Shane Flanagan and St George Illawarra Dragons are set to part ways.
Dragons officials have called a press conference for Monday at 9.45am, with chairman Andrew Lancaster and CEO Tim Watsford expected to confirm Flanagan is no longer the coach.
Flanaganโs future had become untenable after the club slumped to a seventh straight loss to start the season on Saturday night.
Club officials have also been mindful about Flanaganโs well-being, with the coach appearing emotionally drained by the constant speculation about his future, not to mention the impact it is having on his family, including his son and Dragonsโ playmaker, Kyle Flanagan.
Flanagan has been diplomatic about his immediate future when asked multiple times in recent weeks.
Following the South Sydney game, Flanagan conceded it was a results-driven business, and said: โI get to work every day, and all I can do is do my best to prepare the players the best I can, and if it doesnโt work, and they decide to make another decision, well, Iโve just got to live with it.โ
Flanagan, 60, was in charge of Cronulla when they won their only premierships a decade ago, and took over the Dragons, a club he once played for, at the start of the 2024 season.
He becomes the second coach shown the door following Manlyโs decision to axe Anthony Seibold after three defeats to start the year.
The big question for the Dragons will be who takes over as caretaker coach โ Mick Ennis and Dean Young are the assistants โ and whether either man will be considered as the permanent replacement.
The Dragons face the Roosters in Sydneyโs annual Anzac Day NRL clash at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
The club last won a premiership in 2010 under the coaching of Wayne Bennett and has been through a series of coaches since then.
Steve Price, Paul McGregor, Dean Young, Anthony Griffin, and Ryan Carr all served as either full-time or interim coaches since Bennettโs departure at the end of 2011, before Flanaganโs arrival.
More to come …
