Shane Flanagan formally agrees to three-year deal to become coach of St George Illawarra Dragons
The Dragons have moved swiftly on Shane Flanagan after their board endorsed his appointment as coach. Find out when he will be joining the Red-V.
Opinion
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Shane Flanagan will be the Dragons coach for the next three years after formally agreeing to a deal with St George Illawarra on Wednesday night.
Just 24 hours after the board unanimously endorsed Flanagan’s appointment, the two parties stuck a the deal that will keep the premiership-winning coach at the Dragons until at least the end of 2026.
Flanagan is expected to remain at the Sea Eagles for the rest of the year while juggling his future commitments with the Dragons, where he must unite a club and a playing group that languishes at the foot of the ladder.
His return caps a tumultuous coaching search for the Dragons as they looked to appoint a successor to Anthony Griffin, who was sacked last month.
The club thought they had landed former Sydney Roosters assistant Jason Ryles but he made a dramatic last-minute U-turn and agreed to a deal with the Melbourne Storm.
They quickly resumed their search and arrived at Flanagan, whose resume includes the first premiership win in Cronulla’s history in 2016.
More recently, Flanagan has been an assistant at Manly where he has been an experienced sounding board to head coach Anthony Seibold.
He has a huge job in front of him and he looks to placate a fractious playing group, who have been watching and waiting as the club conducted their search for a new coach.
The key will be captain Ben Hunt, whose future has been under the microscope in the wake of Griffin’s exit. Hunt and Griffin were close but Flanagan has already spoken to the Dragons captain and assured him he has a place in his side in his preferred position at halfback.“We have full faith in Shane’s abilities as a coach and are looking forward to welcoming him back to the club,” said Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster.
“Shane will add value in the role of head coach given the club’s deep, talented and emerging playing roster.
“Shane is well-regarded within the club from his recent roles here, first as an assistant coach then as list management consultant. The time he previously spent with the club also gives him a high level of familiarity with our players, systems and pathways.”
Flanagan said he was excited to return to the Dragons as head coach.
“There is a fantastic opportunity at the Dragons to build something really special over the next few years,” Flanagan said.
“While the Sea Eagles will continue to have my full focus for the rest of this season, I also can’t wait to get started back at the Dragons at the end of this season and work on returning the club to the finals where it belongs.”
Dragons legend Mark Gasnier hinted at the huge job lying in front of Flanagan.
“If I’m brutally honest the problems lie beyond the coach,” Gasnier said on Triple M NRL.
“I think in regards to the club for sustained success moving forward there are other things that need to be done.
“I just hope they put things in place in the near future so there’s not too much more pain for the fans.”
Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic believes Flanagan’s experience will be crucial for the Sea Eagles at the back end of the season.
“I definitely hope he stays. He does a lot of our attack and he really helped shape us there,” Trbojevic said.
“But if he needs to go down now to be a head coach, which is something that he wants, then that’s unfortunate for us because he brought so much.
“I actually haven’t spoken to him since the news, but I will message him. I’m just happy for him to get the role. If we have to go one without him we will, but hopefully we don’t.”
Trbojevic, who is in NSW camp preparing to take on Queensland in State of Origin II next week, said the Dragons were getting a proven winner.
“I think the biggest thing with Flanno (Flanagan) when it comes to his coaching is you can’t help but respect him as a player. He has been there and done it all as a coach, he’s won a premiership,” Trbojevic said.
“He’s got a hard edge about him. He’s not afraid to tell someone where they need to improve.
“He’s honest and doesn’t sugar coat anything as well, and as a player you respond to that. I think those things are really important qualities in a coach.
“That’s why I think he’ll go down there and do a really good job for them.”
LESSONS LEARNED IN EXILE HAS FLANNO READY
Shane Flanagan was hard at work on Sydney’s northern beaches on Tuesday when his return to head coaching was rubber-stamped by the St George Illawarra board.
After one false start and weeks of indecision, the Dragons finally had their man. Not just any man either. Flanagan is a premiership winner with a 55 per cent win record, and tried and tested ability to turn struggling clubs into perennial contenders.
Sure, he has some well-documented black marks against his name but he also knows how to get the best out of players and unite them behind a common cause.
God knows the Dragons need some of that at the moment. The club has been treading water for years, churning through coaches but failing to go close to matching their 2010 premiership success.
That side was coached by a bloke named Wayne Bennett, who arrived at the Dragons with six premierships to his name and added another one with the Red V.
Flanagan is the first Dragons coach since Bennett with a title win on his resume and the hope is that he can have a similar effect to the super coach by sprinkling magic dust over a club that has laboured for too long.
Importantly, he also has the Dragons in his blood. He played Jersey Flegg, SG Ball and President’s Cup for St George before making his first grade debut at the Dragons, playing three games for the club before moving elsewhere.
He returned for a short time as an assistant coach to McGregor and then as a list management consultant but his desire has always been to be a head coach again and he has his chance despite attempts to derail his bid over the past week.
His critics dredged up his time at the Sharks during the peptide scandal and his subsequent deregistration for failing to comply with the rules around his suspension.
There were suggestions the Dragons should have held the line and rejected his return. Flanagan has addressed the issue publicly and privately in recent weeks as he emerged as a leading contender for the Dragons job, insisting he has learned his lessons and will return a better coach.
The past, however, wasn’t the Dragons’ concern. Only the future. They were already leaning towards an experienced coach after being snubbed by Jason Ryles, who opted for the Storm when the St George Illawarra job was at his mercy.
Ben Hornby and Dean Young were also in the mix but Flanagan was the preferred option of senior figures at the club. They just needed to convince the rest of the board. On Tuesday morning they did just that.
The Dragons were back on the same page and once again pulling in the same direction. So much for a board that can’t work together. They found a way and the club will be better for it.
Flanagan will finish the year at Manly but he will also be doing his best to ensure the Dragons are in good shape when he arrives. He has already spoken to captain Ben Hunt and there will be further chats as Flanagan attempts to ensure he has a squad at his disposal capable of playing finals football.
Doubts over Hunt’s future at the Dragons have likely been erased. Flanagan will play him halfback and Hunt will be happy. He has other personnel decisions to make but he has time on his side. His period out of the game taught him the value of patience and perseverance.
They are two qualities that will come in handy in his new job.
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