Shane Flanagan ‘interested’ in Super League coaching role after NRL exit

He’s only just left his NRL job, but Shane Flanagan is already thought to be interested in one of Super League’s current coaching vacancies.

Flanagan was relieved of his duties by St George Illawarra Dragons on Monday, following a run of eleven straight defeats that has left the club bottom of the NRL.

However, a number of sources have told Love Rugby League that Flanagan has shown an interest in coaching Super League’s Dragons in recent weeks, with his time at St George seeming to be coming to an inevitable end.

Catalans are one of several clubs currently on the lookout for a new head coach, with Joel Tomkins leaving due to personal reasons earlier this month. The likes of Huddersfield Giants and Hull KR are also hunting for coaches to take them forward.

It would come as a surprise if the Dragons were to look overseas for a coach, given they have stripped back their spending in recent times. They had assembled one of the most inexperienced coaching setups Super League has seen heading into the season, fronted by Tomkins in his first head coach role.

Beyond that, they are one of Super League’s lowest-spending clubs this year, with their squad thought to be worth less than £2 million. The base salary cap, before dispensations, is £2.1 million.

Whether that will prove to be a stumbling block for Flanagan or not remains to be seen, but with his NRL coaching career now looking uncertain, a move to Super League may be enticing for a coach with plenty of NRL experience.

He has coached 240 NRL games during two stints with Cronulla and then St George. He coached the Sharks to Grand Final glory in 2016.

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