St George Illawarra Dragons to announce coach’s departure
Shane Flanagan and the St George Illawarra Dragons are set to part ways.
Dragons officials hold a press conference at 9.45am on Monday, with chairman Andrew Lancaster and chief executive Tim Watsford expected to confirm Flanagan is no longer manager.
Flanagan’s future had become untenable after the club suffered a seventh consecutive defeat to start the season on Saturday night.
Club officials were also wary of Flanagan’s health; The manager 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 premiership 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.
More to come…
