If South Sydney are to win a record 21st rugby league premiership, their first in 43 years, they must first overcome ‘The Fox’.
Des Hasler won’t be on the field, but he will be pulling the strings from the Bulldog’s coaching box.
‘The Fox’ will never blow his own trumpet, that’s not his bag as the quiet achiever, so I will blow it for him.
This will be his fifth decider as a coach, having taken Many to premiership honours in 2008 and 2011, and the losing grand finals with Manly in 2007 and the Bulldogs in 2012.
The 53-year-old won’t tell you, but he has his sights on the three most successful NRL coaches in history – Wayne Bennett, the late great Jack Gibson, and Tim Sheens.
Bennett is the coaching benchmark with seven premierships – six with the Broncos in 1992, 1993, 1997 (Super League), 1998, 2000, and 2006, and one with the Dragons in 2010.
Gibson, who died in 2009 aged 79, was the original pacesetter with five premierships – two with Easts in 1974 and 1975, and three with Parramatta in 1981, 1982, and 1983.
Sheens has four premierships – three with the Raiders in 1989, 1990, and 1994, and one with Wests Tigers in 2005.
They are the three most dominant premiership coaches, but Hasler is inching closer. If the Bulldogs bark tomorrow night, Hasler will be one behind Sheens, and Hasler has plenty of years up his sleeve to make his presence felt.
His opposite number tomorrow night, Michael Maguire, has even more time up his sleeve at 40. He wasn’t even born when Souths were last in a grand final and won it in 1971.
Maguire’s never reached a NRL grand final, but he’s tasted success coaching Wigan to win the 2010 Super League title, and the Challenge Cup the next year.
While Des Hasler and Michael Maguire are like chalk and cheese, both have proven talent.
But Hasler has the edge, with two premierships under his belt, and having taken the Bulldogs from seventh on the ladder to the decider.
Hasler will be Souths biggest hurdle.
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