League: Toovey keeps options open and warns Manly still threat

Geoff Toovey is looking forward to a breather. Photo / Getty Images

Sacked Manly coach Geoff Toovey isn't ruling out returning to the club in another role after this NRL season, or coaching elsewhere.

Told on Tuesday his contract would be terminated after this season, club legend Toovey put on a brave face yesterday, warning rivals his team remained a finals threat in 2015.

"I'm very disappointed that my coaching career has ended ... The decision has been made and I just have to accept that," said Toovey, who is expected to be replaced by Trent Barrett from 2016.

"It's still not over yet. We're still in it with a chance and if you saw how the players played last week you'd be well and truly worried if you were the teams above us."

The Sea Eagles are 11th on the table - two wins outside the top eight - following a powerful victory over the Warriors in Auckland last Saturday, but face a tough run home with games against Brisbane, South Sydney, Canberra, Parramatta, Sydney Roosters and Cronulla.

Fourth-year coach Toovey didn't rule out a return to Brookvale in a non-coaching capacity.

"Not in the short term, [but] this club's been for nearly 28 years a part of my life - longer than most of the players have been alive - so I can see possibly something in the future," he said.

Asked whether he would coach again, he said: "It's too early for me to announce anything like that.

"I need a bit of a break. I've had probably one week off in the last four years so I need to take some time and maybe take a breath for a while."

Manly chairman Scott Penn blamed the club's poor season for Toovey's axing, but also pointed to last year's decision to release long-time servant Glenn Stewart as a contributing factor.

"That hasn't necessarily been the sole factor, but that certainly did disrupt the playing group at that point in time," he said.

"There were decisions made last year which led to us not performing as we should have in the finals. And that was one of them."

Penn said he was also upset by a statement released by the Manly Warringah Rugby League Football Club board, who described the decision to axe Toovey as "bewildering".

The football club holds two of seven spots on the Sea Eagles Limited board which is controlled by Penn and his family.

Penn stressed that the MWRLF owned less than 10 per cent of the club that is wholly funded by his company.

"Their release yesterday was very disappointing, because that's an emotional response," he said.

"This is a business decision that we believe is in the best interest of the business going forward. And their emotional response doesn't help it."

- AAP