NRL 2022: Des Hasler not done with coaching, ready to answer SOS from under pressure clubs
The forgotten man of the coaching ranks, two-time premiership winner Des Hasler is not ready to walk away from the game after being sacked by Manly, writes DAVID RICCIO.
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If it’s good enough for Wayne Bennett, it’s good enough for Des Hasler.
Hasler wants to coach in the NRL again.
Over summer, the 61-year old has made that message clear to the people closest to him.
Rugby League’s favourite hair flick, wants back in.
Hasler, will sit this year out if he has too, just as Bennett did for the entire 2022 season after finishing up at Souths before taking over The Dolphins, ahead of this inaugural upcoming season.
Depending on results, with the Knights, Dragons, and Titans needing fast starts in 2023, Hasler isn’t afraid either, of parachuting in to help save a season.
To consider, after coaching for 18 NRL seasons, which included taking teams to the finals series on 14 occasions and winning two grand finals from five attempts, that the former schoolteacher would simply shuffle off to Wednesday lawn bowls, would be akin to falling for a Cliffy Lyons dummy.
Remember, it was Manly that made the call to sack Hasler four months ago.
The former Dally M coach of the year had no intention of stopping. The day before he was punted, Hasler was going as hard as he ever has.
It was the second week of October. The 2022 season was over.
Inside the Manly gym, Hasler jumped onto an exercise bike right next to Josh Schuster, the Sea Eagles prodigy, who was thundering away on a treadmill.
Hasler kept pushing Schuster with encouragement; telling the kid that while other players were on holidays, he was here, preparing for 2023.
When Hasler was sacked, a shocked Schuster sent the coach a text message loaded with appreciation, emotion and meaning.
Hasler, like the equally over-qualified coach in-waiting Shane Flanagan, is a players coach.
Perhaps, that’s the secret to both Hasler and Flanagan’s premiership recipe.
You’ll never catch the nice-as-pie Tom Trbojevic declaring it publicly, but few know how close he was to leaving the Sea Eagles in the midst of the Hasler turmoil late last year.
Rightfully so, Trbojevic was beginning to question what the platform of fragility at Manly was doing to his own career.
There was one Sydney club selling stability to Trbojevic and the star fullback began to like the sound of the pitch.
Loyal as they come, to the point he’s been known to run the line of his junior footy club, the Mona Vale Raiders on a Saturday morning, that, when push came to shove, Trbojevic just couldn’t make the leap.
Hasler had nothing to do with the potential departure of Trbojevic, but it says a lot about the belief Hasler creates in a dressing room when one of the game‘s biggest stars is toying with a decision that would’ve rocked the club.
Hasler knows that he can’t coach forever, which again, may open the door for a club to slingshot the quirky tactician at some point this season.
He still had 2023 on contract at Manly when he was sacked, but in a sign of his willingness to relinquish full control, he had begun to map a transition plan of moving into a coaching consultancy role.
Hasler had identified Sharks and Queensland State of Origin coach Josh Hannay to replace him as Manly coach in 2024.
In the end, newly-appointed Manly CEO Tony Mestrov had other ideas and went with Anthony Siebold.
Hasler is now in the midst of a legal dispute with Manly over his sacking.
It’s important to Hasler, but not as important as doing what he does best.
Hasler, alongside Flanagan, are the two most qualified coaches without an NRL gig.
One or both will be back, you just know it.
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