Tension over Joey Walsh's NRL inclusion led to Anthony Seibold's sacking by Manly's owners, sparking disagreements with chairman Scott Penn.
Tension between Anthony Seibold and Manly's majority owners, the Penn family, was sparked days before the coach's sacking over a disagreement on whether teenage prodigy Joey Walsh should have been in the NRL squad.
Multiple sources familiar with the situation who didn't want to comment publicly said Seibold and chairman Scott Penn didn't see eye-to-eye on Walsh, who has been touted as the next big thing on the northern beaches.
It's believed Penn spoke to Seibold about naming Walsh on the NRL's expanded six-man bench earlier this season, which the coach rejected as he was committed to having the half develop his game in the NSW Cup.
Off-season recruit Jamal Fogarty and Luke Brooks have been the preferred halves for the Sea Eagles, and Walsh was an unused substitute for the Sea Eagles' opening round loss to the Raiders.
He wasn't in the 19-man cut for games against the Knights and Roosters.