NRL 2022: Shane Flanagan to join Manly Sea Eagles as assistant coach on 3 year deal

Shane Flanagan has emerged from the coaching wilderness, joining the embattled Sea Eagles as an assistant. But his deal comes with a twist.

Shane Flanagan is joining the Manly Sea Eagles.

Shane Flanagan is back coaching again.

Flanagan has agreed to join the Manly Sea Eagles, pending a release from St George-Illawarra in the next 24 hours.

It is a three-year deal that will include a clause that will allow Flanagan to leave after 12 months to take on a head coaching role at another club.

Manly CEO Tony Mestrov has reached an agreement for both Flanagan and former Titans assistant coach Jim Dymock to be Anthony Seibold’s assistants.

The Flanagan deal, first revealed by News Corp, will start from next month when he returns from the World Cup.

Shane Flanagan has joined the Manly Sea Eagles as an assistant coach for the next three years, with an option to leave after one year if a head coaching role becomes available. Picture: Getty Images.

Flanagan, 56, is working through final exit details with his existing club, St George Illawarra. The Daily Telegraph understands the Dragons will not stand in his way.

It ends another painstaking wait to coach for Flanagan, who was deregistered by the NRL back in 2018.

Flanagan, who masterminded Cronulla’s famous 2016 grand final win, will help oversee off-season training with Manly, starting in mid-November.

The Sea Eagles will shortly announce Seibold as new head coach for the next three seasons.

Manly see the experienced and successful Flanagan as an ideal foil for Seibold, who is currently in Britain as an assistant to English rugby union coach, Eddie Jones.

Manly are yet to confirm Anthony Seibold as their new head coach, who is in England working as Defence Coach for England. Picture: Getty Images.

Flanagan coached Cronulla for a total of eight seasons but was banned from coaching in 2014 due to the club’s supplements scandal.

He returned in 2015 but was deregistered indefinitely in 2018 after failing to adhere to the conditions of his 2014 ban.

The NRL announced in 2019 that Flanagan could return as an assistant coach but under strict conditions.

He became Paul McGregor’s assistant at St George Illawarra, focusing on defence, in 2020.

Flanagan was moved on the following year when Saints appointed Anthony Griffin as head coach. Earlier this year, Flanagan returned to St George Illawarra as a list manager consultant.

With Flanagan signed, Manly can now look at signing a second assistant, possibly former Test forward Jim Dymock.