CHANGES are expected to come thick and fast at Manly after it was announced former coach Des Hasler would return to the club after seven years.

Given an edict by chairman Scott Penn to make the Sea Eagles a top-four contender each year of his three-year deal, Hasler will move quickly to make arrangements.

As expected, assembling his premiership-winning team is first priority.

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Although Manly would not confirm the appointment, The Daily Telegraph is reporting club legend and renowned talent scout Noel ‘Crusher’ Cleal is returning to the Sea Eagles as a recruitment manager, having worked with Hasler through the club’s most prolific period of success from 2007-2011.

Cleal followed Hasler to the Bulldogs at the end of 2011 and was in charge of their recruitment until 2016, when he was moved on as part of a clean out of the club’s football staff.

He is credited for discovering some of the game’s best talent, including Jamie Lyon, whom he plucked from the bush and delivered to the Eels during his time as Parramatta’s recruitment boss.

Noel Cleal Source: News Limited

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He also had a hand in unearthing David Williams, Kieran Foran, Jamie Buhrer, Daly Cherry-Evans and Damian Cook.

Whether Hasler will retain assistant coaches John Cartwright and Chad Randall still remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, CEO Lyall Gorman has confirmed negotiations are still underway with outgoing head coach Trent Barrett and are expected to be finalised within the coming weeks.

“That will be resolved over the next couple of weeks, I would have thought,” Gorman told the Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday.

The Sea Eagles are scheduled to front up for pre-season training on November 5, and without a settlement with Barrett, the club will face the farcical prospect of two head coaches on their books until his notice period expires in July.