One man who has been ignored in the St George Illawarra coaching conversation is Josh Hannay, the laid-back Cronulla assistant who some in the Shire believe is the next NRL head coach in waiting.
“He is the next one off the ranks in my opinion,” Cronulla veteran Wade Graham said.
“The amount of respect we hold for him, and it’s not just here, he also helped Billy Slater with the Queensland Origin team last year.
“He flies under the radar, but one day, when the right opportunity arises for him, he’s going to make a wonderful head coach.
“He communicates well, he’s a pretty relaxed guy, he understands the game and the current trends in the game.
“For selfish reasons, I’m not too dissatisfied other clubs haven’t come chasing him yet because we love him here at the Sharks and he does a hell of a job for us.”
Josh Hannay is seen by some in the Shire as the next NRL head coach in waiting.Credit: Getty
The Dragons have gone to market to get a gauge on who might be interested in their top job for 2024. The list so far includes Sydney Roosters assistant Jason Ryles – who will be in the rival coach’s box at PointsBet Stadium on Friday evening – as well as fellow former Dragons Dean Young and Ben Hornby, who are assistants at North Queensland and Souths respectively.
Anthony Griffin is currently in charge but is at long odds to be at the helm next year.
Hannay, 43, has already been thrust into the caretaker roles at North Queensland and Cronulla, and still has another year to run on his deal working as Craig Fitzgibbon’s offsider.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Hannay, as well as off-contract Graham, who is happy to entertain a move to the Super League, retirement in Canada where his wife is from, or remain in Sydney to pursue a media career.
Wade Graham returns on Friday following a four-match ban for this hit on Davvy Moale.Credit: FoxSports
Graham said at least the future looked bright for Cronulla with Fitzgibbon and Nicho Hynes both nailed down to long-term deals, the latter signed until 2029.
“With Craig signing long term, and Nicho signing long term, it’s certainly provided the club with a lot of stability, and if I was a young player coming through, it makes it a desirable place to come and play when you know you have a really good coach and a really good playmaker,” Graham said.
“At the end of seven years [when Hynes’ deal expires], and with Nicho’s trajectory, he could be anything for this club.
“He could go down as one of the greatest, but it’s up to him.
“Everyone who listens to him speak or has anything to do with him can sense that humility and how genuine that is. He’s a good guy, so everyone is pulling for him.”
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