St George Illawarra have extended the contract of head coach Shane Flanagan until 2028 in a significant step towards building an NRL premiership-winning outfit.
Flanagan, who was off contract at the end of next season, has been granted a two-year extension by the club on the eve of Saturday’s local derby against the Cronulla Sharks, the club he guided to the historic 2016 premiership.
“I’m super excited about what lies ahead,” Flanagan said.
Interestingly, he did the deal himself, without agent Isaac Moses, after just seven days of talks with new CEO Tim Watsford and chairman Andrew Lancaster.
Flanagan says the club is now just two class players away from becoming a genuine premiership threat.
“It’s so good that the club is now getting everything in order,” Flanagan said.
“We’ve got a new recruitment boss (Daniel Anderson), a new CEO (Tim Watsford), a recently re-elected chairman (Andrew Lancaster) and the front office is in a really good and stable place.
“Daniel’s got a great track record, the new CEO is a go-getter and everyone knows the respect our chairman is held in across the game.
“We also have our new high-performance facility opening next year. We’re putting ourselves into a really strong position. It’s so good to be locked in.”
THE DEAL
With the finals now out of reach, Flanagan has been working hard to ensure the club finishes the season in a respectable position.
Then Watsford rang him last week.
“That’s how quickly this has happened,” Flanagan said “The club can see where we’re heading in a really positive direction.
“They know I love the place and want to be here long term. So it was a very easy negotiation between two parties that didn’t want to change anything.”
THE ROLE CHANGE
Under the previous Dragons management, Flanagan had to work long and hard on areas outside of his general coaching.
The resources just weren’t there.
“I was spending two or three hours a day on things outside of coaching,” he said.
“A lot of it was recruitment. Phone calls day and night with managers. Other issues.
“But now, with this set-up in place, it allows me to do more coaching which can only be beneficial to the club.
“From where I’m sitting, this club is setting itself up as professionally as any place that I’ve worked at.”
THE FUTURE
Flanagan admits Anderson has some work to do.
“I think we need one or two rep players to become a genuine premiership contender,” he said.
“A couple of class players and we’ll get there.
“We’ve got Val (Holmes), Gutho (Clint Gutherson) and Cookie (Damien Cook) and we need a couple more to complement all the younger ones coming through.
“It’s a good squad now. We try hard and we compete hard. Some close results haven’t gone our way and that can come back to lacking a couple more rep players.”
He is so excited about the younger ones coming through.
“Look at the kids we’ve debuted – the Couchmans (Toby and Ryan), Hamish Stewart, Dylan Egan … there’s a long list of them,” he said. “And plenty more too.
“Some of them have played too much this year for their age but it’s going to put them in good stead for future years.”
THE KYLE FACTOR
Flanagan has had to deal with nepotism claims around his son Kyle, a good, honest and hardworking halfback but a player who lacks the overall skill as a playmaker to deliver a title.
The coach understands that.
“Nothing changes for Kyle,” Flanagan said. “He’s just gotta keep doing his job.
“He knows we’re looking for players in the halves.
“At the moment I think he’s our best option but down the track he’ll maybe transition into another position. He’ll just keep working hard on his game.”
THE CLUB
Watsford stepped into the role only 10 weeks ago. He immediately struck a chord with the coach.
He looked around and saw all the debate and speculation at other clubs around their head coaches.
“Securing Shane for an additional two years provides the stability and structure our football program needs,” he said.
“His leadership brings clarity, discipline, and a clear direction, all of which are essential as we build a high-performance environment that can deliver consistent success.
“Shane’s work ethic and relentless drive for excellence have been critical in shifting the mindset of this club. He’s set high standards from day one, and despite a catastrophic injury toll this year, he’s kept the team competing every week that speaks volumes about the culture Shane and the coaching staff are building.”
“With Shane locked in, Anderson on board, and the high-performance centre on the horizon, we can now relentlessly pursue long-term success. Our fans deserve a club that’s competitive year in, year out and this is the foundation to deliver exactly that.”
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