‘Asked me to move you on’: Gutho’s ‘devastation’ after brutal Manly exit revealed

The manager of star fullback Clint Gutherson has opened up on the devastation his client suffered when he was moved on from Manly eight years ago.

Gutherson grew up on the northern beaches and had the dream of spending his entire NRL career with the Sea Eagles after debuting for them in 2013.

But salary cap pressures forced the club to tap Gutherson on the shoulder, with his agent Sam Ayoub revealing to News Corp how he broke the news to his heartbroken client.

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“I said to him: It’s good to catch up – I have bad news and good news. The bad news is Manly has asked me to move you on because of the club’s financial position,” Ayoub recalled.

“However the good news is I don’t have any shortage of interest elsewhere. We need to cop the decision and move on, as much as we disagree.”

Ayoub dropped that bombshell on Gutherson during the 2015 season while Brett Stewart donned the No.1 jersey for Manly and Tom Trbojevic was emerging.

“I recall bringing him and his dad over for coffee. I wanted to meet them because I knew telling him would be a devastating blow. And there was a level of disappointment,” he said.

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Clint Gutherson played five NRL games for Manly. Picture: Braden Fastier.Source: News Corp Australia

Gutherson was indeed “devastated” according to Ayoub because “he would have loved to have had his whole career at Manly.”

But Ayoub added that Gutherson “wasn’t dirty” at the club.

“Gutho was obviously upset but he is a ‘roll-with-it’ type of guy. I will use these words respectfully – he is an old school throwback. He said: ‘If that’s what it is then that’s what it is’,” Ayoub shared.

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It all worked out for Gutherson, who joined the Eels the following year and hasn’t looked back since.

The 28-year-old, who faces Manly at 4 Pines Park on Thursday night, has played 164 games for the Eels and established himself as one of the premier fullbacks of the competition.

Gutherson was an instant hit at Parramatta and was appointed captain at just 24-years old — making him one of the youngest in the game at the time.

“That’s how highly Parramatta thought of him,” Ayoub said.

“They saw his leadership qualities that we have all seen since.”

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Ayoub also revealed that Manly eventually conceded it was a mistake to let the Cromer Kingfishers junior go.

“Manly at the time said they didn’t think Clint would force their hand as a centre or fullback. At that time, coming into first grade, they played him on the wing,” he said.

“Everyone makes mistakes. To the club’s credit, they did come back and acknowledged it was a wrong decision. They did have Brett Stewart there at the time.”