Delmege demands Penn's resignation
Manly co-owner Max Delmege claims to have paid his debts to the NRL club and is now demanding the resignation of Sea Eagles chairman and fellow owner Scott Penn.
In the latest twist to the ugly backroom war engulfing the reigning premiers, Delmege said the only way forward for the club was for an independent chairman to be appointed.
"This is what I'm calling for, that Scott Penn stand down from chairman because we've got to have somebody independent," Delmege said.
"I think that would be fair to say - equal shareholders, independent chairman."
Penn wasn't the only prominent Manly figure in Delmege's sights with the property developer also calling for club media manager Peter Peters to resign.
Peters claimed Delmege had behaved "un-Manly" for publicly backing chief executive Grant Mayer only to vote against him at a board meeting two days later.
Delmege said he had transferred unpaid sponsorship commitments, believed to be worth almost $230,000, to the club's coffers on Monday.
But he denied money was behind his bitter falling out with Penn.
"Manly Warringah rugby league club is bigger than the Delmege family and the Penn family," Delmege said.
"With respect it's not a monetary thing, it's a power thing.
"This is trying to get control of something by using a small amount of money as a tool.
"Very wrong, very inappropriate and the people and the supporters of Manly rugby league see through all this.
"They're not stupid - they know who came in and saved the club.
"It's bloody ridiculous, that's the only way to describe it."
The Sea Eagles players and coaching staff flew out for England on Sunday where they will begin preparations for next month's World Club Challenge against Leeds.
They will play a trial game against London Harlequins this weekend.
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