AMID celebrations of dual premiership-winning coach Des Hasler’s return to Manly, it’s worth looking back at the events that have brought us here.

Hasler’s decision to sign on with the club he won four titles with as a player and a coach begs the question — what has changed since 2011?

Days after Manly’s 2011 Grand Final win, Hasler signed with the Bulldogs from 2013, a deal that was ultimately brought forward 12 months.

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At the time, Hasler cited differences with the board about the direction of the club as the chief reason for his decision to move on.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time coaching the wonderful group of young men over the last eight years at the club,’’ Hasler said back in 2011.

“Our success is a testament to the hard work ethic and respect exhibited among the playing group and football staff.

“Despite my ongoing discussions with the board for over 12 months regarding a new contract with the Manly club, we simply could not align our future thoughts.

“While it would have been financially advantageous for me to stay at the Manly club, I have elected to take up the challenge of building in a new direction with the Bulldogs from 2013.”

Fast forward to 2018 and it remains to be seen if any of Hasler’s differences with the board about the future of the club have been resolved.

At the time it was reported that Hasler joined the Bulldogs because they were willing to give him the football department resources required for sustained success in the NRL.

As Hasler took the Bulldogs to the 2012 Grand Final, it was reported that the club, headed by then CEO Todd Greenberg, had borrowed $1 million from Canterbury League’s Club to meet Hasler’s list of demands.

That list included installing a lecture hall and cameras at the training ground so he could tape and review every session.

“Before Des we were a part-time GPS club,” Greenberg said at the time.

“Some players wore it, some players didn’t.

“Now it’s like putting your boots on. They wear it for every minute they’re here because Des likes to track every movement they do.”

Hasler was given ultimate control of the football department including recruitment and retention over the next five years until the board took it back at the start of 2017.

During that time, Hasler signed Will Hopoate, Brett Morris, Michael Lichaa and Tony Williams, letting Marty Taupau, Damien Cook, Dale Finucane, Michael Ennis and Herman Ese’ese go.

They were also forced into a salary cap predicament with back-ended contracts and were forced to let go of cult hero James Graham and Josh Reynolds in 2018, as well as new signing Aaron Woods to ease the pressure.

He was then sacked by the Bulldogs at the end of 2017.

If Hasler was unhappy about the money spent on the football department at Manly back in 2011, it’s safe to assume he will be no happier now.

Just ask Trent Barrett, who handed in his resignation in June sighting a lack of resources at the club, a contention that chairman Scott Penn publicly denied in an ugly war of words.

It seems the biggest thing that has changed from 2011 is that Hasler was out of a job and Manly were without a coach.

Hasler maintains he and Penn have repaired their relationship, as he stated in his homecoming press conference.

“It’s all good and we are back beside each other now,” Hasler said.

“We are both professionals and we are back together now and I’m looking forward to getting on and coaching the Manly players.”

However, it is hard to imagine the pair are on the best of terms, given the circumstances surrounding Hasler’s departure in 2011.

Hasler was originally expected to see out his contract with Manly in 2012, before joining the Bulldogs in 2013, but Penn sacked the then-coach with a year still to run on his contract for ‘serious contract breaches’.

“If he wants to bring it on in court, let’s go,’’ Penn said at the time.

Penn accused Hasler of attempting to coerce players and staff to leave Manly and join him at Canterbury, declaring he had ‘a blatant disregard for his contract’.

Hasler vehemently denied the claims.

“The allegations made against me are without any foundation whatsoever,” Hasler retorted.

Penn seemed intent on leaving the past behind him in the press conference to announce Hasler’s return seven years later.

The pair seem prepared to maintain a healthy working relationship, but has enough water gone under the bridge?

“We have had dialogue on and off over three past three weeks and we are happy to have Des back,” Penn said.

“We had a really good members forum two weeks ago at the Leagues Club with 200 members and they were really firm, that they wanted to have a Manly man in charge.

“We hadn’t had formal talks with Des, but I think that crystallised our thinking.

“We have won eight premierships with a Manly man in charge, so we are confident that Des can bring back the success that we need.”

So what has changed since 2011?

Perhaps it is the fact that Hasler needs Manly and Manly need Hasler.

Whether a second marriage will work remains to be seen.