 At the time, Manning stated he would have preferred a selection by the Washington Power because of his girlfriend's location.He was eventually traded to the Toronto Rock in exchange for Kaleb Toth and a first round draft pick on October 2, 2001, before he ever suited up for the Roughnecks.In his rookie season with the Rock, he won the NLL Rookie of the Year Award after recording 71 points in 16 games.