Shane Flanagan, Dragons to part ways after club’s seventh straight season loss
Updated ,first published
Shane Flanagan has stepped down as St George Illawarra head coach.
Just eight months after the Dragons handed him a two-year contract extension, the bottom-placed club confirmed they had parted ways on Monday morning.
Flanagan, 60, paid the price for a miserable run of form that saw the JV team lose their first seven games of the season and 11 in a row, ending the 2025 season.
Flanagan’s departure was sealed with Saturday night’s 30-12 defeat against South Sydney.
Dragons general manager of football Ben Haran has also left the club.
Dragons officials said Flanagan and Haran left by mutual consent.
Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster said: “Our results and performance on the field have not been up to our expectations.”
“Changes have been made and we will continue to evaluate the changes.”
Speaking to Dragons supporters he said: “We understand and share your frustration.
“The results are not there. [It’s been a] “It is a difficult period, we will try to overcome this process.”
The club has not yet announced who will serve as interim head coach or who will take over on a permanent basis.
Club officials were cautious about Flanagan’s health; the coach appeared emotionally drained by the constant speculation about his future; not to mention the impact it had on his family, including his son and Dragons quarterback Kyle Flanagan.
Flanagan has been diplomatic about her immediate future when asked repeatedly in recent weeks.
Following the South Sydney game, Flanagan admitted it was a results-oriented job and said: “I work every day and all I can do is try my best to prepare the players to the best of my ability and if that doesn’t work and they decide to make another decision, I’ll have to live with it.”
Flanagan, 60, was in charge of Cronulla’s only title win a decade ago and took over the Dragons team he once played for at the start of the 2024 season.
He becomes the second coach to be shown the door following Manly’s decision to sack Anthony Seibold after three defeats to start the year.
The big questions for the Dragons will be who will take over as caretaker coach (assistants Mick Ennis and Dean Young) and whether both men will be considered permanent replacements.
When it comes to the full-time option, former Eels coach Brad Arthur, who now coaches Leeds in the Super League, is keen to return to coaching in the NRL.
Another long-term option is South Sydney assistant coach Ben Hornby. Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has long touted Hornby, the Dragons’ title-winning player, as a full-time NRL coach.
The Dragons will face the Roosters in Sydney’s annual Anzac Day NRL clash at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
The club last won the title in 2010 under Bennett’s coaching and has gone through a succession of coaches since then.
Prior to Flanagan’s arrival, Steve Price, Paul McGregor, Dean Young, Anthony Griffin and Ryan Carr had served as either full-time or interim coaches since Bennett’s departure at the end of 2011.
More to come
Chris Barrett is senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Southeast Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age newspapers.Connect with: X or email.
