Kristie was working on junior development before moving into a commercial role and was let go on the back of a re-jig which has the Manly boss offside with Fulton.

Both of Fulton’s sons are employed by the Sea Eagles also.

"As part of my plan to get to where I'm going, I need to put my team in place," Cleary told Fairfax Media.

"I hope that people would gauge that I am trying to strengthen the governance of the club for years to come. It's pretty frequent in club land that coaches and [administrators] put in the teams they need to support their models of what success looks like.

“I need to make sure [the right] people are in those positions. They need to be competitive and put to the market and tested. That's what all good governance is about, making sure the best people are in the best positions."

The Sea Eagles have had seven chief executives since 2003 with Cleary joining towards the end of last year.

Asked if he could work with Fulton, Cleary said: "That's a question you'd have to ask him."

"I'm looking at the whole structure of the organisation to ensure it is viable into the future so the place can provide a culture of success and a happy future for everyone involved.

"There are a lot of people involved, not just me or a family. It's an iconic brand that has been going for a long time and it needs to have a future."