The St George Illawarra Dragons have locked in coach Shane Flanagan with multi-year contract extension despite the club being set to miss the finals again in 2025.
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The Daily Telegraph reported the Dragons granted Flanagan a two-year contract extension that will take him through until the end of 2028 at least.
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.
The Dragons confirmed the deal in a statement on Friday.
“The Dragons are pleased to announce the extension of Head Coach Shane Flanagan’s contract for a further two years, securing his leadership through to the end of the 2028 NRL season,” the club said in a statement.
This extension reaffirms the club’s commitment to stability, growth, and a long-term vision for success both on and off the field.
“Shane has played a critical role in setting the foundation for where this club is heading,” said Dragons CEO Tim Watsford.
“He’s re-instilled belief in our playing group, coaches and supporters together with reiterating the privilege of wearing the Red V.”
Supporting this vision is the recent addition of Daniel Anderson as the club’s Head of Recruitment and Pathways. Daniel’s presence provides critical support to Flanagan, ensuring the coaching staff are equipped with the right talent and depth across all levels.
“The alignment between Shane and Daniel is essential to create lasting success Watsford added.
“It gives us confidence that we are not just making short-term decisions, we are building a sustainable future.
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“The Dragons are proud of the progress that is being made and remain focused on continuing the journey toward consistent finals contention, driven by a committed group of players, staff, and loyal supporters.
“This is an exciting era for the Red V; one built on resilience, local pride, and an unwavering belief in the future.”
Added Flanagan: “It’s a privilege to continue to coach the Dragons, a club built on such a rich history.
“The playing group is full of talent and I’m excited by the prospect of realising success for the Red V over the coming years.
“It’s clear the club is setting structures and processes in place to deliver outcomes for years to come and to be entrusted by the board and management is something I don’t take for granted.”
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Flanagan’s extension comes after the Dragons missed the finals in his first season in charge and look set to do so again in 2025, but they have made improvements under his tenure.
The Dragons currently sit 11th on the ladder ahead of a clash with arch rivals the Sharks in Round 23, who Flanagan won a premiership with Cronulla in 2016.
The Dragons have had a solid despite a crippling casualty ward, but there are still doubts they have the playmakers to take the club to the next level.
“I’m super excited about what lies ahead,” Flanagan told The Daily Telegraph.
Flanagan revealed the Dragons are just two classy players away from being genuine title contenders.
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“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.”
Criticism both fair and unfair seems to follow Flanagan and son Kyle, but the coach denied it would be a distraction for the team going forward.
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Flanagan senior even suggested a potential positional switch could be on the cards for his son, with the club actively chasing halves.
“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.”
After juggling coaching duties with recruitment, Flanagan is excited with the changes to the club that will mean he can focus on what he does best, which is coaching.
“It’s so good that the club is now getting everything in order,” Flanagan said.
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“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.”
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