‘End of an era’: Legendary NRL coach ‘to retire’ at end of the season

Gold Coast Titans head coach and Manly Sea Eagles icon Des Hasler will retire from the NRL at the end of the season, according to one journalist Down Under.

Hasler has enjoyed a 20-year coaching career at the top of the game, leading the Sea Eagles to two Premierships in 2008 and 2011 as well as winning the Minor Premiership with Canterbury Bulldogs.

But has time at the Titans has not gone to plan, with calls in recent weeks for him to step down after a difficult 2025 campaign.

And now, controversial journalist Paul Kent has revealed on his own podcast that Hasler’s time at the club is coming to an end.

Kent said: “There’s been a lot going on at the Gold Coast in recent weeks. It’s yet to be announced, it will be.. I’m not sure when the plan is, but they’ve agreed that basically after the awful year they’ve had, Des Hasler is going to retire at the end of the year.

“It’s the end of an era for Des. He began coaching at Manly many years ago and it’s his 498th game as a head coach this week. Four Grand Finals, two Premierships and just a very influential coach at his peak.

“He’s gone up there and it hasn’t been as successful as he’d like. There’s been conjecture about his future at the club and it emerged five or six weeks ago that there was a clause in his contract that if they didn’t make the play-offs this year, the club could sack him.

“He looked like he would fight through it, that clause wasn’t presented as a threat.. but in all discussions with the club, Des has decided that this will be his last season. He’ll be on the way out.”

TUESDAY’S READS ON LRL

👉🏻 Early contenders for Castleford job including NRL assistant and man with Chris Chester links

👉🏻 Groundbreaking Super League quota changes set to be approved

👉🏻 Castleford Tigers’ next coaching steps explained after Danny McGuire exit

👉🏻Sky Pundit Team of the Week: FIVE Leeds stars and four from Wakefield among picks