Cronulla poised to make Shane Flanagan the longest serving coach in Sharks history
CRONULLA are currently in negotiations to make premiership-winning mentor Shane Flanagan the longest-serving coach in Sharks history.
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PREMIERSHIP winners Chad Townsend and Matt Prior have backed Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan to become the club’s first 10-year coach after advancing to within 80 minutes of a second grand final in three seasons.
The Sharks duo have leant their vocal support behind Flanagan as The Sunday Telegraph can reveal his agent Wayne Beavis met with Cronulla chairman Dino Mezzatesta last Monday to discuss formalising a new three-year deal.
The deal would ensure Flanagan, off-contract at the end of 2019, surpasses John Lang as Cronulla’s longest serving coach.
A new contract would also remove Flanagan from next year’s NRL coaching carousel with six of the 16 coaches off-contract at the end of 2019.
The 52-year-old, who commenced his NRL coaching career during the 2010 season, is the club’s most successful coach having missed the finals just once in eight seasons.
Remarkably, just two years after winning the club’s first premiership in 49 years, a second title is now a possibility ahead of a grand final qualifier against Melbourne on Friday night.
And it is the Storm, the most successful NRL club in the modern era, which Townsend used as an example of why stability at the coaching level was key to success and reason for Flanagan to be retained.
“You look at some of the great teams around the competition and the team that we’re playing this week (Melbourne) comes to mind,’’ Townsend said.
“They’ve had a coach for a long-term and there’s been long-term success.
“From that point of view, stability and long-term success comes hand-in-hand and that’s something we’ve definitely had here at Cronulla under Flanno (Flanagan).’’
Prior, who has won a title and developed into a NSW Origin prop since joining the Sharks in 2014, agreed with Townsend on how critical stability from the top was for a club.
He added that Flanagan’s honesty with him during his career was key to his relationship and success.
“Having that stability is key. For the boys to know where the club is going, in terms of the coach and where they’re heading as far as the future goes, is very important,’’ Prior said.
“Flanno has done a great job over the last few years and I’m sure that he’ll get re-signed and there’s no doubt from any of the boys that he’s the man to take us forward.
“He’s been good for me - he gives me a kick up the bum when I need it.’’
Last month, Flanagan spoke passionately about his desire to remain at the club.
“I just think myself and all the people involved in the club over the last four or five years have worked so hard to get the club to what it is at the moment,’’ Flanagan said.
“We’re a top four semi-final team year in, year out. I want to be at the club.
“We’ve built it to where it is at the moment, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“We’ve got the foundations built and the next bit is really exciting, and I want to be a part of that.”
Originally published as Cronulla poised to make Shane Flanagan the longest serving coach in Sharks history
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