Who is Shane Flanagan: Profiling the ex-NRL coach who has been linked with Leeds Rhinos

Here we look at his background, experience and credentials for the role.

Age: 56

Playing career: A hooker, Flanagan made his top-flight debut for St George in 1987 and joined Western Suburbs two years later. He joined Parramatta Eels in 1993 and retired two years later, following a knee injury.

Coaching experience: Flanagan began on the backroom staff at Parramatta and had a spell in Super League as assistant to Stuart Raper at Castleford Tigers.

He coached Australian Schoolboys and was an assistant with Sydney Roosters, New South Wales and Australia before taking charge of Cronulla during the 2010 season.

He was suspended by the NRL in 2013 following an investigation into players' use of banned supplements, but led Cronulla - including current Rhinos prop Matt Prior - to their first NRL Grand Final win, after they finished second on the table, in 2016.

He was suspended again in 2018 for breaching the terms of his earlier ban and later joined the backroom staff at St George-Illawarra, initially as an assistant-coach and then as a ‘list management consultant’, working in recruitment and retention.

Pros: Flanagan is vastly experienced and has a proven track record, having led Sharks to the NRL title. He has made it clear he wants to return to coaching and a move to Super League could be his way back.

Cons: Flanagan has been linked with Wests Tigers, if they decide to part company with Michael Maguire. The suspensions cast a cloud over his time at Cronulla. He was linked with Leeds three years ago, but nothing came of that.