Dragons agree to Shane Flanagan coaching deal
St George Illawarra has reportedly reached an agreement for Shane Flanagan to be appointed the club’s next head coach.
Shane Flanagan has reportedly been appointed coach of the Dragons.
The club’s board of directors has reportedly reached a unanimous decision to give Flanagan the job, ending a month-long recruitment farce.
The Daily Telegraph first reported the club settled on the former Cronulla Sharks coach after considering club greats Ben Hornby and Dean Young.
Channel 9’s Danny Weidler also revealed further details of the deal on Twitter, saying it is “likely” to be a three-year contract offer.
It has been a wild ride for the club to reach this point after Jason Ryles’ shock decision to turn his back on the job at the last second after getting cold feet.
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Last month, after weeks of speculation, the Dragons ripped the Band-Aid off and sacked former coach Anthony Griffin after a run of six straight losses before the side slumped to the bottom of the ladder despite a win the following round.
Flanagan coached the Sharks for eight seasons and won the 2016 premiership before being banned for his role in the club’s infamous supplements saga.
Flanagan currently works as an assistant to Manly head coach Anthony Seibold and is expected to finish the season with the Sea Eagles before joining the Dragons in 2024.
It means interim coach Ryan Carr will lead the Dragons for the rest of the year.
Flanagan has not had a head coaching gig in the NRL since 2018.
He was famously suspended for 12 months as the Sharks’ head coach as a result of his role in the club’s supplements program scandal in the 2011 season and was not permitted to have any contact with the club during that 12-month spell. He was de-registered as an accredited NRL official after it was found that he violated those terms.
Now Flanagan has been given the job of bringing the Dragons back from the brink.
The club is nearing rock bottom after weeks of drama which saw major sponsor St George Bank announce it is walking away from the club after 40 years.
On top of Griffin’s sacking and Ryles’ snub, the Dragons have also been plagued by problems in its playing ranks.
Strike centre Zac Lomax was recently dropped to reserve grade.
Club captain Ben Hunt also continues to be linked with a potential move to a rival NRL club despite having a long-term contract with the Dragons. Hunt and Griffin have always shared a close relationship and Hunt was vocal in his support of the coach before the axe was swung.
Griffin had already been ordered to reapply for his job, a sign many had seen as the beginning of the end of his tenure at the club.
That development saw the Bulldogs reportedly throw their hat in the ring for Hunt, 33.
It emerged last week the Gold Coast Titans are also a serious player in the market should Hunt seek a release from the Dragons.
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