Hasler to sign new deal with Manly – and it will be his last as an NRL coach

Des Hasler is about to sign what will be his last ever contract as a coach, but he won’t be lost to Manly when it expires.

Hasler is poised to ink a two-year contract extension, putting to bed any suggestion his tenure was in jeopardy after the Sea Eagles suffered the biggest opening round loss in the club’s history, a 46-4 defeat to the Roosters at the SCG. The club is expected to trumpet the extension, but its true significance lies in the fine print.

Des Hasler is about to sign his last contract as an NRL coach.Credit:NRL Photos

Perhaps most significantly, Hasler has earnt that respect, built during storied playing and coaching careers in the maroon and white, to ride out difficult periods such as last year’s injury-plagued season.

As far as Hasler the coach goes, there are less than three seasons before he retires. While Wayne Bennett, 71, has no intention of retiring and Craig Bellamy, 61, is uncertain what he’ll do beyond this year, Hasler has settled on an end date.

Already, he has revolutionised the craft; he advanced sports science by pioneering the use of GPS technologies and pushed the boundaries with unconventional methods such as the injection of calves blood.

Having rebuilt Manly after the marriage with North Sydney was annulled, Hasler again faces a serious challenge in his bid to go out a winner. Recurring hamstrings injuries to superstar Tom Trbojevic, the absence of a recognised hooker while Manase Fainu is suspended indefinitely and a poor start to the new season are hurdles that need to be overcome.

Manly players were on Tuesday unaware of the imminent announcement of the new deal, but were happy to sing the praises of their coach.

“I want Des to stay,” Sea Eagles skipper Daly Cherry-Evans said. “I’ve said that to Des, I love being coached by him so sounds like it’s going to be worked out.

“He challenges me, he’s pushed me. I think he just wants the best out of his playing group. He’s not a man who wants the fame and the fortune, he genuinely just wants his players be involved in a successful environment.”

Manly pivot Kieran Foran added: “Des is a phenomenal coach. You ask anyone who has ever been coached by him I don’t know if there is a coach who puts the amount of work and attention of detail in as Des Hasler does.

“Des, he prepares his players so well, he believe in his players. I think as a whole we can’t speak highly enough of him. And this club, they know what they’ve got in Dessy. He’s a world-class coach, he’s won premierships and I daresay he’s got a few more in him.”

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