didn\u2019t influence the decision to part ways with Tony Mestrov, according to the club.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone agrees with getting on with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penn also endorsed the decision to move on from Mestrov, explaining the Manly club are planning to have a new stadium constructed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a fully-costed plan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeter (V\u2019landys) and Andrew (Abdo) are fully across it as well. What we need now is someone who can really engage with all the stakeholders and understand what they are looking for and what we need to do to actually get it over the line?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never been in this position before in terms of truly understanding the costs and understanding what we can deliver.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo then we can sit down with the Premier and say here are the options, what suits you best. We have all the ingredients now. That\u2019s the No.1 priority for the next 12 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think that Jason is well positioned with obviously his time at the NRL and with his legal background to help bring that across the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

King, meanwhile, labelled his appointment an \u201cincredible honour\u201d in a club statement.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis club has been a defining part of my life, and I feel humbled to return in this leadership role,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am deeply grateful to the club\u2019s ownership and Board for the trust they have placed in me, and for the opportunity to serve a Club that means so much to me and the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to working with Scott and the Board, our players and staff, corporate and government partners, and our passionate members and fans to deliver on the club\u2019s strategy and drive sustained success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would also like to thank Peter V\u2019landys, the Commission, Andrew Abdo and my colleagues at the NRL for their support over the past decade. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur game is thriving at all levels and well positioned for even greater growth under Peter and Andrew\u2019s leadership. The Sea Eagles are a very proud club with a rich and successful history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a privilege to return home, honour that legacy, and help shape a strong and exciting future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason King after playing his last home game at the Manly Sea Eagles v Penrith Panthers round 25 NRL game at Brookvale Oval. pic Mark EvansSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n

KNIGHTS RISING STAR RETURNS AFTER NASTY INJURY<\/p>\n

Exciting playmaker Fletcher Sharpe has returned to training after missing half of the 2025 season with a ruptured spleen and a lacerated kidney. <\/p>\n

The 21-year-old has been training at Knights HQ with some of his teammates as Newcastle officially started the Justin Holbrook era with the first week of pre-season training. <\/p>\n

Sharpe is set to start the year at five-eighth, alongside high priced recruit Dylan Brown who is slated as the team\u2019s halfback. <\/p>\n

With Kalyn Ponga at the back, the Knights possess a high octane spine if everything clicks. <\/p>\n

Before his horror injury, which left him in a Perth hospital for several days, Sharpe was one of the lone bright spots for the Knights. <\/p>\n

He scored 11 tries in just 14 games, averaging 115 metres a game.<\/p>\n

Sharpe opened up to NRL.com on his harrowing ordeal last year when he landed heavily on his back against the Dolphins in Perth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a little bit hairy for a moment there,\u201d Sharpe told NRL.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the game it was just a straightforward tackle, I was taken off for an HIA and throughout the night I progressively got a little bit worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctors and the medical staff did a great job, they got me straight to hospital and stopped the bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharpe is still restricted somewhat on the training paddock, but says he \u201cwouldn\u2019t miss\u201d the Knights\u2019 season opener in Vegas next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a great team here that\u2019s put a lot of time and effort into me. It\u2019s time to repay them and get back into a spot where I can be beneficial for the club,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sharpe is a huge part of new coach Justin Holbrook\u2019s plans for the Knights\u2019 attack.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

KEARY\u2019S ROOSTERS RETURN<\/p>\n

Roosters legend Luke Keary has rejected a coaching role with the Newcastle Knights to return to club he won two premierships for in 2026. <\/p>\n

Channel 9<\/a> reported Keary rejected an offer to join former Roosters assistant Justin Holbrook\u2019s rebuild at the Knights to return to the club he played 168 games for from 2017 to 2024. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to go back to the Roosters and have a small role with them,\u201d Keary told Channel 9 News<\/a>. \u201cI can\u2019t wait. That is my home.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Keary denied he would use his role coaching Roosters halves and emerging players as a stepping stone to a career as a head coach. <\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely not,\u201d Keary laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to stay involved, definitely in coaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to do a little bit with the younger guys and pass a bit of knowledge on.\u201d <\/p>\n

Keary is also interested in exploring the corporate side of the Roosters business in the future. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really interested in the corporate side, too,\u201d Keary said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve obviously done a bit of university stuff, so I\u2019m interested in the business and finance side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Luke Keary rejected a coaching role with the Knights to return to the Roosters in 2025.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n

Keary scored six tries in 27 games for Catalans in his one and only Super League season in 2025 after coming out of retirement to take up an offer with the Dragons. <\/p>\n

But after scoring 48 tries in 231 NRL games for the Rabbitohs and Roosters, including three premiership wins with Souths in 2014 and the Roosters in 2018 and 2019, as well as one Origin for NSW and five Tests for the Kangaroos and Ireland, Keary is more than content with what he got out of his professional rugby league career. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you told me that when I came out of school and had no contract, knocking around in Burleigh, I would have said you were silly,\u201d Keary said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was really, not upset but sad leaving the Roosters last year. It is cool to look back and see how far I came. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the people that played a role in my career, I am really grateful for.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sharpes road to recovery ramps up | 02:59<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sea Eagles have revealed a club legend will take over from Tony Mestrov as chief executive, while…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265358,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[64,63,689,124682,25297,155174,145762,2057,155173,10744,763,5330,26779,72590,155172,154316,56527,4495,3583,677,145929,701,155171,130928,108291,4439,85,14869,1080,4737],"class_list":["post-265357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-burleigh","tag-coaching-role","tag-corporate-side","tag-deadline-passes","tag-europe","tag-finance-side","tag-fletcher-sharpe","tag-fox-league","tag-head-coach","tag-ireland","tag-justin-holbrook","tag-justin-lloyd","tag-knights-player","tag-luke-keary","tag-newcastle-knights","tag-northern-europe","tag-oceania","tag-professional-rugby-league","tag-queensland","tag-roosters-legend","tag-rugby-league-ashes-live","tag-rugby-league-career","tag-south-sydney-rabbitohs","tag-sports","tag-super-league","tag-sydney-roosters","tag-trent-robinson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}