The NRL isn’t issuing any reminder. They were contacted by Webster so what could they say. Webster has written this rubbish piece to protect his good mate and offer up ready made excuses.
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The NRL isn’t issuing any reminder. They were contacted by Webster so what could they say. Webster has written this rubbish piece to protect his good mate and offer up ready made excuses.
NRL issues reminder that Shane Flanagan can't coach until 2022
Andrew Webster
Chief Sports Writer
March 6, 2020 — 12.00am
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The NRL has shut down any thoughts of Shane Flanagan becoming a head coach before his two-year ban expires.
All off-season, this column has been told by St George Illawarra supporters, and even some people within the club, they expect Flanagan to be elevated from assistant coach to head coach should Paul McGregor get sacked.
Dragons assistant Shane Flanagan was deregistered in December 2018 for breaching the conditions of his previous year-long ban for his role in the Sharks’ supplement scandal.
Flanagan fuelled that belief when he told The Sydney Morning Herald in Mudgee last week that speculation about McGregor’s future is the “elephant in the room”.
It was an extraordinary comment from an assistant coach just a couple of months into his return to the game. Some considered it disrespectful to the coach, who is a good man under enormous pressure.
No, the elephant in the room at the Dragons is actually Flanagan.
A reminder for those who might’ve missed the 10,000-or-so stories about the matter …
The former Cronulla coach was deregistered in December 2018 for breaching the conditions of his previous year-long ban for his role in the Sharks’ supplement scandal, in which players were injected with banned substances.
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He was told not to make any contact with the club, or on behalf of the club, but did it anyway, such was his shortsighted belief that other people — and not him, as head coach — had failed his players as they were essentially treated like guinea pigs by controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank.
In December last year, the ARL Commission allowed him to take up an assistant coach’s role under McGregor following an off-season review at the Dragons by Phil Gould after they finished second last.
Almost immediately, frustrated Dragons supporters believed it would be a matter of time before Flanagan would take over if McGregor was sacked.
Todd Greenberg will not have the final say on Shane Flanagan's future.CREDIT:AAP
There’s a growing belief that all Flanagan has to do is bide his time, say the right things to head office, say the right things to NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg, and he’ll be cleared to take up a head coach's role wherever one pops up.
Not so fast, says head office.
Any decision on Flanagan's future would come from the ARL Commission — not Greenberg. Regardless, the NRL says there has been “no softening” of the ban and made it clear Flanagan can’t even apply for a reduction within the next two seasons.
We were then directed to Greenberg’s remarks when Flanagan was allowed to join the Dragons.
“This is not a set and forget approach,” Greenberg said at the time. “Shane and any future club who employs him has numerous conditions which they must comply with and the integrity unit will continue to monitor his conduct over the next two seasons.”
McGregor has two seasons to run on his deal, but if he’s sacked early it would likely lead to the elevation of Dean Young as head coach.
Given the size of the payout, a horror run already with injuries, and another year without Jack de Belin - after his trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman was put back until later in the year, McGregor might be cut some slack.
Those within the Dragons report his working relationship with Flanagan has been beneficial; just having an experienced football brain as a sounding board has helped McGregor.
Flanagan’s “elephant in the room” comment stunned some — but not McGregor, who has been dealing with speculation about his future for a long time.
This is year 7 in control..
Incorrect with the dog years, my Labrador is 16 years and about 46kgs = over 120 years old and going ok!
