The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have terminated the contract of star fullback/winger Reuben Garrick with immediate effect after two separate women came forward with detailed allegations of sexual misconduct spanning 2023 and 2024. The 28-year-old, who was entering the final year of a lucrative four-year, $2.4 million deal signed in late 2022, was informed of his sacking at 7 a.m. yesterday following an emergency board meeting that lasted well into the night.
The allegations first surfaced publicly on Tuesday evening when Channel Nine aired a 25-minute investigation featuring two complainants (faces blurred, voices altered) who claim Garrick engaged in non-consensual acts after nights out in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and on the Gold Coast. One woman alleges an incident in a Manly apartment in December 2023 following the club’s Mad Monday celebrations; the second claims a separate encounter in Surfers Paradise during the NRL’s 2024 Magic Round weekend. Both women say they reported the matters to NSW and Queensland police at the time, but charges were never laid due to insufficient evidence. They have now gone public, stating they want “accountability and change inside the game.”
Within hours of the broadcast, major sponsors (Shaw and Partners, Ingredion, and URM) threatened to activate morality clauses in their deals. Manly CEO Tony Mestrov fronted the media at 4 Pines Park yesterday afternoon and confirmed the club had “no choice” but to rip up Garrick’s contract, citing both sponsor pressure and the NRL Integrity Unit’s ongoing investigation.
“These are extremely serious allegations,” Mestrov said. “While Reuben has denied any wrongdoing through his management, the club has a duty to our community, our members, and our partners. We have terminated his registration and he will play no further part with the Sea Eagles.”
Garrick, a 2021 Dally M Winger of the Year and the club’s all-time leading point-scorer (1,156 points in 128 games), was stood down immediately. His locker at Narrabeen was cleared by staff before training yesterday, and security escorted him from the premises. Sources inside the playing group describe the mood as “shell-shocked,” with senior players Tom and Jake Trbojevic refusing media requests.
The NRL Integrity Unit has seized Garrick’s phone and is forensically examining messages and location data. League boss Andrew Abdo issued a brief statement confirming the matter is now under formal investigation and that Garrick is provisionally deregistered pending outcome. A lifetime ban remains on the table if the allegations are substantiated.
Manly’s decision to cut ties so swiftly is believed to be the fastest contract termination in the salary-cap era, outpacing even the Paul Carter (2015) and Kirisome Auva’a (2016) cases. The club is now facing a $600,000 salary-cap hole for 2026 and has begun urgent talks with the NRL for potential relief.
As of Thursday morning, Garrick had left his Brookvale home and is understood to be staying with family interstate. His management released a short statement denying the allegations in full and vowing to “fight for his reputation and career.” For now, one of the NRL’s most reliable goal-kickers and a 2023 NSW Origin bolter is without a club, without registration, and staring at the possible end of his professional rugby league life.
