“His ability to put together a team to go all the way to win a premiership, there don’t appear to be that many coaches with that direct experience. It’s surprised me that no one has picked him up before.

“He’s the first to admit in the early days of Cronulla that there were a lot of issues around governance ... that’s something he would learn from.

“I think his reliability and professionalism, all those areas, are key. From the outside, for whoever goes into that St George Illawarra job, it’s not necessarily going to be a straightforward thing.”

After being rejected by a rookie – Ryles felt the job of rebuilding his former club was beyond him –some Red V officials believe it’s a task for a seasoned hand. Flanagan is one of three premiership-winning mentors, alongside Michael Maguire and Des Hasler, looking for a head coaching role. While Maguire and Hasler haven’t been completely discounted, Flanagan shapes as the leading contender should the club opt for an experienced coach.

Dragons director Peter Doust, an influential member from the St George side of the board, has reservations about Flanagan. Whether other pro-Flanagan powerbrokers have been able to allay his concerns remains unclear.

Keogh believed the best chance for Flanagan, or anyone else, to succeed at the Dragons would come if the coach, chief executive and board were aligned.

‘It’s surprised me that no one has picked him up before.’

Former Sharks chair Damian Keogh on Shane Flanagan

“When we had success at Cronulla, we had a strong alignment of those three areas,” Keogh said.

“When you look at most clubs that end up winning premierships or being perennially successful, that holy trinity is key to that. Personally, for Shane’s sake, I hope he gets it and is successful.”

Flanagan, who was previously a member of the Dragons brains trust, is an assistant to Anthony Seibold at Manly. Seibold has said he won’t stand in Flanagan’s way should a head coach job arise.

“Obviously, Jason had some concerns when he went there and pulled out last minute,” Flanagan told 2GB this week.

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“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge. Hopefully, it doesn’t take too long if it’s going to happen, but I’ll leave it to my manager ... but I don’t think I need to go through an interview process.

“Obviously, the club would know what I’ve done in the game; I’ve coached at NRL level for eight years, won a competition, obviously everyone talks about I’ve had a suspension, but I learnt so much from that period, and I’m a better person, better coach ... If the Dragons are interested, we’ll chat.”

The club’s coaching call could have implications for the future of star halfback and skipper Ben Hunt. Several clubs, including the Gold Coast and Canterbury, are ready to make a move should Hunt want to leave. Hunt, who is contracted until the end of 2025, was close to Griffin and is said to be keen to play in his preferred position of halfback rather than hooker.

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