All Sharks fans will forever be grateful to the Flange for being the coach in 2016,
But,
All Sharks fans should also be thankful to Barry Russell for uncovering Flanges stupid/arrogant role in going against his banned orders of not being involved with the club.
If it hadn't happened we'd be looking at Flanju as a 300 game player.
Flanges recruitment after Moons left was bordering on diabolical, and his style of play was looking outdated year by year, which is now being proven by the Dargs game play.
Jimmy Maloneys take down of Flange last year was brutal, and the fact not one Sharks player from 2016 came out and spoke against it was telling.
In a surprising turn, James Maloney has criticised Shane Flanagan, his former coach at the 2016 premiership-winning Cronulla Sharks. In May 2025, Maloney claimed he "didn't learn a thing" from Flanagan, stating that the team's success was driven by the senior playing group rather than coaching tactics, even describing the coaching in that period as having "no idea"